Taming

[jmeikle]

Right. I have no idea what age my lovebird is (I'd say she's atleast 5 years old). I've been spending A LOT of time with her lately and I want to tame her so she can be a better pet for me. I've bought her a bag of millet spray (people say they go crazy over it, but mine is just eating it casually :p).

I'd say she likes me because when ever I come in the room she always jumps up onto the perch to come close to me and I can get close to her outside the cage. But it's a whole different story inside the cage! She's just so scared when I put my hand in the cage, I've no idea how to overcome this. Sometimes I can give her a sunflower seed inside the cage but I think she is very nervous when I do it because when I try to give her it she looks all about my hand and looks where my other hand is. Then she either flys away or takes it to her food bowl.

How can I get her to love my hand and me? :p If only lovebirds could understand English!!! :p

[linda040899]

How can I get her to love my hand and me?
It's not uncommon for birds to be afraid of hands! Many have very unpleasant experiences with hands so their fear is well founded.

Instead of offering your hand, perhaps start with a perch and see how she reacts to that. If you can stick train her, you can get her used to being with you and not feeling threatened in any way.

Are her flight feathers clipped? If not, you may want to clip them just once until she's tamer and familiar with what it's like to be outside of her very familiar cage. When I say clip her flight feathers, I'm only talking about 3-5 of the primary feathers on each wing. You want to limit flight, not eliminate it! She will not be able to fly very far to get away from you and it will give you a chance to work with your perch to help her understand that you mean no harm. You are trying to establish a trust relationship with her and that takes time. There are no shortcuts for attention, attention and more attention!

You can also try just casually putting your hand in the cage and just leaving it there, doing nothing with it. At first, she will fly all over but then she will slow down when your hand doesn't do anything but remain stationary. A shiney ring on a finger may even entice her to investigate!

[jmeikle]

Cheers for the information! I have a couple more questions though. How long you reckon it will take me to get her to trust me and my hand? How many short sessions a day should I do?

Thanks!

[michael]

Cheers for the information! I have a couple more questions though. How long you reckon it will take me to get her to trust me and my hand? How many short sessions a day should I do?

Thanks!

Hi jmeikle. Welcome to our community :). Sounds like you have a wonderful companion who's very much interested in your advances. If she jumps to her perch to get closer to you this is a very good sign she already anticipates your company in a positive way. How long have you had your lovebird and what is her name? Do you know her true gender or whether she's been DNA sexed?

Generally, female lovebirds are more protective of their cage (home) than the males. As Linda mentioned, encouraging her to "step up" may instead be made more comfortable for her by using a stick or "wooden dowel". Closing your hand and offering the back of it along with your arm may also work. So how long will it take to get her to trust you?.... Honestly, there's no way to predict how long or to what degree the level of trust will arrive at. The most important part is having plenty of patience. The exciting part is knowing that the time you spend together will likely form a bond or relationship thats unique between you and your special lovebird. How many short sessions should you use to help accomplish this?.... While spending a "reasonable amount" of time with your lovebird is very important, spending too much time early on can become counter productive. Try to fit your bird in within a suitable schedule that coincides with school, chore, or work activities. To me, single parrots without a mate require a bit more time than bonded pairs do, and really, each birds requirements can very along with environmental conditions and personality traits. Spending about 4 hours a day or more may work out just fine. You can even break this 4 hours up into one or two hour sessions to fit your schedule and activities. Even half hour sessions throughout the day can work out great as long as your bird has other activities like foraging tools/toys along with other things to do. She may even spend time with other family members and can even be kept in an area nearby, although this you'll have to work out through learning over time how she interacts with others. I think as long as you know your bird is alert and happy and retains an interest in those that care for her, things should move along just fine..................:)

[thebubbleking]

I know all my birds love me buuuuuut to this day baby boos cage is her sanctum if i try to do anything in her cage even if it is changeing food or water or a toy she will attack with abandon, but if i wait for her to come out she will do step ups kisses and let me give her scritches key word once she is out of the cage.

