New owner of love birds in need of alot of advice!

[Ryan08]

Hey everyone. (ive posted this on another forum just so people know)

My names Ryan and i own 2 love birds.
First i better give a run down on my history so far with lovebirds....

First love bird my girlfriend and I bought probably 3months ago died after 3 days...... (we think the dog might have scared it, but we are not sure)
we were shocked when we found the bird dead but the shop we got it from gives a gaurentee with the birds so it was replaced by another bird

we had that bird for about 3 weeks and it also died...... On this occassion there is no evidence of anything scaring the bird. We put it to sleep at night and when we woke up it was dead...
the place we get the birds from are gobsmacked to what happened to the bird. i took it back and they had a look over it and could not see any signs of sickness or foul play.

anyway so now after having just 1 bird at a time, we bought a 2nd bird to go along with the replacement bird.

So the situation now is we have 2 love birds. we have had them for almost a week now. The reason i have posted is any advice people can give for getting the birds used to us.. and if anyone has any idea what might have killed the other bird

When we go near the cage the birds get a bit spooked and start to move around and seem un easy.. once we put our hand in the cage they start going bannanas! Where i have been reading, im supposed to handle them at least once a day.. but they carry on like we are trying to kill them when we put our hand in to get them out....

once we do have them out we just let them do what they want and try 2 leave them alone... they walk around a little bit on the floor but they eventually go into a corner and just sit there..

once its time to go back in they fly away from us and carry on like we are hurting them.
(they have thier wings clipped)

Being new to birds i was just after tip tricks or even tell me what we might be doing wrong.. i really want the birds to love us and be happy for us to be around, and its sad that it seems they dont like us :(

Sorry for the long post!!! if any more info is needed just let me know and ill get back to you asap! thanks in advance to any help!

Ryan.

[linda040899]

For the moment, the question I have is how old are these lovebirds, starting with the first one?

[bimmyb]

My question would be regarding the detahs....Do you use non stick cookware or have a self cleaning oven??

Do you use Sented candles or oil burners??

Do you own a good lovebird care book??

It will take alot of time and care to get your birds to feel safe with you. I would start off by getting a good lovebird care book. These will tell you the first basic steps of taming. I would be inclined to leave them alone for a few days and just sit near them in there cage for 20 mins each hour until they stop running to the back of the cage ( try reading a book, they are not thinking you are going to grab then then).....this is the first step of trust. You shouldnt get them out of the cage until they are comfortable being near you. when they have stoped running to back of the cage then start introducing your hand into the cage. Just rest it in the cage with some food on for a little while then repeat.

It is a slow process that will not happen over night, i took my 5 months to fully tame my lil guy. I know it sounds crazy but try blinking at them aswell, they do this to show peace so it will let them know you arent going to hurt them. They will start to do it back when they feel comfortable.

Good luck and if you need any advice you are in the right place.

[kimberly1985]

I agree with BimmyB.

Don't try to take them out of their cage just yet. When you get a new bird, unless it is already tame....leave it alone for a few days. Only put your hand in to change food and water. Talk to the bird a good bit through your day. Make sure it's in a high traffic area of the house so it can get used to people being around.

Finger perch training: After about a week or so, introduce your hand into the cage. With your index finger pointed out like a perch. (You can also hold millet in your hand) Don't even begin to get close to the bird with your hand. You want to hold your hand in there for a few minutes at a time several times a day. When you start to see signs that the bird is somewhat comfortable, you can move your hand closer. Eventually, (weeks or months), the bird will see that your hand isn't something that is gonna hurt it. It might take a nibble of the millet..At this time you can start pressing your index finger right above it's feet. Say a command that you will use each time. (Up, come on, etc) When the bird steps onto your finger. Feed it a treat and/or praise it with a verbal response. Don't move. Just sit there until he decides to get down. When he gets down, use a command (down) so he will start to realize what it means. You will need to do this several times a day. Never chase your bird around the cage. If this happens, end the training session then, wait a little while, and try again.

It took about a month to train Cheeko, my parakeet. Yoshi, the lovebird was already tamed so he was easy. I've heard many stories that it took months.

Good luck. Hope this helps.

[Ryan08]

Sorry for lack of replies i just found my way back here!
as for the age of the birds i wuld not have a clue we have had them both for 1 month id say and we got them as hand reared babies at the pet store.

i just opened another post explaining were we are sitting atm but i think we need help lol

[bookworm0550]

if a bird is sick or has a disease, you are not always going to be able to visually see it. the only way you can know is through a nercropsy (i think that's how it's spelled, it's basically an autopsy for animals). as to why it might have died, there are numerous reasons. the first thing you need to do is take them to the vet to make sure they are healthy when you bring you them home. the fact that two of them died already, you need to make sure they don't have a disease or anything like that. and if you don't sanitize the toys, perches, etc...it can be contagious for the next bird coming in.

also, make sure you aren't burning candles, using an oven cleaner, cooking w/ nonstick cookware, etc... there are lists of toxins online if you google for them.

some basic rules for gaining their trust:

1. don't stick in your hand in their cages to get them out. even my tame birds will bite me when i do this. don't grab them either cuz you will really just make it worse for them and yourself.

2. dont rush things nor push them to do what they are not comfortable doing. this will set you back big time. you can start to build trust and by doing something minor they don't like and you're back to square one

3. be patient. 1 baby step forward and then its 4 large steps backwards. building trust takes time! i have a bird i raised since an egg and it's taken him 9 months to even start to like and trust me. the last month he's been on me like crazy and letting me give him head rubs, but it's been work and just letting him discover me and learn i'm not scary.

4. treats! find out what your birds like to eat and try offering it to them w/ your hands.

[Ryan08]

Ok everyone! there has been an update!
I tried the approach of not trying to force things with them i sat next to their cage and put millet spray in my hand. i talked to them whistling and so on to get them interested and after a few trys and long waits i have got them to come and eat the millet out of my hand :)

Now i ask you gurus whats the next step? they are still pretty shy. when its time to go back in the cage we have to russle them up in a corner and then we pick them up they seem better about us picking them up now. but they still dont like it i think...

I also bought a clicker the other day in hope of being able to use it to train them.. but i dont think i can use it yet because i dont think we are at that stage.... but im not sure.

heres a picture of them aswell just thought id throw one up. (ill try get a better one soon)
Peetrees the orange one and Merlins the blue one :)

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/9959/peetreeandmerling2.jpg

[Ryan08]

Anyone out there?

[kimsbirds]

Pretty birds!
All I can offer you in the way of taming is PATIENCE.
For some of our members, it has taken months of work, consistency, time, and committment to get their birds to just remain calm while approaching the cage:omg:
Trust does not have a time frame. Some birds require a few weeks of work, others require a year, if not more.
Putting your hand inside their cage is a big no-no. Do not invade their 'safe haven'. Open their door and allow them to explore the exterior of their home on their own time.
A good wing clip is in order before allowing them flight freedom.

PS The round cage is also a big no-no, as it offers no corners of safety for lovies. This shape of cage allows for predators on all sides, and lovies do not relax and enjoy themselves when there is no corner or solid area to retreat to.

First order of business, a large flight cage (wider than taller) with corners, walls and areas of peacefullness.

Good Luck to you:)

[Ryan08]

thanks for the reply :)
yeah i was thinking that maybe a square or rectangle cage would be better cause they goto the top when they seem scared and cant really get away.. but i also thought if i give them somewhere to hide they will never come out :(

[bookworm0550]

they are very cute! i do agree w/ what kim said. patience. just continue to do what you are doing. these things take a lot of time. they are eating out of your hands, so that's a good sign.