Help me tame Zephyr

[z00t]

I got Zephyr, a 3 month old handfed PF, about a 2 weeks ago. I've had a Quaker who I weaned and some budgies in the past but I think I need a little help here. Zephyr is clipped but was kept in a large cage with some other young ones and was not handled much at the bird store.

He only comes out of the cage if I reach in and kinda reach for him. At first he jumps around to avoid me but then he just stops, allowing me to pick him up. Should I be reaching into his cage and "catching" him? He stays in when I open the door and try a millet bribe.

I then hold him close to my chest and we go into a safe bathroom. He is fine when I hold him like that and lets me touch his head, but when I let go he flutters off and then avoids me until I have to catch him. I've tried to teach him step up in the bathtub but he can fly to the side and get out. I've fed him some millet when I was holding him, but I can't bribe him torwards me when he is on his own.

Am I being impatient?
Thanks for any input as I'd really like to get things off on the right foot.

Brian and Zephyr

[bellarains]

Hi Brian,

It sounds as if you are doing all the right things. The only thing I would suggest different is offering Zephyr a perch to step onto to get him out of the cage, rather than your hand. Hands are something it takes a little time for some lovies to accept, and you don't want to have him see them as evil, so letting him accept them in his own time is best.

Trust is what you are trying to earn from Zephyr, and you know it takes time to earn trust. I have always told people to think of a huge giant coming at you with those humongous hands and you will understand where Zephyr is coming from. You would also be very leary of the hand until you learned that the giant only wanted to love and care for you and that is how Zephyr will be also. Once he trusts that you mean him no harm, want to love and care for him, he will give you that trust, and you will have a bestest buddy for life :D

[z00t]

Thanks for your reply Lori. I think a direct question that I would like answered is should I "chase" Zephyr around in his cage to take him out to work/play with him or is that going to make him even more likely to hate my hands? He doesn't seem to want to come out on his own. Right now I have stopped trying to "catch" him and just spend time talking to him in his cage and try to get him to eat from my fingers through the bars, which doesn't work. I do spend lots of time next to his cage talking to him, as it is right near the computer in my office. How do i best build trust in this situation? I know he needs out of cage time somehow.

Thanks,
Brian and Zephyr

[LauraO]

Brian: I would say that you should not chase Zephyr around as this perpetuates his negative thoughts and feelings about hands. You are doing the right thing by sitting by his cage and talking to him and offering him food from your hand. Building a relationship with a lovie is a very slow process that takes patience, but it is so rewarding if you take the time. Just remember that you and Zephyr will be together years and years and years so there is no need to rush.

Even if he doesn't come out on his own, I would also just leave his door open when you are around and want to hang out so he can get comfortable with the idea.

Good Luck

[BarbieH]

I think leaving the cage door open is a wonderful idea. You could leave a little treat just outside the cage door, to tempt him to come out. :) If you could close off your office area so it limits the space he can escape to, it would be a big help when he eventually does come out.

Another thing you can do is to have his flight feathers trimmed. He will become more dependent on you to get around.

Best wishes,

[bellarains]

Hi Brian,

I agree with the others that hands are something you don't want to force upon Zephyr unless necessary. I know there are times you may have to handle him, but if possible, let it be his decision to step onto your hand.

Another idea to get Zephyr out is to use a ladder. If you can set it up so that a long wooden ladder can lead out of his cage to your desk, this might prompt him to walk out on his own also. Oh, and any time he does something positive, offer him a treat and tell him what a good boy he is. Lovies do love praise, and if you use an excited tone of voice, they love that even more :)

Millet spray is a wonderful training/taming tool. Bribery can be a good thing ;)

[Z28Taxman]

I agree chasing him around the cage would probably not be a good idea. Even though Ditto is a velcro birdy and I could reach in the cage and snatch him right out, and he wouldn't mind, I don't do that. If he doesn't come out I just go about my business and within 10 seconds he flies to my shoulder.

It has become a game with us actually. I'll open the balcony above the door and he'll walk out and stand on the edge. Then I'll either put my shoulder right there or reach my finger in front of him and he'll let out a little giggle like chirp and run back into the cage. I start to walk away, he comes out and calls and runs back in when I turn around. He either wants me to chase him around or, more likely, crawl in there with him. :rofl: So I just walk toward the couch and 9 times out of 10 he's on my shoulder before I can cover the 10 feet to get there. :cool:

Nobody walks away from the Dittobird!!!!!!

[Paulette]

Every one has given you some great suggestions. Some of my birds enjoy a bowl of water on top of their cage, I also have a few of those plastic perches(about 6 inches long) that twist between the cage bars on one end only(sometimes you can find the colorful ones that have a toy attached to the end of the perch)--my lovebirds love these.....and I put it on the outside of the cage usually on the front near the top and I put a hanging a food cup right next to the perch so they can snack while on the perch.

[Buy A Paper Doll]

I'll add one more thing, my Melody was pretty hard headed about staying in her cage when I first brought her home. So I set the cage on a table with the door open, and basically just hung out next to her. I would eat, read a magazine, watch TV ... and the whole time, she sat in her cage watching me. Eventually she was nosy enough to come out and check me out.