Weekend Birding: Charlie the Lovebird
It’s been a crazy week for me. Helping a family member move house took up most of my free time. There was little left for reading, only a few hours for audiobooks and no time to write.
Instead of wild birds this week I have some photos Charlie, the lovebird I adopted last year. Charlie’s family could no longer care for him and left him at a shelter. Several weeks after Charlie arrived I discovered he was a she when she began to lay eggs.
Charlie has tried to nest three times now and is always on the look out for a good nesting spot. Lovebirds are cavity nesters and in the wild will choose a spot in a hollow tree or a nesting box.
For lovebirds living inside a house with no trees, kitchen cabinets are an especially appealing place to attempt to nest. There are plenty of boxes and packages to shred for bedding and it’s dark and comfy in the back.
Above, she is posing on a package of Chips Ahoy cookies looking deceptively sweet and charming. Try to remove her and she will not hesitate to nip. Females are very territorial when they have claimed a perch. Lovebirds have large, sharp beaks for shredding and chewing.
I let her play for a few minutes and then coaxed her out of the cabinet by offering a favorite towel. She can’t resist playing with a towel. It’s a great distraction and prevents my hand from getting bit. Then I quickly shut the cabinet door.
Saturday Snapshot was originated by Alyce at At Home With Books. For the summer it will be hosted by Melinda of West Metro Mommy. Visit her blog to see more great photos or add your own.
© 2013 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Under My Apple Tree 
Interesting that birds do that. I don’t have any animals or birds. She is very pretty.
THANKS for sharing.
Elizabeth
Silver’s Reviews
My Saturday Snapshot
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Gorgeous colours! What a pretty bird 😉
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Charlie is adorable…and you have to use the same techniques I used with my kids—distraction!—to lure them away from things they are enjoying. lol
Thanks for sharing.
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It’s the best way to handle birds. They are motivated by positive reinforcement and distraction.
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I love this post and photos! Charlie is beautiful.
Happy weekend!
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I’ve had parakeets and cockatiels in my life, but no more now because birds really need a knowledgeable parent/handler to deal with them (stubborn!) if they are left loose, and I hated to keep them caged up, even in large cages. Good luck with her–she is a beauty!
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Yes, they need a lot of attention. Most people don’t realize that even birds bred in captivity are not domesticated and are wild animals.
Charlie is a rescue and my goal was to provide her with a happy home. She has an extra large cage because it is not safe for her to be out unless I am home. She was never trained, fears hands, loud noises and hats, and will chew and shred anything and everything unless I’m there to distract her.
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Aw, what a cutie! I love how much personality different pets have 🙂
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She has a huge personality!
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She is lovely, but somewhat a little dangerous.
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Dangerous only if you put your finger near her beak! Otherwise she is a sweet little bird.
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She is just gorgeous!!
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She looks so sweet. It’s hard to believe she would bite you.
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If I want her to do something she doesn’t want to do, her response is to bite. This probably worked well for her in her original home. It doesn’t work with me. I’ve gotten very good at reading her body language and use distraction when I see a biting situation coming on. I can get her back in the cage now in less than a minute without a fuss.
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Love love love Charlie!! She is beautiful! I haven’t had any birds for a few years now, but now I want another one. My husband says to tell you “thank you”, LOL!
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What fun to have those gorgeous colors flittering around the house. Thanks for sharing.Here’s Mine
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She is so pretty! It sounds as if you know how to keep the biting at bay. 🙂
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She’s such a gorgeous bird, she looks very healthy. Such interesting behaviours too.
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OMG…what a “poser”…..so cute.
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I didn’t know lovebirds could be distracted by towels. I have a chicken that sometimes lets me pet her. I have another that will try to take my toes if I am barefoot.
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She is terrified of hands and won’t jump on a finger or let me touch her without biting, so the rescue group suggested using a towel. She had no problem jumping on a towel and now I’ve made it into a game. She hasn’t bit my toes yet but I”m sure she would if I gave her the opportunity! I would love to have a few chickens but my town doesn’t allow them… yet.
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LOL! I use the same kind of deception to get Gage to do things he doesn’t want to do. I get nipped too 🙂
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I’ve been told birds are a lot like small children when it comes to motivation … and stubbornness too. They operate at about the same level as a 2 year-old child, except the bird never grows out of it!
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She’s beautiful! Is she laying eggs without a male? We had a parakeet once that did that. she laid eggs everyday and they never hatched as they were not fertilized.
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No male. She thinks her toys are her boyfriends.
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