How to stop lovebirds to sit in Fan and other places which is unsafe

[biswchou]

I have two Lovebirds around 50 days old. They fly and sit on the ceiling Fan and other high places like top of wardrobe etc. How do I stop these behavior as this is risky and also because of poop. Please advise way to ensure they only sit in perches?

[linda040899]

Babies really can be precocious, can't they!!! They have learned that their wings work and they are doing what birds do naturally......flying. :) They like high perches because they are seen as safe and they will continue to fly there. The only way to keep them lower is to limit their flight ability, at least for now. I'm guessing they can take off and land like experts and if I'm wrong, please let me know that.

To keep them on lower perches, you are going to have to trim flight feathers on both wings. I usually start with 4 primary feathers on each side. If you spread a wing, count 4 feathers, starting with the very first outside one, and clip 4, just below the covert feathers. You don't want to eliminate flight, just limit where they can go. That will allow them to still fly but not gain altitude. The clipped feathers will have to be maintained, if this is what you choose to do, as when those feathers molt, they will be replaced by new, full length feathers.

[biswchou]

Thanks Linda. Well I can clip feather one time but do not like to do it again. Is there any other way let's say by putting a noisy bell or are there anything that can be placed on the fan so that they fear to go there. Also is it a common behaviour.

They can go to the high altitude places but I noticed have some difficulty flying down from there.

[linda040899]

The fact that they have trouble flying down means they are not flying well enough to have their flights clipped. Parrots learn to fly when they are young because they are fearless. If they don't learn to fly properly at that age, they will never learn. If the fan is not used, you can put almost anything you want up there to deter them. Sometimes red hand towels will do the trick, as red it not usually a favorite color. Perching on the highest perch available is very common with parrots. In the wild, most live in the upper canopy, which affords them safety from many predators.