New Challenge with Lovebird.

[Beilana]

Yesterday the lady came by to drop off my lovebird for me. She came and had two in the cage because another girl had backed out of buying one. There was the classic peach face (the one in avatar) and a georgous yellow, white, blue and grey one. I decided to adopt the little yellow one instead.

They were raised by their natural parents and are not hand-tamed. I WAS under the impression that I was adopting a hand-fed lovebird but I decided to adopt none the less. He is not DEATHLY afraid of hands but still doesn't fully trust them. This is a completely new challenge for me.

I put him in the cage and he was quite nervous at first but eventually started to hop around and explore. He LOVES the little swing.

So far I have been giving him time to adjust and settle in. I go visit and sit by the cage whistling and singing. So far he is not TOO curious about me.

I'm wondering where to start? Time and patience are luckily on my side but I'm wondering if he will ever trust me. I have never had an un-tame parrot before. I'm hoping one of you experienced parronts will chime in and give me some advice on how to begin.

 

[Beilana]

So far today he isn't very active. I reached my hand in to change his water and he chirped loudly and backed away frightened. Now he is just perching in one spot in his cage. I have the cage door open but he is nowhere near approuching it.

He is also on a seed diet (UGH!!!) So I am in the process of converting him to pellets.

Any advice is greatly appreciated guys!

 

[AndrewH]

The only thing I know to do is withhold the MOST coveted treats and feed them to him your self (by hand, if the bird will allow). Get him associating you with really tasty treats!

 

[Beilana]

Thanks andrew right now thats not an option because he backs away from my hands even when they have food in them.

I'm just afraid that he will never want to come out of his cage. He is most content just sitting on his swing or in the corner and when I come near him he backs away. I can put my hands into the cage until they get close to him.

My boyfriend suggested putting him into the small cage I have and keeping it with me on the table while I work on the computer, watch movies, eat etc. Leaving the door open. What do you guys think?

 

[AndrewH]

Thanks andrew right now thats not an option because he backs away from my hands even when they have food in them.

I'm just afraid that he will never want to come out of his cage. He is most content just sitting on his swing or in the corner and when I come near him he backs away. I can put my hands into the cage until they get close to him.

My boyfriend suggested putting him into the small cage I have and keeping it with me on the table while I work on the computer, watch movies, eat etc. Leaving the door open. What do you guys think?

The second part sounds good (small cage) as long as it doesn't freak him out (not sure how this would affect a small bird). For the treats thing. Even though he won't take food from your hand, he'll still see and remember you dropping a treat in the bowl? I guess you're already doing this.

 

[Ecclipse]

Hi Beilana,

Firstly lovebirds are VERY active and love to be inquistitive so LOTS of foraging toys are a must. I have had Rosie for 2 months and she is only now coming into her own. I have Rosie on a seed, nuts, dried fruit etc diet as lovebirds are seed eaters and my vet advised a mix of amazon and parakeet food which is geared for lovebirds. I found with the pellets that she would shoot them in every direction when trying to eat them so have her on promolt 5 and this awesome mix. The vet has assured me that with the combination she will be very healthy and happy. I also feed her veg/fruit - this is taking a long time to come right as she isnt too sure but I have found that if I pretend to eat them myself she is keen to try them.

As far as taming your lovie, you are going about it correct by sitting by the cage etc. What I found worked very well was taking the cage wherever I was. If I was reading on the couch I would put the cage on the floor next to me, if I was working on my laptop I would also move her with me. In the wild lovebirds live near water so you will find they love bathing alot!!!! Our first bonding moment was when I gave her a mist shower - she loved it and realised that spending time with me was quite cool.

I always had the cage open but because she was hand reared she came out and played quickly. A snuggle tent has also worked well because its rosie's lil kingdom and she loves it. Make sure you place the lovies cage where he? can see the entrances so when you walk into a room he? can see it.

When I fist got Hugo he would launch himself into the back of his cage. I also found that if he did venture out it was very traumatic getting him in so I left him to settle for 2 weeks before even trying to get near him - I spent time around him but what is nice with a small cage is that you can transport it around.

