New Lovebird-not hand raised

[PrettyJupiter]

Hello all I'm new to this forum and although I've kept a lovebird in the past, whom I hand fed from a baby, I've recently decided to adopt another that I need a little advice with. The lady I acquired him from says he is 4 months old and he was raised from his parents and never socialized with humans. The only time she would have him out was to fly the house with the rest of the lovebirds. I'm hoping that I got him young enough even though he wasn't hand raised so that he might become tame and still bond to humans? If you think it's possible to tame him I'd appreciate any advice and for anyone to share experiences that they've had with lovebirds raised from their parents. Today is only the first day I've brought him home and all I've done is sat and talked to him for hours in a sweet, high pitched voice. I don't intend to make any physical contact until he is used to my voice and presence. After a week of talking sweetly I imagine it would be a good idea to just open the cage and let him explore me on his own terms, if he's so inclined, or to coax him to come closer with treats. What are your ideas on this method? I know if anything it is just going to take time and patience and I have more than enough of that to become great friends with the little guy, I'd just like to hear your take on it?

[kimberly1985]

Hi and Welcome to the forum!

You are so right....talk to him throughout the day for a week or so. You can offer him millet spray with your finger at the far end, it may take a few tries.

I used this method here: http://www.lisashea.com/petinfo/articles/bird_hand.html

when I was taming my parakeet that came from Petsmart. It worked really well. Just make sure you finish each step before moving on to the next.

After 3 months of training, my parakeet would step up. Hope this helps.

[PrettyJupiter]

Thank you so much for your advice and for the helpful link. I will take it one day at a time and one step at a time making sure I do everything right so as not to take a step back with him. I really appreciate it, every piece of advice is like gold to me right now. I want nothing more than to be close to this bird and for him to feel just as comfortable around me!

[kimberly1985]

Yea, everyone has different methods. I didn't have to use it on Yoshi because he was so tame when he came to me.

Cheeko, (the parakeet) started out being completely terrified of me. Whenever I changed out his food and water, he'd fly around like he was going mad. Within a week of following the steps (the link I gave you), he would just sit in his cage and watch. After about 2 or 3 weeks, he was perch trained. Then about a month after that, he was stepping up on my finger every time I asked.

Also, a lot of people believe that if you have the bird's wings clipped during the taming process, it will make it easier to tame them. I guess because they depend on you and can't just fly away. 4 or 5 of their flights should be plenty to keep him from gaining height but it'll be enough so that he's able to glide safely to the floor.

And just the fact that your hands will be close to him when you're changing his food and water will get him used to the fact that those giant "claws" are bringing him something to eat. Another thing you don't want to do, is grab him with your hands while he's still afraid. It can destroy trust with him. I do occasionally have to grab Yoshi but he's not afraid of my hands so I don't think it applies there. If you have to grab him (to put him back in the cage, clean out the cage, or during an emergency), it would be best to use a small towel. More than likely, he won't associate it with you hand.

I'm sure more experienced owners can help ya better than I can. I am still trying to get Zazu to trust my hands....I think I'm making progress slowly.

[PrettyJupiter]

Yeah I'm new to all this behaviour because the lovebird I had in the past was my baby and didn't mind me grabbing at him or doing anything with his cage. This guy does fly around madly when I have to reach my hands in for food, I just try to talk to him in a calm voice as I do so in hopes that he'll eventually settle down. Afterall, this is only the second day I've had him.

I did clip his wings the day I brought him home just to avoid any flying accidents in case he were to get out. I had a cockatiel in the past that liked to fly into walls, I also have two big sliding mirror closet doors in my room that I'd hate for him to fly into if he got out. Cheeko seems very similar to Jupiter (what I've named the new lovebird) so I'm hoping he will show similar progress. Was he hand raised or parent raised?

I've bookmarked the link you sent me so I'm definitely going to refer to those steps, I think it'll be very helpful and sounds like a smart slow approach to getting him to trust me. If it worked for you I'm hopeful it'll work for me too, even though Jupiter is not a parakeet. Thank you again for responding to my post I do appreciate the littlest feedback from anyone. ^^

[kimberly1985]

I'm sure Jupiter (BTW, I love the name) will come around soon enough. Just remember that bird time is not like our time. It could take weeks, months or even years.

Good luck.

Oh, and I'd love to see some pictures!

[PrettyJupiter]

The lady said his mother was a creamino and father a violet. I'm assuming she meant violet black masked? Either way he seems like a pretty bird to me. He has a pale blue under belly and a dark blue tail. The previous owner believes that his colors will intensify more with age and that he will have a peach nose. I'm unsure about the peach part but we shall see!
http://i53.tinypic.com/b5fuat.jpg

http://i56.tinypic.com/24fi3oo.jpg

http://i51.tinypic.com/xn6iyq.jpg

[kimberly1985]

Oh My!!! I love the peach faces that are blue!!!

Yea, when he/she goes through it's first molt (at 4-6 months), the colors will darken up a bit.

Just an example....look at the picture in my siggy of Yoshi. Here's a picture from a few weeks ago, he's actually darkened up more since.

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/812/sany1308.jpg/

[PrettyJupiter]

Oh wow, what a pretty bird Yoshi is! I hope he darkens up just as much then. I'll post more pictures after the molt, I assume it'll be happening anytime soon since she said he was already 4 months old. Can't wait!

[Pips mom]

My Pip was parent raised, although I'm not really sure of any human socialization he may have had. He's bonded really well to me and never hesitated to land on a human's head! I've had Pip a while now and he has his moments when he just wants to hang out on me and with me.......sometimes he likes to just coze up on my shoulder and take a snooze. He's also very social when it comes to other animals like dogs.....he loves dogs! Maybe he was raised around them? Pip even lets me pick him up now sometimes......even though he hates hands, he'll run when he thinks you're going to touch him with them, but he doesn't put up much of a fight anymore when I pick him up to put him back in his cage when I go to work.

[PrettyJupiter]

That is all wonderful to hear, another person confirm that a parent raised lovebird tames down. How old was Pip when you acquired him? How long did it take for him to behave that way around you? I know all birds respond differently to taming/training but I'm just curious as to how long it took you and what your method was?