Taming my young lovebird

[Deviant]

Hi there, I've just brought a young lovebird and am wanting to train it. It's around 8-10 weeks of age and I've only had him a day. So far I've just been sitting in the room and talking to him from a distance, but I would love some more details advice on taming the little guy. I've hand tamed a couple of young budgies before, and hand reared cockatiels, but the lovebird is unfamiliar to me and I'm unsure on how I should go about it to begin with.

[linda040899]

Hi and welcome to Lovebirds Plus Community! Congratulations on becoming a new slave to 50 grams of feathers! :)

Right now, you are doing exactly what's necessary. Let him know you are there and get used to you. He's away from everything familiar and he needs to learn by experience that he's not your next meal! Put yourself in his position and think back about how you felt when you were in a strange place.

We usually recommend just sitting next to the cage, talking/socializing with new birds until they feel comfortable. Lovebirds are naturally curious so if you have something that he thinks might be interesting, he will find the courage to come over to check it out. They are also social eaters so if you eat by the cage and have his food dish on the side where you are, he should feel comfortable eating right along with you. You can offer treats through the cage bars and see what happens.

There really isn't a timeline for taming, as each bird is an individual. What you really have to have is patience, kindness and lots of love!