New Bird

[mandy]

Hello Everybody!

After a long prep period I am finally getting my first lovie on June 1. It's going to be a 2 month old sea-green bird. I've disinfected the cage and I've prepared the toys. Any reminders for a first time bird keeper? What things ought i remember when the bird arrives? Thanks a lot in advance for all your responses!

Mandy

[mandy]

Can Anyone suggest how I can start taming a 2 month old bird I am getting?:confused: This is going to be my first pet bird. :happy: but it is not handfed and was rather wild when i looked at it. :(

Mandy:happy:

[bellarains]

Mandy,

Allot will depend on the bird. Some birds warm up quickly, and others take a little while. The important thing to remember is that you are trying to earn this little one's trust, and forcing him/her to accept you will not work. Offer a finger to step up, if s/he takes it, great, if not, try again later.

Most birds do like to sit on your shoulder, and this will be a good sign. If s/he isn't very accepting of hands at first, let him/her ride around on your shoulder for awhile, and just let him/her get used to being on you.

Talk to him/her all the time, make contact calls(when s/he cheeps, you cheep back), and sit by the cage just talking sweetly to him/her. Also offer treats through the cage bar such as millet spray, or a green bean, sugar snap pea, a slice of apple, etc... If they perceive healthy things as a treat, that's a good thing:)

Hopefully some of this will get your started. Congrats on the new fid(feathered kid), and please post us some pics when you get some, and let us know what name you come up with also.

[Janie]

Mandy, I read your other post, too, and wanted to suggest that you check out the "Lovebird Resource Library" and read up on helpful hints and info. when bringing in a new bird.

As far as taming a 2 month old lovie, I think that is a very doable thing! :D I'd give him lots of time to adjust (at least a few days) and spend time talking softly to him while he's in his cage. It's going to be all new for him and he is going to be a little freaked out, I'm sure. If you can replicate some of the same toys that he had before, I'd do that, too. Don't forget to find out what he has been eating so that you can be sure to have the same thing or something very close to it. You can change a diet but for the first few days/weeks, I'd work on letting him settle in and then move on to diet. I did start immediately with fresh veggies when I got my two boys last July. They ignored them for a few days but then loved raw broccoli. They also loved and still love birdie cornbread (in the diet section of this forum) and are both very good eaters. Their breeder did give me a good supply of everything they were weaned to so that was helpful. Since they came as a pair, they are DNA'd brothers, they were never really afraid since they had each other but it did take a few weeks for them to adjust to me and to learn to "step-up". I spent at least 15 minutes, 4 times a day, sitting with them in their quarantine room.(They were in quarantine because I have another lovie and I wanted to be sure he was protected in case they had any diseases. I did take them to an avian vet the day after I got them and had complete physicals, including blood work, done on both.) The more they saw me and heard my voice, the more friendly they became to me. They were hand fed and already tame when I got them but I think a young non-tame lovie can become very, very tame, too, with time and patience. My favorite lovebird book, Vera Appleyard's Lovebird Handbook does say that it might take up to 6 months for your new bird to warm up to you but I'm sure you'll beat that by several months. My oldest bird is a pet store parent raised bird and he is tamer than the other two. :D

The first thing I'd work on would be the step-up process. You can take your bird into a dimly lit bathroom (cover mirrors and close the lid on the commode :D) and try using a wooden dowel or the back of your hand for stepping up. This will not happen over night and I'm sure they will be days when you think you'll never have a bond with him....but you will! :D Just last week I was reading a post from a member, Lisa, "PurplelovinRN", and I will never forget when she got her lovie. She was positive that he would never be tame in the first month she had him. He was scared to death and would not let her get near him. Now? He is a velcro birdie and she's thinking about getting another one. :D

The two most important things to remember are PATIENCE and PATIENCE and the third would be MORE PATIENCE! :D Try you best to be as calm as you can when you're with him and don't grab him if he won't come out of his cage. I would also suggest a wing clip for easier taming. Nothing drastic but just enough that he can fly straight out and then glide down to the floor. Even thought his will be the only bird in your home, I would still take him to an avian vet for a "well" check up.

Good luck and do check out everything in the resource library. :)

[Janie]

Talk to him/her all the time, make contact calls(when s/he cheeps, you cheep back)

I answered your other post but I do want to add that I agree with all of Lori's advice (I always do, :D) but I really like the one above. My older bird, Oliver, always answers my contact calls and I answer his. I did loose him once, my stupidity for taking him outside when he was flighted, and because he answered my contact calls, I had him back in, safe and sound, in 45 minutes. I never take him out anymore. Too many dangerous things out there.