As far as the biting is concerned, rosie is still biting but isnt as afraid and what I did was choose a dishcloth that I used everytime and taught her to step up onto that. I laugh because I was whining only two days ago but she has come on so much since then that Im happily surprised that she is turning into a very loving companion in such a short space of a time

You are right in saying that it will take time and patience - says me lol!!!! Is the lovies wings clipped? The lovie will come out and what I have is the cage on the table with all Rosie's play things in a low box so she can choose what she wants, the couch is then positioned so she can get to me and back to the cage.

You are going to have one little energisor - lol, they never stop playing and running

I owned lovebirds when I was a kid and they bought me so much happiness. Rosie already knows different whistles and I would whistle to her to try and bond, Im already being able to know what she sort of wants through her whistles. Im so excited for you - she has changed my life

The first sign of your lovie wanting to be near you is if you enter the room and he? climbs and holds onto the side bars of the cage. Hope this has helped a bit

 

[Beilana]

Andrew, Thanks. No I havn't been dropping treats in the bowl, its a good idea I'm not completely sure which treats he likes though. Since he is on a seed diet right now (currently converting) I can't use seeds as treats.

I put him into the small cage which did freak him out because I had to grab him (counter-productive but I have lots of time) He has since settled and is eating! yay! I am reading out loud to him from the forum lol. Getting him used to my voice.

 

[CrypticDelirium]

He sounds beautiful! = D Don't worry about him never trusting you, it just takes time. Keeping him close to you is a wonderful idea, it will help him become used to being near you and having him able to come out on his own is a huge plus. That way when he's ready he can let you know! Definitely keep trying to bribe him with treats, once he's used to seeing your hand and knowing it's not a threat he'll warm up to it. Also, being in a totally new home can leave him a little wary of ANYTHING in the beginning, and the longer he's there the safer he'll start to feel, and from that he'll become less wary of everything else as well.
Congrats on your new fid, I'm sure he'll warm up to you sooner than you think! = )

 

[Beilana]

Eccliples, Thank you. So far he does not want to be near me. Another thing I noticed is that he doesn't have a legband which I failed to notice when adopting him.

Your right about the pellets. I didn't know that lovebirds were supposed to be on a seed diet! He just bit through a pellet and it shot in 20 directions! lol.

I believe the small cage was a good idea. He is moving around more and seems to be getting comfortable around my voice ( I am reading everything I write out loud as well as any replys or other forum stuff I can find lol). I will be taking the cage with me wherever I go.

Biting is not a concern, so far no bites even when I take him out or have put my hands near him. Perhaps this is due to the fact that he can fly. His wings ARE clipped but in a way that he still flys but can't fly high up. Maybe he realizes that he can fly away and biting is a last resort?

He hasn't played with any of his toys so far but I think thats due to the fact that he is very nervous and in a new place. Toys will come eventually

He is very young, his black beak has just recently dissapeared so I believe in time he will trust me and want to be with me. I really hope I am going about things the right way. It's so funny that all I want to do is snuggle him and scritch him and all he wants to do is be as far away from me as possible...talk about unrequited love! lol!!!

 

[Beilana]

He sounds beautiful! = D Don't worry about him never trusting you, it just takes time. Keeping him close to you is a wonderful idea, it will help him become used to being near you and having him able to come out on his own is a huge plus. That way when he's ready he can let you know! Definitely keep trying to bribe him with treats, once he's used to seeing your hand and knowing it's not a threat he'll warm up to it. Also, being in a totally new home can leave him a little wary of ANYTHING in the beginning, and the longer he's there the safer he'll start to feel, and from that he'll become less wary of everything else as well.
Congrats on your new fid, I'm sure he'll warm up to you sooner than you think! = )

Thank you he is definitely beautiful! This is a whole new challenge for me and I am remaining positive that eventually he will come around

 

[Ecclipse]

Oh my word - my hands are itching to scratch my lil sweetheart. I know exactly how you feel. His wings have been clipped perfectly because they need to be able to "fly" but not to be able to height. Ok, no biting is great - lucky fish!!!! Rosie was addicted to sunflower seeds but with this diet - it even has a lovebird on it and all sorts in it I took the sunflower seeds out slowly so that she eventually only eats them in small portions - she loves her mix and am beginning to use the sunflowers as treats. Out of my experience with lovebirds - this is MY personal experience but they never took to treats as such but Im using chillies and will get her the nutriberry treats as well to see if I can use treats.

