How do I start taming?

[JJcotw]

I have two lovebirds which I bought seperately. They both have completely different personalities.

One (Kiwi) is about 3 months old, was raised with a couple budgies, not hand fed, and has never had his wings clipped, was never handled, and pretty much hates me.

The other (Peaches) is about 4 months old was hand fed as a baby in a pet store, has always had his wings clipped, and pretty much hates me.

I need some general advice on how to begin the taming/interaction process. They don't want anything to do with me at all. I have tried taking them out and letting them walk around on the bed while I sit there and read, but it seems more like torture for them, keeping them away from their cage, and forcing them to be near me.

A lot of books/websites/etc, say that getting them to "step up" is the first step in taming. But if I even open their cage they screetch and fly around as if they are under attack, and think I'm about to murder them.

What should I do first? I am also only home 4 days out of the week because of work, and they are completely alone for 3 days straight. In 3 months I will be home every day and can be more intense about interacting with them, but until then how should I make the best use of our time together?

Any suggestions?

[HaleBoppPeachyluv]

Are they in the cage together? If so, perhaps you could separte them, and just have them near each other. We did that.

My family went from a one to a 2 lovebird household at one point, but they each had their own cages. The male was 1st, and the female was several years younger. She's a bossy biter, and we didn't want her intimidating our boy-o, doing her territorial thing.

Other than that, i don't have any really great advice.... maybe take them out separately, where one can't see the other?

I have a brand new lovie (still a little black on the beak) and he's turning into a velcro birdie... i lucked out! he's a sweetie! I know that most don't go in for the grabby thing, but I wanted to hold him, so I grab. And I put him on my finger. And then back in the cage...gentle talking all the time. Now, he knows when I walk to the cage, to wait by the door! He hops out onto my finger on his own. We're slowly advancing to petting and skritching.

[lemonypickett]

I think that the "step up" command is important. Try using a dowel if you fear bites. I also highly recommend a wing clip. My bird in less than a week went from flying around the room like a wild one to hanging out with me on the couch and burying into my robe and sleeping.

I recomend patience, as my bird took about a month to get so lovey dovey. I tried putting a washcloth over the rail in the shower and putting my bird there every morning. This makes him close his eyes and relax, encourages bathing, and helps him bond with you. Taking the bird with you where ever you go gets him used to you (within the house).

So, take it slow, let your bird gain trust in you. I also would only feed my bird when I was home (I don't recommend this if you are not home a few times a day though) to encourage his bond with me.

I rearrange his cage every few days to prevent any possessive behavior and remove his sleep hut each morning.

Good luck, I am not an expert as I have only had a lovebird for a month, but I must say, it seems to be going fabulously! So these tips seem to be working for me.

[JJcotw]

These comments seem helpful. I am intending on getting his wings clipped, but still looking into where to take him.... Not many vets around, but want to pick a good one.

I try to work on the stepup thing, but they are like, "honestly i don't know what the **** you want me to do!!! why are you putting that stick in front of me???"

They don't bite (except when I have to grab them to get them out of the cage, but even then not very hard) so i'm not scared of getting bitten. but when I put my hand in their they just flap around if I get within 6 inches of them.

I guess slow and steady is the way to go.

I've tried feeding them seeds and stuff from my hands, but they are too shy to come closely enough. I think that once I finish the transition to their new food, they will crave some good ole seeds, and venture a bit closer...

We'll see.

[lemonypickett]

Eddie still has not taken anything from my hands. I just got him some Nutri-Berries today, so I will try those. He will nibble a millet spray if I hold it, but I don't give it to him much because it is like candy, not very healthy for birds.

My bird used to squeak and try to get away from my hands when I would ask him to "step up". I just would eventually get him to step up, and I made sure that each time he was out of the cage, it was enjoyable. I figured he then associated my finger with the deliverance of fun.

I do think that the wing clip (my own personal opinion) has made a huge difference with his willingness to sit with me. I took Eddie to the vet to be clipped and was charged $40 (members here say that is a good deal) but if you are of a limited budget, a few people have said on here that they had no problems having their bird clipped at their local bird store. Some reported prices as low as $2.50!!

I think a wing clip is rather simple (although I am still too afraid to try it myself) and most bird people could do it for you, so you shouldn't have any trouble finding someone.

Good luck with the training.

[lemonypickett]

I did buy the Nutri-Berries, and Eddie loves them. Last night he took a sunflower seed from my fingers. So.... be patient.

[LauraO]

Taming lovebirds can be a challenging and long term process. However, if done with patience and consistancy (meaning everyday no matter what) it can be done with great reward.

First, I would try and stop grabbing them, touching or trying to touch them or anything with the hands. I've found some of my most wild lovebirds will tame over time by just not touching them. The change came when they realized they didn't have a chance to be grabbed. Of course, there are times when they need to be handled but less is definately better.

I would start by sitting by their cage as much as possible to interact with them and get them used to your voice. They don't hate you, they just don't really know or trust you. So this is the first step. Some people have had great success in just sitting by the cage reading to their birds while others just interact a lot with them verbally.

I would get your lovies' wings clipped as soon as possible. It's very difficult to tame or work with any untame lovie fully flighted. Where do you live? A member may be near you and can direct you to a place.

