Could this work?

[KiwiAndGuava]

I am kind of stuck with the training of my birds at the moment, they aren't afraid of me anymore but when they're out of the cage they don't want to be near me unless I have food and they won't stay with me. I found on a website a training technique where you have the bird keep stepping up (without treats) and every time it does, you stop moving, which is the reward for the action. They learn that staying on your finger means a break so they stay for longer periods. I want to try it, but I am worried that my birds wont like it and lose their trust. If I did it, I would probably have some treats which I give to them after they have stayed for a while. So could it work? If not, what are other ways to train them? (On the website it also says to clip their wings but I don't think my vet likes clipping a bird's wings so they can barely fly, and I don't want to try it myself, what are your experiences with wing clips?)

[linda040899]

Wing clipping is strictly a personal preference and the final decision is, of course, yours. It's only temporary and it does have its pros. If done properly, it will limit where they can go and make them dependent on you to go where they want to go. Lovebirds are naturally curious and I'm sure your home has plenty of places they like to go to explore. Flight feather clipping is not hard and I usually recommend you have someone hold the bird while you do the clipping. Spread the wing in question and look at the feathers. If you see any that are not completely grown in or any that are still encased in keritan (whitish waxy material), those feathers will not be clipped. Starting with the most outside feather, follow the line of the upper covering layer of feathers and clip 4-5 of those primaries. Repeat with the other wing. All too many professionals clip all the flight and glide feathers and the result is a flightless, unhappy parrot. This link show exactly how to clip the flights. http://birdmart.com/reference/wings.html I wouldn't do more than 5 unless they fly better after you are done than you want them to. They should be able to fly, just not gain altitude and be able to glide for a soft landing.

I would try the flight feather clipping before I'd try the step ups or laddering. You want them to stay with you because they want to, not because they earned a break from stepping up for wanted behavior. :)

[Philocacti]

I'm not an expert like Linda.

But I think if you give them time, they'll get to like you and be on you more than you could imagine.

My first lovebird, Hikuri, wasn't scared of me after a month of taming, but it took her 6-8 months to enjoy my company.

I got my alexandrine when he was 5 months old and it took him a whole year to feel comfortable around me. Now I can't even lock myself in a different room to smoke a cig without him screaming and calling for me.

2 months ago I got another lovebird (a male for Hikuri) and I didn't even try to tame him. He leaves Hikuri most of the day to come out of his cage to spend time to explore me. He still doesn't know how to interact with me except though biting though (earlobes, lips, fingers.....), but eventually we'll get there ........ I hope :)

The trick is, IME so far, is give them all the space they need and try to play with something that'll make them curious to come over to observe you. After some time they'll hope on you to explore it. After they're bored of it, try to find something else.....and so on.

Good luck

[KiwiAndGuava]

Thanks for the replies :) I am going to attempt to clip their wings soon (thanks for the website) and after reading through the website, I discovered it was kind of dodgy (single wing clip anyone? :omg:) so I won't be trying that technique. My birds are a little shy so I'll just give it time, and find fun things to play with! :rotfl Is there any way I can make the clip less stressful?

[KiwiAndGuava]

And also how many feathers should I clip? The website says 8-10 and when I got my birds clipped at the vet, he only trimmed 5 on each wing and they were basically fully flighted.

[linda040899]

How many flights you clip depends on how well you want them to be able to fly. I would start with 5 or 6 on each wing and let them test out their flight ability. If they are strong fliers, you will need to go somewhere between 6-8. There really is no exact answer as to how many. You want them to have some flight but not enough to gain height.

I agree that each bird is different and time, love and patience will get what you want. :)

[KiwiAndGuava]

So I tried a wing clip last night... I couldn't even catch them! I tried catching them with a small tea towel inside their cage but I just couldn't. I only tried for about 5 minutes and now I'm scared that they will be afraid of me :( How can I catch the birds without scaring them too much?