I read on the internet about body language and there are some great websites on lovebirds it said that when they wag their tail they are happy and enjoyed the experience they just had. I then started to check if rosie wagged her tail when I put her back in her cage or was near her. I then learnt what she likes - e.g. she loves tug o war and playing with me and she loves me talking while moving her toys around - weird, lol. By her positive and happy experiences with me she bonded quicker.

This didnt work with Rosie but with my other lovebirds it did the trick. I would scoop them in my hand - ok, they were tame. I would then put them down my jersey or in my pocket. They love dark places and I even rode horses with my lovebird. She used to hold onto the inside of my jersey and look out by my collar - I was an idiot back them - ignorance is bliss!!!! With Rosie I hold my jersey open or get a blankie or scarf so that she can lie on my chest and burrow. I think the method I have been using is getting Rosie to have fun with me even though I cant touch her - its so frustrating but she will get there. I have also found that she nibbles my neck and hands sometimes and it really hurts - she has no idea she has been hurting me which didnt helped because I jerked my hand away in the beginning and had to change my approach completely because she got a negative reaction. At least she doesnt lunge - she just bites - thank goodness!

 

[Beilana]

Rosie sounds like such a sweetheart. I can't wait until I can even play with Loki or get him to come anywhere near me lol.

I made him a snuggle hut which he checked out and seems to be pleased with.

Thank you for the tip about the tail wagging. He always wags his tail while hes on his little swing!

 

[Ecclipse]

Please keep us posted on everything that happens - I really want to learn as much as I can about the taming process and would love to here things that you find work for you and Loki. Welcome to the world of "dynamite comes in small packages" - you have made a choice that will change your life for the better Rosie has helped me heal when I thought it wasnt possible.

 

[Beilana]

Please keep us posted on everything that happens - I really want to learn as much as I can about the taming process and would love to here things that you find work for you and Loki. Welcome to the world of "dynamite comes in small packages" - you have made a choice that will change your life for the better Rosie has helped me heal when I thought it wasnt possible.

I will definitely keep everyone posted It's great to know that there is another member on here trying to build a trusting bond with a lovebird as well

Thanks for all the advice!

 

[Ecclipse]

Loki is so so so cute - oh my word, no wonder you just want to cuddle him. Just thought of something - this might just be a coincidence but when I first got Rosie she wasnt getting enough sleep because I wasnt putting her to bed early enough - I thought she was getting ample enough sleep but when I changed her routine she was a different bird - such a common sense thing can make a huge difference.silly me!!! lol.

 

[Spiritbird]

I have tamed a few feral young cats. The way I did it was to carry them around in my shirt all day so they could smell and feel me, just the mom cat. Not suggesting you carry a bird around like that but the idea of you and the new bird being close is a good one.

 

[Beilana]

The picture in my avatar is actually one from the internet. But its the closest I could get. Except loki has a white face with greyish cheeks. I think he is a dutch blue pied??? haha It's hard to say. I couldn't find a picture that looks just like him.

I put him to bed pretty early last night. Your right though how little changes can make BIG differences. I believe the smaller cage was a good idea as well as keeping him around me. He is getting more and more comfortable with me being near I opened a bag of hickory sticks and started snacking and he looked at me curiously then hopped up to his food bowl and started snacking with me!!! soooo cute

 

[Ecclipse]

Your right SB, it makes sense because their natural instinct is to be as close to their parent as possible. I also learnt something that is common sense is that birds learn what is safe to eat from their parents so when they see you eat something they know its safe to eat...the only problem is when Im drinking hot choco Rosie cant understand why she cant have some too - lol. Maybe that is why some birds dont like to eat new things because they dont know if its safe to eat???

 

[Beilana]

Hiroshi was the same way when I would eat guacamole, just didn't understand why he couldn't have some too.

Like they say, the best way to get a bird to try something new is to eat it while the bird is watching and make it seem really really yummy lol.

 

[Beilana]

So I have been sitting with Loki with his cage on the table beside me. I left his cage door open to see if he would come out.....and he did. He sat on top of his cage for a while and then decided to fly straight for the window!!!!! I tried to pick him up to put him back and he kept flying away from my hand so I ended up chasing him around the house! It makes me so sad that he obviously doesn't want to be in a cage or anywhere near me...... .....what to do...