I'm getting impatient.

[sphinxface]

So I am still not seeming to make much progress with Beezle being in his cage, trying to come on my finger, or even letting me touch him. He will always scoot away on the perch if I get to close to him. He eats out of my hand, and out of my pinched fingers, even if it's just one seed at a time, but still no touchy touchy. From what I've heard from you guys the best way to go about it is to let him come out of his cage on his own, but he doesn't seem to want to be out of his cage EVER, once he finds the open door he'll jump right back in.

So I decided to try to search for videos on youtube, I found this one; http://youtube.com/watch?v=MmxOPGFQQyQ Where they say that the bird coming out of the cage has to be on your terms not the birds. I did pull Beezle out of his cage today with a towel (so he didn't see my hand but I'm sure he's smarter than that!) and he would sit quietly on my hand. I was able to pet his little neck, I think he liked that especially since I see a few pin feathers on there. Until I tried "step up" with him, then came a few chirps, but he would do it, even if he was obviously confused (he thought I was gonna give him some skritches!)

He still doesn't seem as alert as I think he should be, he doesn't seem curious at all to venture very far. I tried to get him to step down on things and he was highly confused and just stayed on my hand.

So I guess as far as questions go, because I'm still confused as to what's best to do, should I continue to try to bring him out of his cage (I've had him a month now)? should I limit his time out of the cage if I do this? I think I might make a video to show you guys how he acts just to see if his behavior is normal. I've been feeding him the baytril but he seemed better before I even got the call back from the vet... He doesn't like that at all but I always try to feed him millet after so he gets the taste out of his mouth :x

[beckyg]

I have had Luna for about 2 mths and she started venturing off of my shoulder onto the couch about 2 wks ago. That is the only place she ventures to. Also I started by pulling her out (not recommended by most lovebird owners, I didn't know) and puting her onto my shoulder on the first day I had her home, so since you are just now doing those things I would think he just needs more time to get used to being out of his cage. This is just my opinion based on my small amount of experience (small being the operative word) and what I have read about lovies. Someone else might have a better thought than I :D. Also if he is sick, he may not have the energy to move around alot... just a thought.

Oh yeah, I remember a while back worrying about Luna's lack of activity. I figured it out though, by the time I get home in the evenings she is tuckered out. She just wants to curl up under my hair and go to sleep. On the weekends I saw how active she is during the day. I don't know what time of day you are with him, but this could be a factor.


*I should probably add that I am unable to see the video at work so I am just posting according to what you have written.*

[sphinxface]

Yeah when I'm home I can hear him chip chirpin in the other room but once I go in there he shuts up XD

[carrier]

I think alot of the time lovies who are alone chirp alot to call us and once we are in the same room and they have some company they get quiet again..

Patience is key...work daily on the step-up command in a neutral room. Talk to Beezle all the time...they get used to your voice and presence that way. Once they decide to trust you, it can all change in the blink of an eye! :D

In time, you might have a velcro birdie after all!

[beckyg]

Yeah when I'm home I can hear him chip chirpin in the other room but once I go in there he shuts up XD

Luna does that when I leave the room because she wants me to come back. He may be trying to get you to come back into the room. Luna rarely makes any noise when I am around... unless of course something displeases her, then she lets the whole world know.

[LauraO]

I could not access the sound on the video. What I did want to reply to is your inpatience with your lovie. What you're feeling right now is normal and many of us want our lovies to be tame and lovey ASAP. However, that's not how birds work. What they require is time, love and PATEINCE! And, when you feel like you have no more patience, you have to step back and check you're own feelings, because you are putting your need to have what you want right now ahead of your lovie. Yes, anyone of us can find info saying the best way to tame a bird and build a relationship with it is to impose ourselves on it and attempt to control and dominate it. However, this discussion board is vehemently opposed to forcing yourself on your lovie and making it do what it's uncomfortable with. If you read through the taming section of the board you will find TONS and TONS of info on building a relationship with your lovie and the importance of meeting your lovie where he/she is at.

