Taming the wild beast : )

[DaCoSim]

I am new here. I got my 2 baby lovebirds a few weeks ago. They were around 6 weeks and I was told they were hand raised. Yeah, not buying that now, but as I am and always have been a bird person I am not letting it discourage me.

I usually let them out of their cage into the bathroom when I am getting ready after a shower (yes, I always remember to put the toilet lid down : ) I have let them out in the house but as they are GREAT flyers it was extremely hard to get them put back up. The female finally started stepping up to the end of our broom and if the male is near, he will step up along with her. I finally made the decision to clip their wings so that I could have a little bit easier time training them. WOW! What a difference it has made.

The female now steps up to me quite often. They will not step up while in their cage, but I just open the door and let them come out on their own, and they always head to the top of the cage first and chill for awhile. After a bit, I will go over to them and tell Ginger to step up, which she almost always does. She seems very comfortable on my hand, chest or finger and as long as no one startles her, she is content just staying with me. She doesn't like for me to pet her so I will proceed there with patience. She does make the cute little twitters while she is with me, especially when I talk to her.

Brobie on the other hand does not want to step up. He just glides away from me. I will keep trying though. I am hoping having him watch Ginger with me will help him to understand that I am not going to hurt him.

Any advice on teaching them to step up to me while in their cage? They are still pretty flighty when in there if a hand comes in. :happy: Thanx in advance!

[linda040899]

Congratulations on your progress with your lovebirds!!! All things considered, what you are experiencing sounds pretty normal to me. The keyword is patience! They are a flock and you have to become a member of that flock. As you have been doing, let them come to you. You are building a trust relationship and it has to be on their terms. If they don't like being touched but want to be with you, go with the flow.

Clipping the flight feathers has worked in your favor. You can choose to leave them that way or you can let them grow back. You can see how it goes and make that decision later on. A few of mine are clipped but most are not.

Getting them to step up while inside of the cage may happen, but I highly doubt it. You have to remember that that's their home and your hand is an intruder. Think of your own reaction should something like that happen to you. Also, remember that refusing to step up when you ask is not a dominance thing. A bird that's resting or one that is interested in playing may not be in the mood to socialize. Simply accept what's happening and ask again later. :)

[michael]

I think your doing very well. .. In light of the fact that many poeple find great difficulty in returning their birds to their cage, that your birds feel their cage is whats more important than anything else, in return, makes it easier to get them back in their cage. ..............:)

[DaCoSim]

Thx guys : )