WILD lovebird... Any hope?

[MaraJade]

I did see the sticky on taming a lovebird. Just wondering if the steps are any different when they're a biter and store bought? Seemed like the original thread the bird was at least friendlier...

I did get a lovie from a breeder recently, someone suggested on this forum. Cinna (named for The Hunger Games) is awesome. He/She is pied and beautiful! Very friendly. Just a love. haha. I am getting back into breeding and so I happened to see what looked like a beautiful slate (upon closer examination may be a cobalt...) in my local bird store. I've gotten a bird from them before, and also some fish and small animals. They're a good store and they do hand feed but with the lovebirds they did not. They got them from a breeder and sold them in store. So the little guy is WILD.

He FREAKS out if you go anywhere near him. I put some nice perches in his cage and he flew out and it took me a half hour to catch him. Taht's with his wings clipped! He bites. He's hard to handle. He's terrified.

Now if I was all about the breeding, I wouldn't be too worried about it. But I like to socialize all my birds and make sure they're friendly and not terrified of people. I thought I was experienced enough to tame him but I'm finding it's harder than I thought. What do I do with this little guy? Do I just leave the cage open all the time (keep in mind it's HARD to catch him when he gets out)... do I just pick him up and get him used to it and nevermind the bites.... do I just say "oh well" and figure he's happy in his cage and leave it at that?

I'm not sure where to start. Help?

[Enko_chan]

If he's very hard to catch, a bit of a heavier clip may be in order. Not so heavy that he drops like a rock, but heavy enough that he can't fly away from you. So that he can glide comfortably downward without injury.

Perhaps he needs time to adjust to the new surroundings and see that you are a flock member worthy of trust. You are completely new to him. Talk to him, eat near him, even offer him food you're eating when its appropriate. They're flock creatures who eat meals together and this reinforces the idea that you are a member of the flock. Once quarantine time is up, he'll see you interacting with the lovebird that is more tame and that often helps, especially if he and your other lovie like each other because they will want to play. For now, spend time talking, even singing softly to him. I usually try not to put my hands near a terrified bird or into his/her cage unless absolutely necessary, instead allowing the bird to come to me. (I know this is not always possible, but I try to keep it this way if I can help it.) Once he calms down a bit, open the cage and let him come to you, offering treats can help. At this point he may or may not want to be on your person. I like to give my birds a safe area to explore on their own, while I am nearby and to give them the opportunity to come be on my person if they'd like. I move at their pace.

Some get comfortable amazingly quickly and you won't believe that a matter of days or weeks ago the bird was terrified others can take a very long time to warm up. Some will quickly form a bond but will never like hands. Some will not mind hands when it comes to stepping up and such but still prefer not to be touched, yet otherwise like to be on me, preen me, cuddle up in my clothes. Others are complete cuddle bugs but it took years and many setbacks to get this way, and worth every minute of every day. There is no set in stone way to go about things, much relies on the individual parrot and human being and the dynamic bond that will form between you must come along and its own pace.

You're off to a great start. I'd love to see photos of your new lovie, he sounds beautiful.

[linda040899]

I agree with Kristi 100%. This is all about trust and getting familiar/comfortable with a new situation. When you, yourself, are in a strange location, fear is natural. You don't know if you are safe so I think you can identify with this lovie.

I also agree with the approach needed to earn his trust. Birds learn via experience so it may take some time but I think you will at least get him to the point where he's accepting of you, even if he's not cuddly tame....and that could happen, too. You just never know.

Good luck!

[MaraJade]

Thanks for your advice, ladies. I am glad to see I'm not doing something wrong. He has his cage and some toys to keep him occupied so hopefully that will satisfy him for now. He's already calling to the other birds so maybe he will have a friend in Cinna once the quarantine is over.

