New Bird

[Miray Dwerri]

Hey y'all!
I have a peach-faced lovebird called Rio. I got it 3 days ago. Actually I got two lovebirds, but one of them managed to escape the second day. (I put them in my balcony and one of them escaped)
Now I have Rio in my room. It is not tamed and I have never got it out of the cage. Rio is really scared of me, and is always trying to escape. I have a few questions:
Should I get it out of the cage or should I wait till it gets used to me?
How do i gain its trust?
How do I tame it when it is in the cage?

I would really like it if it becomes friends with me and i can teach it soms tricks.This is my first time getting a lovebird, so I won't mind some tips and pieces of advice!
P.S i dont know how old it is.
Thanks! :)

[linda040899]

Congratulations on your new lovebird and welcome to Lovebirds Plus Community! Sorry to hear that you lost your second one of the pair, but know that lovebirds can adapt to being feral, as long as they can avoid birds of prey.

The best thing to do with your new bird is to do nothing but interact with him from outside of the cage. He is in a totally unfamiliar situation and birds are prey animals. Rio (cute name) has no idea that you don't intend to make him your next meal. Parrots learn trust though experience and it takes time. There are no shortcuts in developing a true trust relationship.

For a while, spend time with him just talking to him. Eat meals next to his cage. You will find that he will slowly stop flying around his cage in fear and begin to take an interest in you. (No mirrors, by the way. He could easily bond to a reflection that is not real.) Lovebirds tend to love spray millet and I use it in the taming process. Keep a spray inside of the cage, near where you sit. He will most likely not go near it while you are there, but he will eat it when you are not. As he relaxes a bit, he will eat it while you are there. Then you can slowly start offering it from your fingers so he will learn you mean him no harm. By the way, I use a clothes pin to attach the millet to the cage where I want it. I've even used pipe cleaners, nothing fancy... :)