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kokopelli562
10-18-2010, 06:00 PM
Hi, I just got a 10 month old lovebird from a friend who could no longer take care of her. She was very timid and nippy and first, but after a week with her, she has grown much more comfortable with me. I can take her outside of the cage with a perch and play with her on the floor with toys for about 3-4 hours, spaced out throughout the day. I taught her how to pick up coins and drop them in a little bucket, but I was told that coins are bad for lovebirds, so I am going to have to find an alternative. She even crawled up to my shoulder a couple times, but whenever she sees my fingers, she attacks! A couple times she let me lightly stroke her beak from straight on, but whenever I try to touch her belly to get her to stand on my finger (parallel to her perch), she clamps down and doesn't let go, but continues to bite harder. I am not sure if I have gained her trust or not.... it seems like I have because she lets me change her food and water and let me touch her beak, and can get her in and out of the cage no problem. She even comes over to me when I go up to her cage and she loves it when I sing to her. But I cant touch her feathers without her freaking out about my fingers. She scratches her head against some of the toys she has in her cage, and she seems really itchy. I have given her a daily bath play time with aloe to try and stop the itchiness, and she loves for me to blow dry her after. But my fingers she's obsessed with. How can I get her to perch on my finger? Also, she wants to play ALL the time, and I have to put her in time out a lot because her screeches are so loud and frequent that I do not want to disturb my neighbors. Anyone have any advice? For the finger biting or to stop her from screeching all the time that Im not with her?

MysticRealm
10-18-2010, 07:41 PM
Being new to lovebirds and fairly inexperienced with birds all together I can't reall help you with the behavior stuff but in terms of using the coins, I have heard of some people using poker chips. You just keep an eye on them that you toss them if they start getting cracked or chipped.

Bill's Birds
10-19-2010, 02:42 PM
Remember, she's only 10 months old. She's still somewhat of a baby. Be patient and persistent about the fingers. She'll come around. The noise? If anyone could cure that, we'd all be thrilled! Give her more toys, and things to play with, and tear up, to distract her.

Carole
10-20-2010, 03:50 PM
My two are nine months old and they still don't like fingers. They will step up on to my arm, fly over to my shoulders and sit on my shoulders, but if I try to scratch their little heads with my fingers, they run or fly around the room.

I taught my little ones what "Shhhhhh" means. They finally got it after my doing it a number of times.

Carole