NEW LOVEBIRD

Question
hi again! thanks for your initial response... the answer to your question first is that i bought my lovebird from a swap meet, and i cannot tell you if it was handfed or not... today, his new cage arrived, and as of right now, he is getting used to the new big cage  and is now chirping away... my question for you is how long should i wait and let my lovebird acclimate itself to its new cage before i can hold him again and train him to trust me and come to my finger, etc? also, since i dont know its sex yet, i ordered the DNA testing kit to find out its sex, and after that, i plan to get another lovebird of the opposite sex to pair him with... where should i get the other lovebird from, since i NEED to know the sex before purchase/adoption? thanks!

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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
Hi there, i have a very simple question... i just bought a lovebird that is
supposedly 3 months old... since i got him two days ago, everyday since then, i
have spent about an hour trying to teach it not to bite me and trust me and my
hand... how do i go forth in properly training my lovebird, seeing that he isnt a
baby anymore?
-----Answer-----
Hi, Leo.  Thanks for posting!

Considering lovebirds can live to be 10-15 years old (or more, depending on how well they are cared for), your 3-month old bird is still a baby!

Was this bird handfed as a baby?  Where did you obtain this bird...from a breeder or pet shop?  

This bird could be biting you because it's not used to it's new environment in your home and not used to you yet!  I recommend you give your new lovie some time to adjust to it's new surroundings and you before you attempt to work with him/her.  Too much stress can result in illness, so give the bird some time to acclimate itself to it's new home.  Then you can start trying to work with him/her.  

If you can answer my questions above, I might be able to help further.  Thanks.

Chrys

Answer
Hi again, Leo.

With the new cage, your bird now has to get used to it's new cage, new environment in your home, and you.  The time it takes for a bird to acclimate itself depends on the individual bird...I cannot predict how long this will take.  It might be OK tomorrow, it might take 2 weeks, it could take 3 months...I just don't know.  You'll know when the bird has settled down...it will act more comfortable in your home and around you.  You need to wait for this to happen before you try to do much with your bird.  I don't mean you have to ignore your bird, just don't ask or expect too much out of him/her right now.  

I recommend you buy your second bird from a breeder of lovebirds.  A swap meet can be a bad or good place to purchase birds, but it just depends on who the seller is.  Don't buy any bird that hasn't been DNA sexed and ensure the seller gives you this paperwork to see BEFORE you make your purchase.  If the bird is wearing a leg band, be sure you compare the information from the leg band with the paperwork you are given.  Otherwise, you're taking a chance of getting the wrong sex.  Don't buy from anyone who can't produce this paperwork.  In addition, lovebirds need to be at least 18 months old, but preferably 2 years old before they are bred.  If your lovie is only 3 months old, you've got well over a year before trying to bred s/he.  

You need to know that if you get another lovebird, they will most likely bond to each other and leave you out (birds prefer other birds to humans).  This means you won't be able to handle these birds like you want.  If you want tame, handleable birds, don't get 2...keep just 1.  If you want to breed them, they can't also be pets that are tame.  In some cases, birds can be both, but when you start out with a bird that isn't tame to begin with, then add another bird, the chances of taming the wild bird(s) are slim.  

Chrys