Taming my love birds

[Kris142]

I just got 2 love birds yesterday, they are completely Untame, they don't like the sight of me around them. I try to sit next to the cage for a little while and talk to them with a soft tone, offer treats, but all they do is hug the side on the other side from me. I tried putting my hand in the cage slowly, as someone somewhere else suggested, one of the birds flew out, and it took me literally an hour to catch it. I feel frustrated and hopeless already.

Can anyone tell me what I should do to tame them? I don't want to clip their wings until they are tame just because I don't wanna stress them out, and accidentally let them loose again. How do I tame them?

[petermark]

They don't really mind the sight of you, they're just a little freaked out because they don't know where they are or who you are. Give them some time to adjust to the new environment before you do anything else or expect anything from them. You might get a book about Lovebirds and sit next to their cage and read it while you wait for them to settle in ...

Peter

[Tiana1686]

I am going through that right now too.. I got my a month ago and he still runs away from me and yells when I try to get him...

[Kris142]

And if it helps any, I keep them in my computer room which has nothing but a bookshelf, my iMac and the desk the iMac is on. They are out of the sun, they get plenty of water, food, and millet.

Also while one was out of the cage, I used a stick to kind of use as a hand for the one that was in the cage, to get him used to the thought of unknown objects around him. He finally let me touch him with the stick but he is still ever so scared of my presence more than 3 ft from his cage.

[bookworm0550]

They definitely need some time to settle in. This forum has ton of information to help you. Just continue to be patient, talk to them, etc... One my birds finally stepped up yesterday w/o me having food in my hands. And I've had him for a year! It takes time for them to learn to trust you.

[Kris142]

Thanks for the posts so far. I appreciate it!

1 thing that I have read has said to put a blanket over the birds cage, and after every day that passes you raise up one side of the blanket and leave it up until the blanket no longer covers the cage (4days). I'm going to try this but I'm kind of concerned about ventilation. I put a blanket over it about 5 minutes ago and I can already hear WAY more activity in the cage then before the blanket.

Should I still go fourth with this?

EDIT: It's not a blanket, its a thin bed sheet.

[bookworm0550]

Um, never heard of that. What's the purpose of it?

[Tiana1686]

my lovebird hates when I put a sheet over his cage he automatically starts screaming and goes to the bottom of the cage.....

[Kris142]

Um, never heard of that. What's the purpose of it?

It says so they feels safe, and gradually gets used to seeing you, and lets them adjust to their envor. without distractions or "threats"

[Birkah]

Congrats on your new lovies! How old are they, and can we get pics? I just love seeing everyone's birdies!! From everything I've learned on this board, time and patience are the best things for skittish lovies.

We put Cipher's cage in a common area of our house where he can see everyone, is far enough away from the kitchen, but he can still have some privacy. Some birds feel more comfortable if their cage is tucked into a corner, so they don't feel like they have to defend as many sides of entry.

I was told by our breeder that clipping wings helped a bird to be more dependent on their "lovie slave" (and they are so much easier to catch!!). Cipher is lightly clipped, so he can't fly, but he can glide down or flap furiously to get a (very) short distance horizontally. However, there are some here on the board who can give great advice on fully flighted lovies.

[HaleBoppPeachyluv]

My lovie is in the living room, where my hubby and I hang out most of the day. Sunnybird started off in a much smaller cage than she's got now...but I always had the cage partially covered, just to give her that covered corner to retreat to. Cage stayed in the same spot for awhile.

I started out trying to take her out immediately, the same way i did with past lovies, but soon figured out that didn't work for her. So I mostly just sat near her & talked to her, watched TV near her... sat & read quietly near her. I would put my hand on the outside of the cage & just leave it there without moving. When I changed food/water, I would move slow & only get her food/water wtihout trying to touch her.

It took her longer to calm down, but worth it now... She's picked my husband as her favorite human, but i still get to skritch her.

[Pips mom]

If you are going to cover the cage, cover only the back half so that can be their area to go and feel more secure, or maybe one corner of the cage. Don't cover the whole cage, but you can cover it when they sleep at night. I cover the front and sides of mine at night but leave the back open because it's against the wall.
As far as taming goes.....it really can take a long time, especially if there are two together and they are already bonded to a bird. To separate them at this point would be cruel though, so you just have to relax, sit back and take the time to get to know your lovies.
To whoever said their lovebird runs away and yells.....isn't it funny how they do that, like they are yelling at you? Rudy does this too. Pip used to do it, but now only does it when my boyfriend tries to catch him because he knows that he likes to tease him!
I've had Rudy now since July.....quite a while, and he is starting to warm up to me. I can get really close to him while he's in his cage with my face and he appears happy sometimes when I do this and talk to him....he responds with these chirps and wing flaps and stands up tall! he'll even sometimes come right over to the side of the cage where I am. He lets me put my hands in his cage and do things and doesn't seem to mind, but if I do the wrong thing or get too close with hands, he will still yell at me and let me know! It's been a very slow process for me with Rudy and he's still very scared of people. He does well with me, but when a stranger comes near, he freaks out, which only makes me see how much better he is with me now and how far he's really come since the day we got him.
I hope that you're not in a hurry to be good buddies with them....it will take time.....BUT....when you have to work to earn their trust and wait, it's very worthwhile and so exciting when they start to do things to show they want to be friends with you! I think it makes the bond you feel with them a little stronger when you really have to take the time to know each other and learn together and come to an understanding! How long of a wait you will have to gain their friendship depends alot on the bird....they each have their own little personalities!
Congrats on your new lil lovies! it may start out hard in the beginning and even frustrating, but in the end it's all worth it!