[jmeikle]

I've had her for 4 years, when I got her I had no idea what age she is (she was atleast 1 when I got her). But my sister used to feed her etc. But now my sister has left I have taken on the role of feeding her etc. :p

I want to try and tame her so she can have a little bit more fun instead of just sitting in the cage all day (she can come out on her own, she can escape through the bars and open the door by herself), but she chews EVERYTHING... there are new curtains in the room and she chews on them!! So I can't really let her out because that's the first place she flys to.

And she lays eggs, so I assume she is a girl. :p

[jmeikle]

I can get close to her.. but not close enough. She's now biting my finger! She grabs my fingers skin and pulls it! So sore. :p

I'm trying to rub her belly but she'll rip apart my finger if I manage to get that close. :p She isn't a coward no more! :p I think I should try a perch, ha ha.

[jmeikle]

Sorry for triple post, but I wanted to ask a question. You see, I have a perch and I'm using it and it's going alright.. but she keeps chewing on it! I managed to get or on it and took her for a little ride, she seemed a bit scared because she wanted to jump off somewhere but there was no where to go. :p Then I put her back down on her cage perch then she ran away. :p But most of the time she prefers just to chew it and when it gets too close she jumps up on the cage to get some distance so she can chew it some more!

Oh and she's now striking for my fingers when they enter the cage (maybe she's used to them now since she doesnt fly away?). :very_sad:

Also, I apologise for all these posts and such. I just want my little birdy to be tame! :rolleyes:

[michael]

I've had her for 4 years, when I got her I had no idea what age she is (she was atleast 1 when I got her). But my sister used to feed her etc. But now my sister has left I have taken on the role of feeding her etc. :p

I want to try and tame her so she can have a little bit more fun instead of just sitting in the cage all day (she can come out on her own, she can escape through the bars and open the door by herself), but she chews EVERYTHING... there are new curtains in the room and she chews on them!! So I can't really let her out because that's the first place she flys to.

And she lays eggs, so I assume she is a girl. :p


Sorry for triple post, but I wanted to ask a question. You see, I have a perch and I'm using it and it's going alright.. but she keeps chewing on it! I managed to get or on it and took her for a little ride, she seemed a bit scared because she wanted to jump off somewhere but there was no where to go. :p Then I put her back down on her cage perch then she ran away. :p But most of the time she prefers just to chew it and when it gets too close she jumps up on the cage to get some distance so she can chew it some more!

Oh and she's now striking for my fingers when they enter the cage (maybe she's used to them now since she doesnt fly away?). :very_sad:

Also, I apologise for all these posts and such. I just want my little birdy to be tame! :rolleyes:

Hi jmeikle. First of all, there's no reason to apologize for posting so often, especially when you need idea's or advice. Often, one or two posts are simply not enough to allow members (including yourself) time to get a fair perception of the situation your in. Really, there are many factors that can play a large role when working with our avian companions. By letting everyone know about your lovebirds age, sex, and history, along with her current habits can be very important in helping other members share their idea's and experience with you.

I feel the most important information you provided so far is the fact that she does lay eggs. Its VERY CRUCIAL you find ways to keep her from producing eggs because this can become detrimental towards her health. Try to familiarize yourself with methods used to help keep her from laying in the future like removing a nestbox or nesting materials. Sometimes changing her cage location a foot or two or rearranging toys/perches etc can also help. To me, this would be the most important part of providing her comfort and good care. Does she have any eggs now?

Once you establish a daily program/routine that gives her the health benefits she needs it may then be easier to work with her behavior and taming. This can "and should" take a few weeks to finally figure out so please do continue with being patient. Also too, if she's been under your sisters care for 4 years it will likely take some time to learn to trust you. Have you gone over recently with your sister any details regarding your lovebirds care? This may also be an added help in making sure she gets the care she needs.

You know, most parrots are very adept at learning to escape. Certainly, lovebirds are NO exception here. Making sure her cage is secure can avoid having her dissappear "completely" :omg:. Please, be sure she cannot escape while you are out. What it sounds like to me is having her wings clipped may help keep her from ending up where she shouldn't be (like on the curtains :rolleyes:). While curtain sabotaging is nothing new to many a parrot owner, having then ingest material such as plastic or varnish (as in grama's antique furniture :mad:) can be deadly. Should you decide clipping may help, many members choose whats called a "mild clip" where at least "some flight" is still attainable. This at least allows her some freedom to move about while making sure she gets the "outside cage" activities that are important physically and emotionally.