I don't know how your lovies react to having their door open. I would do this once their wings are clipped, but let them just sort of come out of their cage and hang out on top and explore. They may be scared at first, but be consistant. If they get scared and fly off, have a tall ladder leading to their cage they can climb up, or keep a dowel around to see if they will step up. Always use key words like "step up" when you want the birds to step up on a stick and praise them when they do so they start learning what you expect of them. If they get stressed back off for a moment and keep an eye on them, trying to get them to the ladder or on the stick once they've calmed down. The step up command is important, but you may want to focus on getting them to step up on a dowel as it will help trust and allow you to move your birds around without touching them.

These are a couple of great things to start. Please keep in mind that this is a slow process, but it's important that you are patient and consistant. It's also important to look into your expectations of what "taming" your birds means to you. They are likely never to be velcro cuddly birds, but it doesn't mean you can't have a great and rewarding relationship with your lovies. I've had wonderful, fun, life changing relationships with lovies and birds I couldn't touch, but spent tons of time together, playing games, and having a great time. As I believe Linda says, you get out of your relationship with your lovies what you put in it.

Good Luck and keep us updated on how it's going....I would also suggest doing a search on our member Tango's mom. She posted some great stuff about the stuff she went through in working with her lovie. You will be able to learn a lot.

:D :D

[JJcotw]

Well I just got Kiwi's wings clipped at a pet store, and the woman there did an excellent job -- the number of feathers she took was perfect and she did it really quickly with minimum trauma to poor Kiwi. Although he was rather mad at me -- he screetched all the way there, but then on the drive home he was silent, and just stared right at me as i drove.

I am going to try having their cage open whenever i have free time -- in my bedroom. it is safe from the cats, and easy to bird proof -- i can put the cage up against the bed and put treats on the bed, then just have a sit and read there. i have had them out before on the bed, but i took them out by hand -- as per advice in a lovebird book i purchased. it said never let them come out on their own because they will think they own the place and become really cage agressive. I think this advice isn't that great, and look to you guys for advice from now on.

we'll go nice and slow from now on, and hopefully someday they will be comfortable with me enough to take a sit on my finger or shoulder...

[michael]

Well I just got Kiwi's wings clipped at a pet store, and the woman there did an excellent job...

i took them out by hand -- as per advice in a lovebird book i purchased. it said never let them come out on their own because they will think they own the place and become really cage agressive. we'll go nice and slow from now on, and hopefully someday they will be comfortable with me enough to take a sit on my finger or shoulder...

Sounds to me like your doing a great job trying to learn and interact with your lovebird. Many new owners seem to rush into things and thats when they can easily overlook behavior thats an important part of the taming process. Your mention of "nice and slow" are key words here. Your patience, love, and commitment will always result in the best relationship possible.

Hearing that someone "finally" performed an excellent wing clip is music to our ears, especially if its done in such manner to limit flight and not "eliminate" it. And clipping sort of levels the playing field so that your bird doesn't take total control by simply knowing he's better at flying than you are. Having some flight though is necessary so they can still explore the area their kept in while flying from perch to perch. It also provides a temporary means of escape should that ever be needed. Really, right after a wing clip is a good time to work extra on those "step up" commands.

I get the impression you have some idea as to the dangers of cat/bird interactions. These type of separate specie relationships are always best if avoided, period. One small scratch or a short mauling can put a lovebird into shock or infection (from saliva) ultimately leading to death. Believe me, this is far more common the we would like to admit. Please continue to keep them separate at whatever cost.

As far as never letting them come out of their cage on their own. I doubt this will contribute much to creating a bird thats cage aggressive, unless of course you leave out all "step ups" and other interactions. Keep in mind some lovie "hens" will remain "territorial" whether you let them come out on their own or not. Matter of fact, some lovies won't even answer the door if you offer them treats. So really, one that takes the effort to explore the final frontier on its own, especially after a wing clip, will still be a prime candidate in learning to trust and interact with their owner. I say, keep up the good work!........:)

[JJcotw]

I would never let my birds out with one of my cats in the room. However the cats are in the same room as the bird cage. I don't think any harm can come to them from being in the same room though. We are training our cats to stay away from the cage -- when we first got them, they kept putting their paws up to peek, but they don't do that any more. And the bars are too close for the cats to reach through.

I really do know how to take it slow though. One of our cats we got as an adult from a shelter, and she had been traumatized while staying there. She refused to eat in the shelter, and almost died. They wouldn't release her to us until she got spayed, but because she was so sickly they couldn't do the operation for a very long time. When they finally did the operation and released her to us, she weighed about 2 lbs (which is about 1/3 of what a cat her size should weigh). She was so weak, but she refused to let us near her -- she would growl and then if we got close enough, run away. But we just kept our distance and let her come to us. And as I'm writing this she's flopping around on my lap trying to get me to scratch her belly, and she weighs a solid 10lbs. It took about a year for her to become this comfortable with us, so I know that it can be a long road. The key is to make sure that they are the ones happy -- not using them to fulfill your own need to cuddle and pet something.

[beckyg]

If they get scared and fly off, have a tall ladder leading to their cage they can climb up

:clap Yay!! This has absolutely nothing to do with taming, but you have just answered my problem that I didn't think there was an answer to!! :D

I honestly didn't think there was a solution because I hadn't thought about it, but Luna's wings are clipped and she will sit on my shoulder and screach to be taken back to her cage. Now that you said that I am going to look into a large ladder that she can climb up to get into her cage on her own!!

Okay, I know I am a dork for sharing this, I was just excited when I read that :D.