I AM very afraid of being bitten. I don't like it (who does?) and get nervous about it. I know that's not a good thing. You'd think after all my experience and time with birds I'd be used to it by now, but I'm not. :)

[Pips mom]

Ohhhh, the joys of just getting a bird and having to catch them to put them back in cage! I remember when I first got Rudy and chasing him around for so long that he got all out of breath and I was worried how exhausted he seemed after chasing after him! The thing is.......first it's probably a good idea to just let a new bird settle in for a while IN his/her cage until the bird gets used to the surroundings. I never did manage to be able to catch Rudy to put him in..........but what I found was he would go back to his cage quite a bit since this was his safe spot, and I could kind of nudge him a bit over to the door and get him to go back in on his own. You and this new bird will work it all out........just takes time, some hard days of chasing around and figuring it all out. He'll come around though and calm down, at least some! May take some time, each bird is different. Pip was never like this.........he was never really terrified of people, he just doesn't like hands so he wasn't too hard getting back in cage from the start. I know how wild they can be because even as tame and friendly as Pip is now, once he decides that he doesn't want to go in his cage, he can make me chase around crazy sometimes too! They're stinkers and they know what you're up to and when they are being caught to go back in the cage! I like how Pip will nip at me when I hold him and the closer we get to his cage, the harder he bites! I know lovebirds can pack quite a bite sometimes from a little bird, but at least it usually doesn't hurt too bad on the hand. With lovies I think you really kinda have to toughen up when it comes to bites.........Pip is pretty good now about biting, but he's still pretty nippy at times. Right now he's all snuggled up on my arm taking a snooze!

[thebubbleking]

wow for once "mark the day and time" i have nothing to ad, it has been all covered XD

[Z28Taxman]

Ohhhh, the joys of just getting a bird and having to catch them to put them back in cage! I remember when I first got Rudy and chasing him around for so long that he got all out of breath and I was worried how exhausted he seemed after chasing after him! The thing is.......first it's probably a good idea to just let a new bird settle in for a while IN his/her cage until the bird gets used to the surroundings. I never did manage to be able to catch Rudy to put him in..........but what I found was he would go back to his cage quite a bit since this was his safe spot, and I could kind of nudge him a bit over to the door and get him to go back in on his own. You and this new bird will work it all out........just takes time, some hard days of chasing around and figuring it all out. He'll come around though and calm down, at least some! May take some time, each bird is different. Pip was never like this.........he was never really terrified of people, he just doesn't like hands so he wasn't too hard getting back in cage from the start. I know how wild they can be because even as tame and friendly as Pip is now, once he decides that he doesn't want to go in his cage, he can make me chase around crazy sometimes too! They're stinkers and they know what you're up to and when they are being caught to go back in the cage! I like how Pip will nip at me when I hold him and the closer we get to his cage, the harder he bites! I know lovebirds can pack quite a bite sometimes from a little bird, but at least it usually doesn't hurt too bad on the hand. With lovies I think you really kinda have to toughen up when it comes to bites.........Pip is pretty good now about biting, but he's still pretty nippy at times. Right now he's all snuggled up on my arm taking a snooze!

It could be worse. When Ditto first came here he would chase me when it was time to go home. He learned that if he hung on my shirt in the middle of my back, I couldn't reach him.

[MaraJade]

Oh my goodness, ladies.. I came home tonight from a religious meeting and he was dead at the bottom of his cage!!! :(

I have never had this happen. I have no idea what went wrong. Thank god for quarantine, eh? I can't think of what it could have been. I put his body in a box and put it safe in my closet for now because i heard if you put them in a freezer you can't do an autopsy. not sure if I'll do that anyway, but would like the option.

I'm just in shock right now. And living in an apartment the birds are only separated by a couple rooms so I'm really hoping that Cinna and Finick will be okay. It's sad to lose any pet, but I'm much more attached to them. I'm so lost right now.

Thanks for the advice. I guess I don't need it. I don't know what could have happened.... :confused:

[thebubbleking]

omg!
Could it be fumes of some kind? was there a small string around its neck? sorry for your loss :very_sad:

[MaraJade]

We don't cook with anything odd. And the other birds (though in a separate room) would have been exposed to anything that this bird was if it was something big like that. And no, no toys around his neck or anything. His wing was at a funny angle caught in the bottom of the cage, but I think that was more the way he fell, not what killed him. We weren't gone that long and if he was stuck I think he'd still be stuck when we got home, ya know?

I'm so upset. I just hope my other two will be okay.