From my perspective, your lovies behavior sounds very typical to a hen who's only trying to protect her home/territory. And as with any good mama bird, this is what she's supposed to do. Until she becomes more comfortable seeing you as one her flockmates, she really needs much more time to adjust. Also too, having her wings clipped may result in her eventually accepting your advances instead of remaining on your curtains well out of the reach of your hands..................:)

[jmeikle]

At the bottom of her cage we lay newspaper but she tears it apart into little strands so now it looks like a nest down there! A couple of times I've seen her sitting down in a corner puffed up looking like she's about to lay. She has so much free time on her hands that she can rip it all up in a short amount of time! :p I want to put an end to all that. For the past couple of days I've occasionaly went into the room and played with her. But there's a problem! I have no way to reward her, she doesn't seem to want to eat millet spray or sunflower seeds. She bit my finger (which was VERY sore, she had a VERY tight grip on it and was pulling it) instead of taking a sunflower seed! :p She even tries to strike my hand when I'm changing the food/water.

And about the egg situation, no there isn't any in the cage at the moment. And when she does lay (it's just usually one she lays per 'session') I take it out the moment I see it in her cage.

Whenever I enter the room she's always at the bottom of the cage (usually) messing about with the paper. Why doesn't she play with her toys (she has a couple of mirrors, bells, fake bird toy (which she humps sometimes, ha ha) and a swing). I've also got some treats in her cage (a millet spray and a fruit stick).

What do you reckon I do about this laying situation and if she's ripping up the paper at the bottom for a nest what should I do?

Also, one final thing. Should I try and rub her belly with my finger? I think I could perservere with the biting she'll give me if in the end she'll stop and love me. :happy:

[abdul14459]

idk if this might help you but it did for me. It took a few tries. Ok. When i got Banana(my yellow lutino lovebird) he was 5 months old. Yours is a lot older. Wel, when i got him, he wasnt tame and would always fly. All over the place. Going crazy and he broke a few feathers. ouch.. So what i did was everyday

i would hold him. I put my thumb in a horizontal position so he can step onto it. And now with the rest of my fingers, i would curve them above his back as trying to make a hole. To make it easier make a "C".:rofl: So he would be able to stand on my finger and he wouldnt be able to fly from me easily.

Then with my other hand, i would quietly and slowly bring it upto him. Not in his face of course. A distance. Well my Banana was the same like yours. He was scared of hands. But he loved my face and shoulders. lol.

So immediately when i brought my other hand, i would slowly kiss the palm of my hand and then my fingers just to show him that i mean no harm. I would keep doing that. And Banana was looking curiously at my hand. Then i brought it a little closer and kept kissing it.

I kept doing that every day.

Another tip i want to add is spend about 15 minutes with your lovebird talking to him in a soft tune and whistling. Do that once in the morning and once at about 6-7pm.

Just like the others mentioned, clip your birds wings. It will be much easier and safer for your bird.

Hope this helps you. And since you only have one bird, that will be much easier to tame becasue i have three and it took a while. Now Banana steps up to my finger when i reach in and climbs to my shoulder. i hold him in my palm but im still trying to teach him a little more because he still wont let me give him scritches. :nyah:

I hope it works out with your bird and patience solves the problem. You cant rush things.8)

[abdul14459]

i just read your post about the rubbing the belly. I would say dont rub her belly. Lol. My other lovebird, Giggles. She's a female and she hates when i rub her belly. She always bites me if i get near her belly. Thats like her area which is restricted for NO TOUCHING.lol. I would say if she lets you, scratch her cheeks and head. All three of my birds love being scratched on their cheeks and head. Mostly cheeks and under their beak.