[sdgilley]

Hi Mandy,
I'll second what Janie said!:) One thing I'll emphasize is that you should start slow with training. Your bird may be overwhelmed with new surroundings. As you tame your bird, use short periods of time to begin with. With Peepo I learned that more frequent short periods kept her from getting tired (and therefore nippy!). Peter, on the other hand, would come out for 20 minute intervals when I first got him. You'll learn a whole new language before you know it! Birdie body language!!:rofl:

Good luck!

[mandy]

Thanks to everyone who replied! I am very grateful for your detailed responses!

[parasiteeve9]

hi

i just got my first lovebird and i bought him or her (not sure what the sex is) at a pet store called the Kennel shop and i was wondering if a bird bought from a pet store will be harder to tame than one that comes from a breeder?
i'm not sure of the age the pet store said they got him on feb 14 2006.they did say he/she is still a baby.today is day 2.when i put my hand in the cage he/she freaks out.i did put the cage near were i play on the computer and its next to were i sit to watch tv so she will get used to me.:blush:

[Mummieeva]

Yes, pet store birds can be tamed. Just takes time and patience.




Steph

[Janie]

Para, I would ask the pet store if your bird still had black on its beak when they got it in Feb. They would give you a better idea of its age. The black usually remains (except on lutinos and some pied's, etc.) till they are 3 or 4 months old.

I think most birds can be tamed somewhat, even an older bird. Maybe not to the point of being a velcro bird but still tame(er). My tamest bird is a pet store parent raised bird. I adopted him almost 3 years ago and I know his former owner. She said he was always tame. The other two were purchased from a great breeder and were hand fed. They are also tame but all three of them did take time getting used to a new home and to a new momma.

[mandy]

The bird is here! And it is exploring every nook and cranny of its cage. I'll put its oic as soon as i can.

[LauraO]

You can develop some sort of relationship with most birds though it may not be what we invisioned. I'm of the mind that MOST petstores are birdy concentration camps and a totally loveable tame lovie will become a wild banshee bird within days or weeks. I know I'd have a major freakout if someone dropped me off in some strange place where kids like to scream and bang on my glass/cage, people talking a looking at me, dogs barking, and let's not even mention all the grabbing out of the cage so people can manhandle me:eek: :eek: .

[ffemtb-pa]

Maybe I'm an exception- I adopted our peach face from a pet store. She appeared to be in very good health when we got her. She was a little shy at first, but after about 5 hours she was more than happy to come out and explore. I believe she was about 6 months when we got her. I never had any problems with her fearing us, and to this day my hand is very much welcome in her cage at any time (unless I am putting food in her dish, then she wants to bite me!!). She is, I guess a "velcro" bird! I've read alot of horror stories about "pet store" birds, but our bird is just so pleasant all the time! She's gotta be about a year and a few months old now, and still no drastic behaviour changes (been a little possessive lately, but no bites, just some screams, I assume from the springtime). So, there is hope, just gotta be really attentive, and pay lots of attention!

[mandy]

Unfortunately, from where I am from, most petshops are really bad places to source a bird. Even the cleanest petshop i visited had sick birds. Anyway, I used to work with street children, from them i learned that we need to rescue the kids within the first 3 days, otherwise the task of helping them becomes immensely more difficult. I gues it is similar to pet birds, if you have to get one from the petshop, try to get it to your home as soon as possible.

[parasiteeve9]

i got my bird's wings clipped and it seems to have made him less nippy.:blush: today i got him to sit on my finger.the picture next to my name is from today when he was sitting on my finger.i got his wings clipped yesterday.:D

[mandy]

Very nice bird. What color mutation is she? Congrats on a new pet and best of luck in rearing it.

[parasiteeve9]

hi

he is a peach faced pied i think thats what they call that color his body is yellow with a little green and blue mixed in.:blush: :grouphug1

[Z28Taxman]

hi

he is a peach faced pied i think thats what they call that color his body is yellow with a little green and blue mixed in.:blush: :grouphug1


He looks a lot like my Dittobird!:cool:

[mandy]

Cool! I would have wanted a pied bird and I planned to name it Piper... until I realised there is already a piper somewhere in the US.... oh well... but good thing because I'm so happy with Biscuit now