I'm not an expert but have had lovies eight years now with 20 currently in my flock. My husband and I have never forced ourselves on one of them, and our relationship with each one of them depends on them and their comfort level.

Our first lovie Zimber was a wild pet shop bird. All we had to do was blink and he would flutter around like somebody was trying to kill him. It took me and my husband YEARS to get him to a place where we considered him tame. He always hated hands, but finally when he turned seven years old, he would perch on my hand, let me cover his back and kiss him.

Just remember patience is the key to building lasting relationship with a lovie. Consistency is also a great tool. Beezle needs to have his cage door opened at least once EVERYDAY! If you don't interact with him everyday you lose what little progress you've made.

Good Luck and remember Beezle will be with you for years so you have time.

:D

[thebubbleking]

My hen boo will come out of her cage in her own time thats her nest area and her territory she will attack anything that dares enter her domain!
It has been over a year and no i can not get her to just leave or to step up when i am in her cage.
But i have found once she decides to come out she will step up and allow me to handle her.
So know thier habits experiment with times of day and be very very patient, lovebirds pick up on your moods so just be patient.
Trust me it will seem like forever but when it finally does happen short of childbirth its one of the most warm happy proud moments of your life!

[akira-shakira-the bruce]

My Akira was pretty beastly when I first got her. She would NOT come out of her cage, and gave me some pretty nasty, bloody bites. Eventually, though, she started to grow on me. Just a lot of patience and time. Try using little bits of millet with Beezle, if he likes it. He may learn to associate yummies with coming out of the cage. All I know is, Akira is always crying to be out now, she is kind of a velcro birdie!

[Asue]

Luna does that when I leave the room because she wants me to come back. He may be trying to get you to come back into the room. Luna rarely makes any noise when I am around... unless of course something displeases her, then she lets the whole world know.

:lol Who's training who? Mikey does that when I'm out of site, it's more of a " Hey come here!! Where'd you go?? " call.

[michael]

Well, I did get the sound and quite honestly "disagree" with her comment about managing a birds behavior on your terms. Of course, there are terms we do impose on them already, and thats the fact that we're going to take care of them and spend time with them on our own schedule/terms. Perhaps there's more to her story than the introduction? Although some poeple have managed to use "their" terms with some success by imposing them upon their bird/s, it would be a shame to defeat any trust you may have already achieved with Beezle even if his behavior is not concurrent with the time your spending him. It would also be a shame if imposing your terms took a turn for the worse by creating anxiety or distrust that may eventually become long standing or permanent. I have to ask, have you determined through a reliable method as to whether Beezle is a male or female? Many issues can be resolved by understanding behavior thats relative to their sex. Quite frankly, I'm hoping you continue to work with Beezle without any such terms at all as they really don't make much sense.................Michael and Goofy

[Sweetpeaches]

altho i think the step up command is an important tool in establishing some control with your lovie, as with any desired behavior you have to be patient.
i know you're hearing that word alot! but when trying to establish a relationship with your lovie i think "patience" is right at the top! peaches learned to step up within a week after she was in her new home. i was able to put my hand in her cage and she would hop right on my finger. BUT after a couple of months she would start to lunge at my finger when i put it in "her" cage. THIS did not upset me as i learned on this forum that peaches had now become so comfortable with "her" home and this was "her" territory.
so i respected that. in a way it was good to know that she finally felt she had "her" own place that she should feel safe in! so i started to just leave her door open and let her come out when she was ready. i believe by not forcing her she started to trust me more. now when 8 mos. later when i walk up to her cage she goes right for the door and i can't open it fast enough.
i thot 8 mos. was a long time to wait for peaches to finally let me give her scritches...but laura's story is truly one of love and patience. just hang in there. beezle will come around.