[thebubbleking]

Most lovies do not enjoy belly rubs espeically hens, For treats nutri berris avi-cakes and some of the bread recipies you find on this forum work great, I would also leave any egg she lays for her to sit on if you take it out she will lay another and another etc taxing her body and takeing away calcium and vitamins produceing eggs, since there is no male the egg wont hatch and she will abandon it after a bit.
I still use gloves when my hen is in the cage and handle her once she comes out on her own.
Just me 2 cents:)

[michael]

At the bottom of her cage we lay newspaper but she tears it apart into little strands so now it looks like a nest down there! A couple of times I've seen her sitting down in a corner puffed up looking like she's about to lay. She has so much free time on her hands that she can rip it all up in a short amount of time! :p I want to put an end to all that. For the past couple of days I've occasionaly went into the room and played with her. But there's a problem! I have no way to reward her, she doesn't seem to want to eat millet spray or sunflower seeds. She bit my finger (which was VERY sore, she had a VERY tight grip on it and was pulling it) instead of taking a sunflower seed! :p She even tries to strike my hand when I'm changing the food/water.

And about the egg situation, no there isn't any in the cage at the moment. And when she does lay (it's just usually one she lays per 'session') I take it out the moment I see it in her cage.

Whenever I enter the room she's always at the bottom of the cage (usually) messing about with the paper. Why doesn't she play with her toys (she has a couple of mirrors, bells, fake bird toy (which she humps sometimes, ha ha) and a swing). I've also got some treats in her cage (a millet spray and a fruit stick).

What do you reckon I do about this laying situation and if she's ripping up the paper at the bottom for a nest what should I do?

Also, one final thing. Should I try and rub her belly with my finger? I think I could perservere with the biting she'll give me if in the end she'll stop and love me. :happy:

What this sounds like is she may already be in the egg laying mode. This would also explain why she's even more protective of her cage. Again, its very important she receives the necessary care as her condition could become life threatening. At this point I would "not" handle her until you know what her condition really is. And please, don't try rubbing her belly. Not only could this harm her if she's ready to lay, but many lovies don't really appreciate it anyways. Give her a couple days or more and make sure she has a good diet. What types of foods has she been getting? What is she eating now?

If she does lay an egg (or more), DO NOT take them away but instead allow her to sit them out. Eventually she will abandon them on her own (about 21 days or more). Because she has no mate to fertilize her eggs they will not hatch, but if you take them away this can cause her to lay more. This is called a "double clutch" and can create alot of stress which could become harmful to her system. Excessive egg laying can also cause an "egg binding" condition thats VERY dangerous. Egg binding is where she becomes unable to pass an egg resulting in great physical stress. Defecation (pooping) then becomes blocked leading to death. It is very important to make sure she is pooping at all times (they will be larger if she's ready to lay). Do you have an avian vet in your area?

What you could try is removing the newspaper in the bottom of her cage. This to her is precious nesting material. This to us is one item thats causing her to become an egg carrying nasty little hen :rolleyes:. Keep giving her newspaper and she will do whats only natural. Build a nest! Take this building material away, maybe move a few things around in her cage, and it may help slow her down a bit. Sometimes though she may still lay her eggs on the floor of the cage. If this happens, supply her with a clean margerine container cut low with added newspaper and her eggs, and again let her sit them out.

jmeikle. I'm going to suggest you visit the "Lovebird Resource Library" and scroll down to the MUST READS section. Under that you'll find "Robin's new owner's guide". There you may find some very helpful information about caring for your lovebird. And please, if there's anything your unsure about don't hesitate at all to post more questions in the necessary forums. Thats what everyones here for...............:)

[jmeikle]

Thank you very much for the information. I will check it out now. And we've been feeding her a seed mixture I think (which includes normal seed, sunflower seed and some other things). We've also got a fruit stick in her cage but she doesn't really touch it.

I had no idea egg laying was so serious.

Also, I see no eggs as of yet. And btw, is putting the paper in her tail for warming an egg up?

[Mummieeva]

Sticking paper in her feathers is her collecting it to make a nest. Peachfaced lovebirrds do not make nests like outside birds though. They need a box to nest in.



steph

[jmeikle]

Sticking paper in her feathers is her collecting it to make a nest. Peachfaced lovebirrds do not make nests like outside birds though. They need a box to nest in.



steph
I have a peachfaced lovebird, but there is no nesting box in the cage. Or is the bottom of the cage the 'box' for her?

[Mummieeva]

They will try to make a nest any were they can even without a nest box. If she lays another egg you might want to have her a box. Some people with single hens use the cardboard tissue boxes with the plastic parts removed. You do not have to supply her with a box. But I would myself. You do not need to put it in the cage all the time either.


Steph