Our Love Bird is growing!

Our little lovebird is 3 weeks old!  In the last week, his colorful feathers have begun to emerge and we have been able to determine that he is a peach-faced lovebird.  His wing and back feathers were the first to appear, later in the week they were  followed by his head and tail feathers, and last his facial and chest feathers. 

We do not know what sex our companion is.  Lovebirds, as with the majority of parrots, do not have any sexual dimorphism, that is, visual differences to determine male from female.  Because of this, the only accurate way to know is either DNA testing or surgical sexing.  Without knowing, it has been a little bit of a challenge picking a name that fits, but that hasn't stopped several names being thrown into the mix; Franklin, Munchkin, Guacamole... but Stephanie came up with the one that seems to fit the most, Wasabi!  He does have a bit of a spicy personality, after all.

Wasabi is now able to climb out of his nest on his own, and is beginning to explore his surroundings. With his new feathers, he doesn't need to be in an incubator during the daytime.  Instead, he is getting to meet all kinds of new people, while residing on the front desk.   He is very curious about new objects and things placed within his reach, but still prefers to be nestled somewhere cozy for his naps. 

He is still being fed a formula that is made specifically for parrots, by syringe, every 3-4 hours during the day.  Now, at night, he is able to go a little over 6 hours in between feedings.  After eating, Wasabi thinks that it's time to play, exercising his wings and running around, usually without much grace.  Next time you're in the office, don't forget to say hello!