scared of my hand

[dayz]

hello im new at this will i just need help i have two lovebirds one of them was handfeed that is the (girls) they (boy) i got him in the petshop they are scared went i put my hand in the cage . so i stop doing that i just open the gate for them to come out the 1st one that is out is th boy and then later she they are just scared of my hand or my fingers the boy fly to my head or my shoulders so i dont know what to do what can i do for them not to be scared of my hand :very_sad::(

[Tango's_Mom]

That is a very natural reaction for new birds, it just takes time for them to get used to you and handling, if they will already come out and sit on you then you are ahead of the game. Avoid scaring them by sticking your hands in the cage or trying to grab them or pick them up. Also if their wings are not clipped I would have this done immediately since it will make it easier to tame and work with them and also is very important for their safety. As for getting used to hands and handling, it just takes alot of patience. It took me 6 months to get tango to accept my hands, although he was happy so be social with me long before that. If you use the search function and look at some of my older posts, I have detailed many times the process and time it took to get Tango to the stage he's at now.

[Bubblelady]

Avoid scaring them by sticking your hands in the cage or trying to grab them or pick them up.

I whole-heartedly second that. But sometimes you have to...like when you have to give meds twice a day :( Johari is on me in a heartbeat if Gussie is on me. But now that she's back in QT, I have to resort to catching her :omg:

We were doing so well after 1 week out of QT. Three days back in & she wants nothing to do with me again :very_sad: But she's young & I'm stubborn, so we'll start over in a couple of weeks. I'm hoping that Johari wont be able to resist Gussie--and Gussie is never far from me :happy:

[dayz]

thank u for answer me post u got me happy know i now im doing good with them they have there wigs clipped that was the 1s thing i did with them

[Bubblelady]

thank u for answer me post u got me happy know i now im doing good with them they have there wigs clipped that was the 1s thing i did with them

I whole heartedly second that, too...you are doing VERY well with them. Truth be known, some lovies never do like hands but will come to your shoulder, arm, head, etc. As long as they come to any part of you they already trust you. And that trust will grow, over time. It just has to be on their time table. They are, after all, PARROTS :rofl:

[LovelySydney]

Patience is key. They have to get accustomed to their new home and used to their new surroundings. For most babies, their new home is big and scary and they need time to realize that no one there is going to hurt them or is a danger to them. Take it day by day, do things on the birds terms and NEVER force them to do anything. Forcing them to do things will only regress the trust process. Keep us posted!

[dayz]

i have forgot to say went i let them out form the cage it hard to get him back in the cage but with here she is easy but i dont want them to get to scared so i tell my sister to do it lolol so what can i do

[linda040899]

Some birds find perches less threatening than human hands. If they are afraid of hands, work with them on stepping up onto a perch or a wooden dowel. :)

[dayz]

but if they see my hand they move i want them to know the step up but they dont want to i will star this the step up but slow i will take my time cuz i love my two babys

[Pips mom]

I am going through the same kind of thing right now with Rudy. I've only had him now for a couple of months and he's still pretty scared of us. He did land on my head once!! and on me twice! that's it! but I would definitely try to use a perch first to have them step onto.....Rudy seems to do this pretty easy for me. My other lovie Pip hates hands. He's not scared of them, he just doesn't like them! He loves being on me, my shoulder, head, but to handle him, I have to pick him up against his will, BUT once I do pick him up against his will, he seems ok with it.....not afraid or upset, he just prefers to not be handled. I can pick him up and pet his head and sometimes he'll just sit there in my hands and not fight much to get away, but usually squirms a little bit. I never hold onto him this way for very long.....just to get in a few kisses, or to get him into his cage.
Sounds like you're doing ok with you two....just takes time for them to get used to you and hands, and for them to know that big scarey hands aren't so bad!

