How do I overcome my lovebirds fear of human hands?? :(

[Maxie]

I've had my Max for two weeks now. He's such a good boy/girl (not quite sure what the sex is…lol). He comes up to the side of the cage and kisses my nose and lips, sings and chirps to me…we have some serious conversations…lol. I bought him with clipped wings and would love to let him out of the cage to "check things out" BUT he's terrified of hands. I don't want to push him but as soon as I put one finger through the cage, he screams! I've had budgies in the past and have never had an issue getting them to step up on my finger. This little guy has a mind of his own!
So, I have a couple of questions…
How can I get Max to get over his fear of hands and
Should I open up the top of the cage and let him out?

Any advice would help.
Thanks everyone :)

[linda040899]

Congratulations on becoming a human slave to a cute lovie!

Max has only been with you a short time so the trust relationship is a work in progress! Give him time to get used to his new situation. :) Many parrots just don't like hands. I have several who have lived with me for many years and they will not step up onto my hand. I use either a perch or a wooden dowel. Monty, my Double Yellowheaded Amazon prefers a short Manzanita perch, as he was abused by human hands before he came to live with me. He loves to socialize but has a problem with hands so we do it his way!

[Pips mom]

Pip has never liked hands! He runs from them every time! Well......except if I take him in the bathroom and shut the door, then he knows he can't get away and will just sit calmy while I pick him up! He doesn't seem to be afraid of hands, he just doesn't like them! and yes, lovebirds do tend to have a mind of their own........a very determined, strong willed mind! With Pip though, he's always right there at the cage door waiting to come out on his own. I consider Pip very tame, and as bonded as he is to me, he still does not like hands! I respect that for the most part, but ya know, once in a while I just have to pick him up and kiss his cute little head and smother him for a bit! He seems to totally understand this and tolerates it well! He doesn't even fly away and leave me after me I'm done! I guess after all these years we just have an understanding! You're lovie may just be afraid as you haven't had him that long yet. What people don't seem to understand is that birds don't have to be on your hand and hand tame to have the bond and relationship with them. Pip is on me all the time........just not on my hands! Right now he's sitting on my arm while I type all cozy with his little head all turned around, taking a snooze! He thinks I'm a pretty cozy, comfortable place to take a nap!

[Maxie]

Thanks for the advice :) I have good news! Max and I had great progress these past couple of days and I'm so excited to share it with you all.
I thought I would entertain him a little by holding up a mirror to the cage and of course he went nuts! He just loved it. I'm holding back from buying him one for his cage as I'm trying to tame him and I need all his attention…lol.
So, while I was holding the little mirror, he touched my fingers with his beak. Then he found a little hangnail I had and clipped it for me…lol. So, since yesterday, I stick my finger in the cage and he comes running feeling for hangnails…too bad I don't have more…lol. He got a little feisty though and boy did I get a few hard bites from him. I can't believe how powerful his beak is!!! I tried to tolerate the pain and pulled my finger out slowly and said "no" very softly.
Even more progress today…he takes seeds from my fingers (all through the cage)!!! I also found a trick for him to stop biting when he does. I dipped my finger in water and when he goes to bite, he stops and ends up licking the water off my finger.
So far so good! :) I just love my little Maxie. I can't wait for the day I can kiss every little inch of him! (Thank goodness you all understand…anyone else would think I'm a crazy bird lady!) :)

[Pips mom]

Thanks for the advice :) I have good news! Max and I had great progress these past couple of days and I'm so excited to share it with you all.
I thought I would entertain him a little by holding up a mirror to the cage and of course he went nuts! He just loved it. I'm holding back from buying him one for his cage as I'm trying to tame him and I need all his attention…lol.
So, while I was holding the little mirror, he touched my fingers with his beak. Then he found a little hangnail I had and clipped it for me…lol. So, since yesterday, I stick my finger in the cage and he comes running feeling for hangnails…too bad I don't have more…lol. He got a little feisty though and boy did I get a few hard bites from him. I can't believe how powerful his beak is!!! I tried to tolerate the pain and pulled my finger out slowly and said "no" very softly.
Even more progress today…he takes seeds from my fingers (all through the cage)!!! I also found a trick for him to stop biting when he does. I dipped my finger in water and when he goes to bite, he stops and ends up licking the water off my finger.
So far so good! :) I just love my little Maxie. I can't wait for the day I can kiss every little inch of him! (Thank goodness you all understand…anyone else would think I'm a crazy bird lady!) :)

You sound you're going to make a perfect lovebird slave!!!! :rotfl:rofl: I think you & Max are going to do just fine!!! Remember........you will probably gets a few bites along the way! Try to stay strong for Max, as he's just being a lovie and they tend to be nippy! Pip was pretty bad for a while........I got some hard bites too......to the face, lip, nose! :roll: Now he gets close to my face all the time and rarely will bite me!

[mstomcat65]

I have to agree with the going slow. When I got lacey she was 3-4 months old. She was totally afraid of fingers hands and anything that resembled them! Now I've had her7 months and I can't keep her away from my hands, lol. She decided to bond with me after I had her 4 months. Now she wants to cuddle and sleep in my hand and feed my fingers and thumbs, lol. Patience goes a long way!, I really thought she was going to be a hands off bird.

[Maxie]

Awww, thanks so much :) Max is such a good boy today…he hasn't bitten me once! I got him to take each seed from my lips…lol. I think he's getting lazy now…he has hardly eaten from his seed cup! I better stop before I spoil him rotten :)

[linda040899]

I got him to take each seed from my lips

Not a good idea. The human mouth contains lots of bacteria, most not found in the systems of parrots. I have a macaw who tries to put his tongue in my mouth and gets very frustrated when I won't let him!

[Maxie]

REALLY!?!?! Thank you for telling me…I didn't know! I definitely won't ever do that again!
Do you think he's ok now? I fed him about 5 seeds from my lips one at a time.

[michael]

REALLY!?!?! Thank you for telling me…I didn't know! I definitely won't ever do that again!
Do you think he's ok now? I fed him about 5 seeds from my lips one at a time.

While its not often you hear of a parrot becoming ill from human saliva, it definitely can happen, and worse yet, without you even realizing it. Humans and animals both carry whats known as salmonella in their intestinal tracts. Salmonella, a bacteria, can also open the door for other sub-bacteria that wouldn't otherwise be anything to worry about. .. Unfortunately, we constantly see/hear about people who feed their parrot right from their mouths. The worst scenario, is when a parrot guardian allows their bird to have contact with other pets, primarilly cats and dogs. Cats for instance carry such a considerable amount of salmonella bacteria, that their saliva alone has been known to kill a parrot just by mere contact. .. Best course to take, is do not take the risk.

[Maxie]

I was just looking through a lot of the posts and came across this one I put up when I first got Max....lol....now I can't get him off of my hands...not that I want to but wow, it's amazing how quickly lovebirds bond with you :D