[Kris142]

Thanks again for the good advice guys and gals.

I'm still in high school, so I'm gone for about 7hrs before I get to see them again. My mom is a housewife though, she is home all the time cleaning and such. Do you think its a bad idea to maybe put a radio at low volume next to the cage, or would I need to personally be there talking to them for them to feel comfortable with me?

[HaleBoppPeachyluv]

I was 8 when when I got my first lovie & now I teach, so I'm gone at least 7 hrs during the day. I'm lucky my husband goes to work between 10 and 1, so Sunnybird usually only has a few hours of alone time. We leave the radio on when she's going to be home alone. What you could do also is record your own voice--read aloud from something?--and play that on a loop for your fids.

[Birkah]

Haha!! I guess I'm considered a housewife (technically a work-at-home mom). Cipher hangs out on me most of day - he "helps" get clothes off the line, licks and beaks keys off my keyboard, slobbers in my hair, and generally does goofy lovie tricks during the day. Maybe your mom will enjoy interacting with them too while you're in school, and help a bit with their socialization.

[bird-brain]

Hi and Welcome!:) You have definitely come to the right place. There are so many knowledgeable people here and everyone is so willing to help. I am taming a lovie right now and understand the frustration. The first rule...don't get frustrated. These are not puppies or kittens and they will not warm up to yo nearly as quickly. It took Cabo 2 days to even eat after he got here. It took 3 weeks to get him to take a treat and after 4 weeks he will sit on my shoulder but doesn't like my hands yet. (typed as I nurse my bleeding finger :very_sad:)

Look at every little piece of progress as something huge. The training process is really very rewarding. I would recommend that you move your birds to where they can see you and watch you do what you do. It's probably not best that they be in an out of the way place. If putting your hand in the cage frightens them that badly then start from further away. If 3 feet is the limit then sit 3 feet away and talk to them or play soft music (find one they really like and they will sing with it). Progress until you can touch the cage and just keep taking baby steps. If you stay patient and let them choose the pace you'll be surprised how happy it makes you when you notice they have started to always sit on the side of the cage nearest you.

Don't force physical contact with them yet. IMHO this only teaches them that hands can grab and pin them down like a predator would. Let hands do nothing but good things for a while like feed and water. It takes time but it is sooo worth it. GOOD LUCK!

[Kris142]

This morning I put my dowell near them in the cage, they got scared and flew away but landed on it a second later. Both of them! I feel like it was a big step, but Now that its after school they are completely afraid again :(

[FuzzyAga]

One thing to keep in mind when you are interacting with your lovies is to project a cheerful, hey, it's great to be alive!, vibrant attitude.

I get the sense that you expect defeat before anything happens, or when the lovies aren't giving you what you want you become discouraged. It's natural, but try not to get down in the dumps over this. They pick up on your mood and everybody, including lovies, wants to be around a fun person. They are smart and intelligent. They observe everything. They hear everything.

If you need to force yourself to be positive, maybe you can think of something that the lovies did yesterday/tomorrow that made you smile, then think about it, bask in the warm feeling, and it will help you cope with the present situation and come up with the enthusiasm.

I don't know about you, but everytime I look at the smile on a lovie's face, I have to smile, just as I have to yawn when Petey yawns--so cute. (A lovie has a perpetual smile because of the curvature of the beak.)

There's a steep learning curve with first-time owners of untame lovies. I went through it because I found my lovie Juanita outside, for how long she was out there, I don't know. My second, Petey, her mate, lived with an elderly woman, but was not handled. As you may have read, patience is required in taming a lovie. My Juanita took 2.5 years to tame; Petey is half-tame, but it's OK because I don't expect anything from him.

I'm rooting for you and sincerely want to wish you success. You may feel that the challenge is too much sometimes, but from my perspective, very few things in life are free and easy; everything in life has aspects of challenge to it.

[bookworm0550]

it's always one baby step forward and a few leaps backwards. if it makes you feel better, one of my birds (pantalaimon) finally stepped up twice for me the other night or was it last night? anyway, i tried again w/ him tonight and he bit me at all three attempts. so just know it'll take time and work....and patience and love. and i've had pan for a little over a year now.

[shinbatsu]

If they are wild, you are in for the long haul. I learned from experience that handfeds make the best pets for people with no time to invest in months and months of training.

The best bet is to give them time to settle in before you try anything else. I would recommend a wing clip after they settle to make them easier to catch if they get out, and also to make them dependent on you. With hawk, my first bird that was wild, after the clip helped HUGE in my attempts to tame him.

after they settle, work on stepping up onto a perch by bribing them with food. Watch what they eat out of their food bowls and use their favorite food item as a bribe.

There are other things you can do, no matter what just be prepared to invest a lot of time and effort.

I'm told it's worth it in the end though, but be warned: Not all birds can be tamed.