[dayz]

I can pick him up and pet his head and sometimes he'll just sit there in my hands and not fight much to get away, but usually squirms a little bit. i will like to pet his head but he dont like to be hold for nothing :( but the good thing he like to be next to me i could kiss him but my hands he just dont like them but lucy i could hold her just for 10 min :)

[michael]

Sounds like Scooby, Lucy, and their guardian are moving along very well!.......:rotfl.......Better than average if I must say so myself!.........:)

[Pips mom]

Also you know lovebirds sometimes like to be independent and always on the go.....I think sometimes they just think hands will slow them down and they don't want to waste a second just sitting in your hand! Nope....gotta play and have fun! that's what lovies do!:happy: This is how I think Pip feels when it comes to hands.

[dayz]

jajja yup maybe

[piousm]

I'm late onto this one. We've come back from a 2 week holiday, and our youngsters (now around 9 weeks) were very scared when you put your hand in the cage, though they have no problem at all if you put your head next to them. we are handling them to try to get them used to people, before they go off to their new homes (sob!). Funny, though - The adult hen (Kiki) loves sitting on my finger - so much so it is a nuisance coz I have to dso things one handed. Her husband Gigi wont go onto a hand, but is happy to sit on your shoulder, or to have a little kiss. The kids seem to have picked up Dad's habits. By the way, how short can you clip wings? I have trimmed the bird's wings maybe an inch, but they still fly really well, and can gain altitude.

[Chickobee]

It sounds like you need to SLOW DOWN. Your birds are still afraid of you and if you go too fast it will take longer for them to trust you.

If you sit quietly and let them come to you they will get tame faster. It sounds like they are already doing pretty well--just don't try to hurry them. They will do things when they are ready.
------------

Are you SURE you have a boy and a girl? If they were not DNA tested (or are a color mutation where the breeder would know the sex) you might have two female birds.

Two birds of the same sex will imitate breeding so you can't tell by that behavior if you have a boy and a girl.

Did you put these two birds in the same cage right away when you got the second bird? If you did they will fight and one bird may kill the other bird. Lovebirds need to be in separate cages until they get to know each other.

You should NEVER put two lovebirds together right away unless they were already caged together when you got them.

Some lovebirds will never get along well enough to share the same cage. If you put them together when they don't know or like each other it can be fatal for the less dominant bird.

Two female birds do not usually get along well enough to share the same cage--ever. Two males will sometimes get along well enough to share the same cage after they get to know and like each other.

If you have a male and a female you can put them in two cages that are close together so they can get to know each other. That will also give your female time to grow up. You can put them together later if they get along.

How old is your male? (if it is a male)

I'm sorry this is so long, but I am worried that one of your birds will seriously injure the other one. I know you want to take good care of them and keep them safe. :)

[piousm]

Thanks for that. Will do. actually, they are now landing on us when they fly around, so progress is being made. We will miss them terribly, but Kiki hatched the first of her new batch this morning (she really chases the first batch now if they sneak into her cage, which is quite sad to see). I'll pass on the site to the new carers for tips etc.

Just an observation on the other topic (fighting birds) - at the beginning Kiki was attacking Gigi, and we had to put them in separate cages against each other. After a week or two I had Kiki in the shower and my daughter popped Gigi in too, then all of a sudden it was love and they were kissing. I wondered whether the water/steam took away a scent that was creating the issue. I have noticed with our other animals (rabbits and guinea pigs) that when introducing them, a good bath will stop them fighting (they recognise by scent, but I'm not sure about lovies).

[Bubblelady]

makes me think of the line in the poster How To Love A Child:

"If they are cranky, put them in water." :)

[dayz]

Did you put these two birds in the same cage right away when you got the second bird? If you did they will fight and one bird may kill the other bird. Lovebirds need to be in separate cages until they get to know each other.

To:Chickobee

i got him 1st and then 5 days later at that time they didnt fight they are always together will the petshop told me it was a boy and a girl they kiss they fight but not alot this 2 day scbooy is acting diffent he want to mating with her but she dont want too he try but he could do it i post a new one the name is help plz u could go read it and help me plz