[Pips mom]

It's funny how different each one is! Pip is a lovie that I would consider very tame----BUT still no hands allowed! He does come near hands, and doesn't seem like he's too afraid of them, yet he will still run from them. If we push him to it and chase him around offering a hand to step onto, he will finally give in, but it isn't that important to me that I am able to handle him----I still have so much fun with him and interact with him and he comes close and plays and wants to be near me, and likes the attention! and yes, I also notice that when I leave the room he is noisey, almost like he is calling for me. I know Pip really likes me, and I would happy to just keep things as is, but what I have found is that when I need to be able to get him, it is a terrible chore! What if he ever had to get meds each day? How would I ever do it? and I would like to weigh Pip like I do my other birds, but I can't :(
Luckily Pip does go into his cage for us fairly easily, so if I do have to catch him, I can get him into cage----once in a while he will give me a hard time about going back in. Pip likes his freedom and he seems to want to live like we do----in a house----not a cage! He wants OUT! even when he didn't know us yet and his first day here, he forced his way right out the door when I opened it a little bit!
I find it very hard to believe right now that Pip will ever like hands or step up onto them easily. I know they tend to come around in time----I have tamed my tiel and watched him go from scared birdie to very friendly and easily steps up now! but with Pip, it seems to be a preference thing----he just doesn't want to!

[sphinxface]

I could not access the sound on the video. What I did want to reply to is your inpatience with your lovie. What you're feeling right now is normal and many of us want our lovies to be tame and lovey ASAP. However, that's not how birds work. What they require is time, love and PATEINCE! And, when you feel like you have no more patience, you have to step back and check you're own feelings, because you are putting your need to have what you want right now ahead of your lovie. Yes, anyone of us can find info saying the best way to tame a bird and build a relationship with it is to impose ourselves on it and attempt to control and dominate it. However, this discussion board is vehemently opposed to forcing yourself on your lovie and making it do what it's uncomfortable with. If you read through the taming section of the board you will find TONS and TONS of info on building a relationship with your lovie and the importance of meeting your lovie where he/she is at.

I'm not an expert but have had lovies eight years now with 20 currently in my flock. My husband and I have never forced ourselves on one of them, and our relationship with each one of them depends on them and their comfort level.

Our first lovie Zimber was a wild pet shop bird. All we had to do was blink and he would flutter around like somebody was trying to kill him. It took me and my husband YEARS to get him to a place where we considered him tame. He always hated hands, but finally when he turned seven years old, he would perch on my hand, let me cover his back and kiss him.

Just remember patience is the key to building lasting relationship with a lovie. Consistency is also a great tool. Beezle needs to have his cage door opened at least once EVERYDAY! If you don't interact with him everyday you lose what little progress you've made.

Good Luck and remember Beezle will be with you for years so you have time.

:D

It's nice that you attacked the topic of my thread, but it was kind of random to be honest, I haven't really forced anything new on him. I just don't really know what the next step is. Nothing's changed in the few weeks I've had him (cept after the first week where he looked like ka ka!)

I just don't know what to DO! I am in there at least once a day for at least 10 minutes, sometimes more(but here I am in another room on this forum instead of in there with him XD). I need like... an outline or something!! Step by step, but I know all birds are different... He seems really tame.. I don't understand how you guys can say "he's afraid of hands but he likes me!" how do you handle him at that point? How do you get him out of his cage? I leave the door open for him all the time he just wants to stay inside (maybe that's a girl behavior?). I'm gonna make a quick video of him. I made one but I talked in it and I felt dumb so I'm gonna make one where I'm quiet XD

I have to grab him out of his cage to give him his meds then I walk into another room and let him perch on my hand, he is quiet then... I dunno if its a good thing at that point or what? He seems more tense.

