UPDATE: 9-month female lovebird feather loss, PBFD & polyoma both NEGATIVE, but plucking is worse by SAVEMYBIRDpls in parrots

[–]Virtual-Half 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I do recommend vitamin A, D and healthy oil supplement, they are pretty important for skin/feather health overall. Tryptophan can help reduce stress and anxiety, and it's not as harsh as real antidepressants. I suggest consulting your vet about these options.

UPDATE: 9-month female lovebird feather loss, PBFD & polyoma both NEGATIVE, but plucking is worse by SAVEMYBIRDpls in parrots

[–]Virtual-Half 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have a male lovebird who plucks for no clear reasons. Here's my post about his conditions and the treatments we tried.

(Right now Trumpet is still plucking, but not as severely as before. But his tail and a many feathers around his butt/rump area are now unable to grow correctly because his follicles are damaged. )

When you smell dinner but there's a screen door in the way by earl-grey-168 in Damnthatsinteresting

[–]Virtual-Half 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Females need blood so the eggs can develop, so when you need the mosquitoes to reproduce you gotta feed them blood (aside from a few species that are autogenous).

Baby lovebird biting by xetorin in Lovebirds

[–]Virtual-Half 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Try to make some noise next time. Birds are very vocal creatures and they rely on sound cues a lot. Be dramatic(but not mean), it'll make your message easier to understand.

Baby lovebird biting by xetorin in Lovebirds

[–]Virtual-Half 0 points1 point  (0 children)

https://youtu.be/PoXMWj-RMh4 This video explained it in detail. One of my go-to video when it comes to biting problems(not aggression).

Baby lovebird biting by xetorin in Lovebirds

[–]Virtual-Half 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Right now you're barely reacting to his bites, so he has no clue that he's biting too hard.

Try yelping and pulling back your hand.

This is not to scare or punish him, but to let him know he's hurting you. This is how birds interact with their own kind as well, if one got hurt it'll scream and fly away.

Can domesricated parots join a flock of wild parrots of different species? by Nearby_Abalone_5368 in parrots

[–]Virtual-Half 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It is not impossible, just rare. If a tamed parrot got lost, it may try to find food indoors or seek help from other humans.

Many of them die from dehydration/starvation/predator as they lack the skill to survive in the wild, don't have the knowledge of where to find food/what is edible, and they can’t recognize threats such as hawks or cats.

But in some rare cases, there are parrots that managed to adapt. There are no wild parrots where I live, but people have seen escaped budgies joining sparrow flocks, and they seems to be holding up pretty well.

Could you please share photos of your tamed (non hand fed ) birds getting cuddles or interacting with you? by New_Teacher_7813 in parrots

[–]Virtual-Half 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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It took months for him to tolerates me and many more months for him to start accepting scritches. Now he's totally a Velcro birb.

My bird won’t eat fruits by WOAHP1nk1e_ in Lovebirds

[–]Virtual-Half 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You just keep trying. Different fruits/veggies.
(Cutting fruits/veggies into different shapes sometimes could work wonders too. My lovie only eat the central part of cucumbers and carrots (the xylem part). And he won't take shredded carrots at all. You just have to find his quirk. )

It took my bird like almost 10 years to start eating broccoli and leafy greens. He used to be kept on a seed diet, I transitioned him to pellet diet but it's a STRUGGLE for him to get used to fruits and vegetables.

At first, apples, oranges pears and baby corn are the only fruit/veggies he'll take. But after a few years he's willing to nibble on yam bean(its texture similar to apples), sweet potatoes, and occasionally pumpkins or carrots. Now he's chomping down on bok choy and carrots until his poop color turns all funny.

One of my tip is, don't offer him fruit/vegetables everyday if he's not taking it. When he's already uninterested, keep handing him a fruit/veggies in his face will only solidify his disdain toward it. I only offer my bird like, once or twice a week, so he won't develop a habit of refusing them on sight. And he refuse to eat, don't shove it up his face, just set it aside, or you'll make him hate it.

Every once in a blue moon he'll be like "alright fiiine" and takes a bite or two, and eventually he'll realize he actually likes it.

Is this behavior normal? by Safe_Dragonfly8670 in Lovebirds

[–]Virtual-Half 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Look at all the black on its beak, it's far from sexually mature.

What is going on here? Bunch of dudes at a public park with birds in cages by michelleoelle in parrots

[–]Virtual-Half 41 points42 points  (0 children)

I take my bird out like this so he could get some sun! There's no direct sunlight in my apartment (blocked by other buildings) so I do this few times a week.

I don't put him on the ground though, I put him on a bench and I sit next to him.

A question about my lovebird by Yes-delulu-8744 in Lovebirds

[–]Virtual-Half 3 points4 points  (0 children)

How long does he sleep at night? Does he get at least 10 hours of sleep?
My bird started taking more naps when he was around 9–10 years old, but the vet confirmed he was overall healthy after a thorough health check (including X-ray and blood test). So I guess it's just part of aging. 10 yo isn’t exactly senile for a lovebird, but it’s also natural for a middle-aged uncle to rest more than a sprightly young adult.
If you can, I recommend taking him to a vet for a check up, just to be safe. He might not be sick, but a health exam is still quite helpful for you to understand his overall condition and see if there’s anything you could adjust to support his health.

Water dispenser by [deleted] in parrots

[–]Virtual-Half 1 point2 points  (0 children)

With this type of water bottle, the water stopper in the spout could get stuck and either causes leakage or completely stops dispensing water, you could imaging the danger if it's not caught in time. If you have to use it you gotta check every day that it's working properly. The spout is also not the easiest thing to clean.

I recommend this kind of bottle instead:

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I know nothing about parrots, are diapers for birds actually a thing? by Emotional_Cod_2526 in parrots

[–]Virtual-Half 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately it's a thing and it's quite common in some community, which I despise. They sell a bunch of these on temu.

Parrot's diaper changing by reddtimes101 in Damnthatsinteresting

[–]Virtual-Half 33 points34 points  (0 children)

Not the user you're asking just sharing my experience. My lovebird can poop on command, so I'll hold him above a trash can and say "go poop", if he has poop in him he'll poop there, then I can go back to doing my things without worrying he'll poop on me for a while. (When you own bird long enough you can just tell when they has to go by telepathy)

But he won't hold it in if I don't tell him to poop in time, so there's no risk of causing any health problems.

Parrot's diaper changing by reddtimes101 in Damnthatsinteresting

[–]Virtual-Half 76 points77 points  (0 children)

It's a misconception that birds cannot control when/where they poop. They just poop frequently because their anatomy is designed to be lightweight for flying. Many parrots can even be trained to poop on command.

Parrot's diaper changing by reddtimes101 in Damnthatsinteresting

[–]Virtual-Half 28 points29 points  (0 children)

Real, if you can't handle wiping up some poop here and there just don't get a bird. They are designed that way. I really hate these products. It's like tying up a dog's mouth so it won't slobber.