how to tame my pair of lovebirds

[sammi]

i recently brought a pair of love birds they are 6month old and every time we get up or go to feed the the go mad and start flying around i want to tame them so they wil cum on my finger and etc what is the best way tame them

[One bird for one heart.]

Taming.. the age old question! Well first off how long have you had the birds? When you first get them you should give them time to setttle into their new home. Then the next step is to have them get used to having you in the same room as they are, what I have found to work best is sitting by their cage for an hour or so a day and just talking to the birds or reading to them in a warm loving voice. Lovebirds can be very territorial so they most likely will not like in their cage, but if they do try to teach step up inside. If they don't just open the cage door and have them fly out and teach it from their. I hope I was able to help.

[sammi]

iv had them about 3 day i sit by next to there cage a couple of hours aday never had them before first time and i had them from a pet shop they are 6 month old

[One bird for one heart.]

Ok then you need to wait at least a couple of weeks before you try to hold them or get them to step up. The behavior you are describing is perfectly normal for a lovie getting used to its new life!

[sammi]

ok thank to night the started to fight wel more or less like a squabble is this normal

[One bird for one heart.]

Hummm... I don't know much about fighting since I only have on lovie and the only fighting I have experised is her fighting not to have to go back in her cage, so I will have to pass on this one but I'm sure someone else will be able to help you out!

[Birkah]

Congrats on your new lovies! Do they have names yet? We LOVE pics around here (hint, hint)

Taming lovebirds takes time and patience, but it is well-worth it. They first need to learn that you aren't a threat. Talking quietly, eating your meals near their cage, and possibly a wing clip would help. There is a treasure trove of info in the Lovebird Resource Library (if you haven't checked it out yet).

Do you know for sure if you have a male/female pair? The only sure way of checking is DNA testing. From what I've heard, a female/female pair can get pretty rough on each other if they're both in crazy breeding mode.

[sammi]

there name are cheech and chong got told from the pet shop where i got them from that they were male and female but i dont no is there any other way than dna to find out wot sex they r and do you no anythin about fighting they are fine in the day but at night they fight a bit like banging a bitin each other beak and no soz havnt got any pictures yet 1 is black and gray and the other is blue green orange yellow and red

[Birkah]

I would ask the pet shop if they had the birds DNA sexed (or if the breeder did), because that really is the only reliable method, unless, of course, you catch one of them laying an egg! Some of the super-awesome breeder experts here on the board can determine gender based on knowledge of the genetics of the parent birds, but it only works if the bird has traits that are sex-linked.

Were the lovebirds all housed in one big cage at the pet shop, or was it just these two in a cage together? If you post some pics in the photo gallery section, our experts can figure out if they are both peachfaced lovebirds, or if you have birds that are two different species.

[sammi]

they were in a small cage together just the two of them is it a bad thing if they are to diffent species

[sammi]

hi that bit where u put try leting them out the cage if i do let them out wot if i carnt get them back in with them not being tame and they dont step up and when i go near or put my hand in the cage the go mad and start fly around i want to get them tame so i can let them or and so they sit with me

[One bird for one heart.]

Ok since you have not had them for long you should still wait before you take them out of the cage for another week. But when it comes time if you are concered about getting them back in the cage maybe you should try having them get a wing clip? This would make it a whole lot easier to get them into the cage until they became tame then you can choose if you want to contiue to have their wings clipped.

[sammi]

thanks do i have to take them the vets and how much does it cost

[One bird for one heart.]

It is possible to do the clipping yourself, but if you have never done it before DO NOT TRY IT it is possible that you could hurt your bird. The price of the vet verrys at each vet. The price of seeing the vet is usally about $50 and the price for the clipping is about $12.