method to using millet to train lovebirds!!

[trevorhoang]

Hello,

So i acquired two lovebirds that came from a rough back ground. their old owner didnt take good care of them at all. when i got the love birds, they smelled like a pigs den so naturally they are not tamed at all and they were frightened by humans.

so it has been about a week now and they are still frightened of me. the only difference is that i am now more knowledgeable on love birds.

so, from my understanding, it is best for the birds to welcome you into their flock rather then force training onto them. what i have done: every time i come home from work, i spend roughly an hour sitting beside them either eating or typing away on my laptop. I placed a small piece of millet clipped to the side of the cage most closest to me. The first day they ignored the millet completely but it is now the second day and i notice that they are starting to come over and give the millet a couple nibbles. Every time i look at them eat the millet, they would get nervous and go back to the farthest side of the cage to get away from me. When i leave the birds for the day, i will be removing any unfinished millet and do the same thing the next day. I want the birds to enjoy the millet while i am beside them so they have a positive feeling when i am close.

so, i will continue with this method and hopefully i see some great results in a couple weeks. i will update you on my progress. please note that a week ago i did not know anything about love birds. if you have any advice on taming these birds, please let me know. thank you

p.s. i bought the upside down water bottle so that i dont have to change the water as frequent but the birds do not know how to use it or ignores it. any advice on how to teach them to drink from the water bottle is greatly appreciated.

[trevorhoang]

so i took a few pictures of the love birds. they are in my old finch cage so i am looking to get them out and into a cage with corners by the weekend. I gave them names as well: the one with the black cheek is herbert and the one with the yellow cheek is rosie. ( i have no clue on their gender until i can find a vet and figure it out.)

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/trevorhoang/IMG_2077.jpg

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc482/trevorhoang/IMG_2074.jpg

[linda040899]

You chosen method of getting them used to you is a good one. It may take a while, but they will realize that they can eat the millet even when you are watching them and they will begin to settle down.

As for a water bottle, I think they are good but you can't take away the water dish until you know that they have learned how to use the bottle. I would probably place the water bottle right next to the water dish so that they can explore it when they drink from the water dish. Once you see them using the bottle regularly, you can remove the dish. Also, keep in mind that water in a water bottle needs to be changed daily and the inside of the bottle and the spout also need to be cleaned every couple of days. Lixit makes the best water bottles so always make sure that the spout is actually dispensing water. Some spouts have been known to become clogged.

[trevorhoang]

So how long do u think it would take these birds to be comfortable with eating millit when I'm beside them? I know this is a bad question but I wanna get a feel for the ballpark guess. I would assume 3 to 6 months

[linda040899]

3-6 months could be a reasonable ballpark guess but all birds are individuals so it could be more or it could be less. You may find that one bird is more responsive than the other. That would not surprise me at all. Expect nothing and be happy with each baby step they take. Abuse/neglect can be hard to overcome. It took roughly 2+ years with my abused DYH Amazon. Even to this day, he can be a bit touchy.

[lemonypickett]

It is heart warming to see a loving and patient new owner........ some people want Rome built in a day.

Calm, patient and consistant will win the race.... keep us posted!

They are beautiful!

[trevorhoang]

It is heart warming to see a loving and patient new owner........ some people want Rome built in a day.

Calm, patient and consistant will win the race.... keep us posted!

They are beautiful!

thanks . i raised finches before and i love them. Hopefully i can reach the point where i have these guys tamed. i will probably encounter many difficulties with them down the road. hopefully i can absorb all of the knowledge in this forum so i can give the best car to these 2 love birds.


i have already encountered a small problem with the birds. hopefully someone can tell me what is going on. i notice one bird is biting the other birds feet. is there anything i should be concerned about?

[linda040899]

i have already encountered a small problem with the birds. hopefully someone can tell me what is going on. i notice one bird is biting the other birds feet. is there anything i should be concerned about?
Yes. This would concern me. I'm assuming the lovebird doing the biting is always the same one, correct? Normally, this kind of aggression occurs when lovebirds don't get along well or you have one that's very dominant and one that is more shy/laid back. The aggression can escalate into more serious injuries so this is something that needs to be addressed.

There could be a couple of causes. If you still have them in the round cage, changing to a rectangular cage that is longer than it is tall might be the answer. They may not have enough space to get away from each other, so the dominant bird is taking it out on the less dominant one.

You may also have 2 lovebirds that don't like each other and you may actually have to separate them into side by side cages, at least for a while. If both happen to be females, females don't always get along (although some do) and separation becomes the only answer. I would try a different larger cage first and see if that changes the dynamics between them. If not, the other option is to move one bird to separate living quarters.

[trevorhoang]

thanks for the advice linda. i will be getting a new corner cage real soon. would clipping their wings help ?

[linda040899]

would clipping their wings help ?
Possible but I would only clip the flight feathers of the dominant bird. In a larger cage, clipped flights would make it harder for the dominant bird to get to the less dominant one should the less dominant one use flight to get away. I did this when I was pairing up a pair of my rare lovebirds and the hen was not particularly fond of the intended mate. I left him with flight ability but limited her. Worked like a charm. She couldn't kill what she couldn't catch and she eventually decided that she liked him! :)

Hopefully, a different cage will make be all that's necessary. When you change cages, put the less dominant bird in first and then wait a few minutes before you move the second bird. I've seen dominant hens take territory possession of new cages within seconds and any bird added after that got chased.

[trevorhoang]

Possible but I would only clip the flight feathers of the dominant bird. In a larger cage, clipped flights would make it harder for the dominant bird to get to the less dominant one should the less dominant one use flight to get away. I did this when I was pairing up a pair of my rare lovebirds and the hen was not particularly fond of the intended mate. I left him with flight ability but limited her. Worked like a charm. She couldn't kill what she couldn't catch and she eventually decided that she liked him! :)

Hopefully, a different cage will make be all that's necessary. When you change cages, put the less dominant bird in first and then wait a few minutes before you move the second bird. I've seen dominant hens take territory possession of new cages within seconds and any bird added after that got chased.


o wow thanks for that wonderful tip. i never knew to do that but it makes sense. The dominant one (i call her mango) only seem to bite the leg of the less dominant one (kiwi) when they are both clinging onto the cage walls. it seems like mango bites kiwi's legs to say 'get out of my way'.

at the same time i see them preening eachother which i assume is a sign of affection.