JaimeSM
12-29-2015, 02:52 PM
Okay, I'm new to this forum and desperately need some help basically "re-taming" my Lovebird (Tweety). My family and I bought Tweety from a breeder about 12 years ago as a baby. She was handfed and very friendly. As both of us grew up I became "her person" so to speak. I was the only person who could hold her or anything without her EVER biting me. She's always loved to shred paper and stuff her tail feathers (which she does way less now) and about 3 or 4 years ago she laid a few eggs. Also around the time that she laid the eggs I went off to college and couldn't take her with me. My mom has been caring for her for te last few years, but obviously she hasn't been handled much at all in that time frame. Last time I tried to get her out of her cage she bit me (which I don't blame her at all!). Now, she's back in my own home and I'd love to be able to get her out and handle her, but as soon as I get near the cage she jumps on the opening and tries to bite me through th bars so I KNOW she's going to get my hand agaub when I try to ask her to step up...
Anyway, I need a game plan if there's any hope at all of getting her tame again. I'm just not sure how to approach the situation because birds are obviously very different from dogs and other pets with how they learn. And a lot of her new-found biting is due to me leaving for so long. She is not a fearful bird at all and never has been. She just moved to the new house with me about a week ago and she got new perches and toys. I can get her into her smaller cage by opening the smaller one up against the opening of the larger one (I used to be able to pick her up and place her inside the smaller one). She doesn't like any other foods beside the seed mix and millet she's been fed since we've owned her. She has never seemed ill or plucked out any feathers either. I think that's the bulk of everything about her! I just want to be able to handle her again so she's happier and not so angry all the time (she squaks way more now then she ever used to...at the other house and the new one)! I hope someone here can help me out :) Thanks!
Anyway, I need a game plan if there's any hope at all of getting her tame again. I'm just not sure how to approach the situation because birds are obviously very different from dogs and other pets with how they learn. And a lot of her new-found biting is due to me leaving for so long. She is not a fearful bird at all and never has been. She just moved to the new house with me about a week ago and she got new perches and toys. I can get her into her smaller cage by opening the smaller one up against the opening of the larger one (I used to be able to pick her up and place her inside the smaller one). She doesn't like any other foods beside the seed mix and millet she's been fed since we've owned her. She has never seemed ill or plucked out any feathers either. I think that's the bulk of everything about her! I just want to be able to handle her again so she's happier and not so angry all the time (she squaks way more now then she ever used to...at the other house and the new one)! I hope someone here can help me out :) Thanks!