[beckyg]

I know it seemed as though Laura was attacking you, but she was in fact trying to help. No she didn't sugar-coat it, but the truth is the truth. I know it isn't fun to hear it, but not every bird is the same and maybe he won't ever like coming out of the cage. Then again, maybe he will. It may just take longer for him to feel comfortable. I don't remember where you got him, but maybe he had a bad experience before and just doesn't trust easy... Nobody really knows, but it seems Laura has lots of experience. I would take her advice.

I got very frustrated with Luna at first and had to realize that she is the way that she is. I had to change the way I am around her. Have you sat beside the cage and talked or read to him? Alot of people on here say that that is a good way to get him used to your voice and feel safe in your presence. Baby steps...

[LauraO]

It's nice that you attacked the topic of my thread, but it was kind of random to be honest, I haven't really forced anything new on him. I just don't really know what the next step is. Nothing's changed in the few weeks I've had him (cept after the first week where he looked like ka ka!)

I just don't know what to DO! I am in there at least once a day for at least 10 minutes, sometimes more(but here I am in another room on this forum instead of in there with him XD). I need like... an outline or something!! Step by step, but I know all birds are different... He seems really tame.. I don't understand how you guys can say "he's afraid of hands but he likes me!" how do you handle him at that point? How do you get him out of his cage? I leave the door open for him all the time he just wants to stay inside (maybe that's a girl behavior?). I'm gonna make a quick video of him. I made one but I talked in it and I felt dumb so I'm gonna make one where I'm quiet XD

I have to grab him out of his cage to give him his meds then I walk into another room and let him perch on my hand, he is quiet then... I dunno if its a good thing at that point or what? He seems more tense.

I am really sorry if you felt like I attacked you. That was not my intention at all. I know you are frustrated and it's really hard sometimes to know what to do with your lovie. It is also very hard to describe it over the internet. I did forget that you have been giving Beezle meds, and this is an important fact. I've had to medicate some of my really tame lovies and they start getting jumpy or running during the medication period but often tame down when it's done.

You mentioned you are in with Beezle 10 minutes a day. I would say this is not enough time. It would be really great to set Beezle's cage up where you spend most of your time so you can leave his cage door open while you are out and about around the house, or watching t.v. or playing on the computer. If you have it open for an hour or two everyday talking to him and being with him you should notice a big difference rather quickly. If he will let you hold him sit on you let him. Some birds can be handled in their cage and brought out. The key is Beezle's reaction. If he acts scared and flies away then hold off. If he lets you grab him, gently, then bringing him out is not a bad thing.

If Beezle sits on your hands after you give meds, it sounds like he'll be easy to work with and more time is really all he needs. I also know it's hard to fathom loving a bird you can't touch, but as you and Beezle get closer you will see touching isn't necessary. My Zimberhoffen was stick trained so I could move him around by having him step up on the perch.


Good Luck
:D

[sphinxface]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=lLrJ7h9rZ0M
Here you may all witness my "wonderful" camera skills.
Eating some millet out of my hand, he will even take one seed at a time but he wont let my finger touch him.

He's been venturing around his cage more actually, because I put his favorite toy (the orange ball tied to a string *yip!*), down lower in his cage, he loves cuddling with it so he went down there. I find him there every morning now.

I zoomed out a little to show you most of his cage... I know some things might not be good(size) (maybe his food dishes?), I hope I don't get yelled at :whistle:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ysmMdERPP3w
here we are playing a little bit, you can really see the size of his cage here... oops!! this is also the first time I've seen him climb on his ladder :3

[sphinxface]

I am really sorry if you felt like I attacked you. That was not my intention at all. I know you are frustrated and it's really hard sometimes to know what to do with your lovie. It is also very hard to describe it over the internet. I did forget that you have been giving Beezle meds, and this is an important fact. I've had to medicate some of my really tame lovies and they start getting jumpy or running during the medication period but often tame down when it's done.

