In and out of the cage

[Kam123]

Hi

My love bird approx 3 months old who is hand raised and handfeed loves being out of the cage and having cuddles but when I go to get him out of the cage it turns into a bit of a chase and get hold of him, he won't come out on his own either.

Please help

[linda040899]

How long have you had your new lovebird? I think the problem pretty much centers around the fact that he's in a strange place, away from everything that made him feel safe so the inside of his cage (home) represents a safe haven for him. It will take time for him to adjust and begin to feel comfortable. Put yourself in his position. When you go somewhere new, it can take a while before you are familiar with everything and you tend to be cautious until you are.

At age 3 months, he's still very much a baby and needs the cuddling/attention. Before he came to live with you, he probably had other lovebird companions to cuddle/snuggle with and you also have to remember that lovebirds are extremely social.

Love, kindness and lots of patience will get what you want. :)

[Lashania]

I second Linda's words.

My lovie absolutely LOVES her cage. LOVES it... loves it so much she will bite anything that interferes with her cage if it moves wrong. (I apparently haven't moved wrong yet).

Getting her out involves taking her beloved bell out of her cage and leaving the door open, because she must follow that bell. Absolutely must. Then, I have to pick her up, and take her away from the sight of the cage. Once I do that, she's all snuggles and sociability... until she sees hte cage again, at which point she must be AT her cage, preferably with the bell where it belongs, thank you very much!

[starwynde]

I agree with Linda as well. When my Gem was first socialized, he was very hesitant to come out of his cage. I didn't want to scare him by going after him with my hands in his cage, so I resorted to bribery with millet to encourage him to come out on his own by placing it in various places on and around his cage. It got to a point where he would see the millet and come to the cage door. Now, he sees me and waits for me to open the door so he can come out and gives me squawk if I ignore him! You might have to get creative, but he will realize there are benefits to coming out of the cage...

[Kam123]

Thanks heaps for your comments they are helpful, I have had him about a week, before u had him he was surrounded by mainly people. The other problem I have is biting as well as getting him ( not sure in sex) to eat anything other than seed and his handreating formula, he is down to one feed of this a day and it is getting less and less by the day

[starwynde]

Biting or beaking? As was pointed out to me with my first lovebird, birds use their beaks for everything, some harder than others. Again though, if you're reaching into "his" cage (might be a "her" too) the biting may be a territorial response. Gen won't hesitate to give me a nip if I come after him in his cage, but never anything that really hurts. More like "get out of my space please." I have, however, known a female lovebird that was just mean, both in and out of her cage (she drew blood and took chunks of fingers as trophies). I don't think this is the norm, as Rosebud seems to be an extreme anomaly based on other females I've met. I would continue working on getting him to come out of his cage willingly with treats etc., and take notes about what you do when you get bit. It might be just some overzealous beaking, or you may be doing something that your bird finds threatening and he bites in response to it (I had a bird that would bite my ears if I wore a particular pair of earring but never any other time). Each bird has a personality, and once you figure out what his likes and dislikes are, you'll be set. Just be patient and it will all come together :)

[thebubbleking]

lol i thought you were talking about my hen babyboo landshark lol rosebud sounds like she went to the same manners classes as her XD or should i say failed the same manners classes lol

[starwynde]

Lol.. I dunno if any bird could be as evil as Rosebud was. She attacked if you were within 2 feet of her cage, and she was still inside it. I lost a good amount of blood from her (she belonged to a friend of my mom's when I was a kid). The male was such a sweetie given all the abuse he put up with from her; he loved everyone, but her, wow... she was definitely a candidate for an exorcism!

[Pips mom]

Hmmm, I've never had this problem! Just goes to show that they each have their own little personalities! When I first got Pip, he shoved his way right out the front door of his cage while I was trying to figure out how it opened and closed! Pip always HATED being in his cage! He wanted OUT! My problem was getting him IN the cage, not out!! He's still that way today, although now he seems to like his cage and will go in it when given the choice to be out or in. He would never do that when he was younger! Pip is definitely a brave little boy who just sees what he wants and goes for it! Don't matter he's in a new home or anything! In fact, Pip never seemed to have any adjustment issues at all, like he never even missed his old home! He's such a funny little stinker!