what do I do next and what does this mean?

[hxhill]

Hello everyone,
I have had my lovebird for about two weeks now and I think he is doing pretty well. He will eat millet out of my hand regularly and he will walk onto my finger to eat millet if I make my finger an extension of the perch. However, I don't know what to do next. Yesterday I tried to put my finger in front of his lower breast with some millet farther out. He usually got scared by my finger, however, i did touch his breast a couple of times. After I touched him a few times though he did this weird thing where he would quiver his butt and tail feathers and make a quivering quiet chirping (does that mean he is scared?). How should I go about teaching him how to step up? should i continue what i am doing to get him more used to my hand?

Also, I can't let him out because he keeps flying into stuff so I don't want him to get hurt. Thus, I sit next to his cage alot and sometimes he does the craziest things when I sit next to him. He will run around the bottom of the cage or get on a perch and flap his wings really hard, he runs his beak up and down between the bars and he likes to sort of preen my hair if i stick it between the bars. I am just trying to understand his behaviors so if anyone has any idea about what some of these mean that would be great. Ok thanks and aloha!

[Bubblelady]

Sounds like you are doing great! Don't know about the tail quiver behavior, but the wing flapping, bar rubbing, and floor running sounds to me like "I want OUT!!!" A partial wing clip may be in order. There are directions in the resource library, or you may want to get a professional to do it if you are nervouse about it. Perhaps where you adopted him?

[aru]

I don't know about the shaking, but here's what I did to teach Tango how to step up. I would put one finger against his breast and put just enough pressure that he would put one foot on my finger. When he did this, I praised him and gave him a seed or two of millet. After a couple of days he started to understand and offered the one foot whenever I put my finger right next to him.

Just keep working with that one for about a week. Ask for his "foot" when you put your finger next to him. Keep praising. Eventually Tango surprised me and stepped up completely. I praised him and gave him extra millet. It takes time, but he'll get the hang of things! :)

[hxhill]

thanks for the advice. He flies or jumps away when i put my finger right under his belly though. Should i let him out in a more confined area and try to work with him there? I have just been working with him in the cage.

[Chickobee]

Lovies will rub their beaks onto cage bars or perches or toys to clean them off after eating. If you have a sand perch or cement perch they will use these to keep their beaks shaped properly.

They also rub their beaks on things sometimes just because they like the sound it makes or to get your attention. Every bird is different and in time you will understand your own bird's body language and what it is doing a lot of the time. Other things you will never understand! :rotfl

:2cents: It is far easier to tame a bird with clipped wings, and it is safer for your bird (my opinion) because they won't fly into windows or out an open door.

A good wing trim will not completely remove flight but it will prevent your bird from being able to gain altitude. Your bird should be able to coast softly to the floor rather than dropping like a rock.

Please read about wing clipping and, if you are not comfortable doing it yourself, have an experienced person show you how. It is quite easy to do once you understand how. I trim a few feathers and then see how well the bird can still fly. Then, if needed, I will trim one more feather on each wing and do another test flight. NEVER trim only one wing. They need to be balanced and done the same.

If your bird is flighted and you take it out of the cage it will fly, and very fast too. :omg: That is dangerous for your bird because they don't understand about glass windows. It is also harmful if you have the chase the bird all over to eventually capture it again. This can't possibly lead to a trusting relationship between you and your bird.

Good luck taming your bird. It sounds as if you are being very patient and going slowly. This will build trust between you and your bird and is a very good way to go. Just keep at it and be consistent and patient and you will have a very good pet. :)