You mentioned you are in with Beezle 10 minutes a day. I would say this is not enough time. It would be really great to set Beezle's cage up where you spend most of your time so you can leave his cage door open while you are out and about around the house, or watching t.v. or playing on the computer. If you have it open for an hour or two everyday talking to him and being with him you should notice a big difference rather quickly. If he will let you hold him sit on you let him. Some birds can be handled in their cage and brought out. The key is Beezle's reaction. If he acts scared and flies away then hold off. If he lets you grab him, gently, then bringing him out is not a bad thing.

If Beezle sits on your hands after you give meds, it sounds like he'll be easy to work with and more time is really all he needs. I also know it's hard to fathom loving a bird you can't touch, but as you and Beezle get closer you will see touching isn't necessary. My Zimberhoffen was stick trained so I could move him around by having him step up on the perch.


Good Luck
:D

Sorry, I guess saying attack is harsh. I know you're just giving me advice, but I just meant to say you didn't really address the problem I was having in your initial post.

I had him in my room but my cat has "mental issues" as we like to call her the problem child, and kind of starts to go crazy if she can't be near me whenever she wants to, so I had to move bird out of my room into another room which I don't go into as often. I meant to move him back temporarily but I thought maybe moving his cage wasn't good for him.

There really is no other way to get him out of his cage other than to grab him. I've read a couple posts in the past where people used this method, I just don't know what is best for my bird. Doing that didn't seem to have any effect on his normal behavior as far as I can tell.

He's just as afraid of a dowel/stick moving towards him as he is of my hand, so I really don't know what to do. I've tried to trick him to step onto my finger using millet but he refuses. He wont get food out of the back of his happy hut either...

[LauraO]

If he doesn't mind you picking him up out of his cage then you are fine. I saw part of your video and he doesn't seem scared so I'm not surprised if your gentle that he lets you handle him. Once out of the cage, I would take him to a darkened room and just work on the step up command. I usually put the bird on one finger and kind of put the other under them until they step up while saying up. Once the bird steps up I repeat it several times a day. They learn really fast.

The best thing for Beezle is to be near people or other birds. They are very social creatures and he is likely lonely in a room by himself. Your cat is definatley going to be a problem, but hopeful others on the board with cats and birds can give you some suggestions.

:) :)

[michael]

You know, unfortunately when you have to give them medicine this can put a damper on relations. My lovie is very tame but still takes awhile to recover from being given oral meds he really doesn't like. I think most lovies are just like that. Really, its hard to say whats best for your bird. No one can predict when, what, or if anything in particular will work but can only offer advice according to whats best and safest for your lovebird based on their experience. Because you and Beezle have spent very little time together its really too early to tell what methods will eventually work. I would follow Laura's advice and try to spend more time with him then you've previously indicated. From the videos you offered it appears he's a very friendly little bugger indeed. He looks to be very comfortable with his cage/home too and thats very important. He's a real sweety pie! Thanks for sharing them/him with us and hope to see more 8o :) ..................Michael and Goofy lovebird

Cats and birds? They are the absolute worse combination of species possible. Extremely deadly for any bird. Most birds will either avoid them or attack to protect their cage or flock members resulting in injury and death. The cats saliva alone is all it can take, even if the injuries are not life threatening.

[wilkiecoco]

the first thing i noticed from the videos was that he seems quite relaxed with you, preening himself and fluffling, as long as your hand does not approach him. however, he willingly, of his own accord, played with the same toy as you, and ate food from your fingers, without showing the slightest interest in biting!! :clap

i know it seems like a you have been working with him for a long time, but you are actually doing well in gaining his trust, and he seems quite friendly, not aggressive.

the one thing i would recommend is to talk to him while you are with him, softly, about anything, telling him how pretty and good he is. he will get used to your voice, and listen to your calming sound.

my husband offered me one wise piece of advice when i was taming kiwi - if i am tense and stressed then kiwi would pick up on it, and be tense and stressed himself. once i calmed down, accepted the relationship that was building between us as slow and steady, kiwi did the same.

good luck, and remember, patience is key!! :)