newbie need advice

[Islandbirdies]

Hi everyone I'm new to Lovebird "parenting" and need some advice. I have 4 budgies so am not new to bird care but would like some help with my little lovie Lola. I've have had her for 9 day's now and am totaly in love, she's pretty well adjusted and comes out of her cage on stick but is totally skittish of hands, she's happy on my shoulder and cuddling under a towel on my back/neck after a spray bottle bath, soo cute, she will also eat spray millet from my hand if it's not to close,but please any advice on helping her fear of hands would be great.thanks.

[Ilovelovies]

Hello, and welcome! I wish i could give you some advice, but i have the same issue with 2 of my lovies. Like yours, they climb all over me from head to toe, but they have some kind of phobia about bare skin and hands:lol . From what iv'e read on here, some lovies will always be skittish of hands:( . Hopefully once Lola gets settled in, she'll come around and then you can give me some pointers:lol

Sharon

[butterfly1061]

Some lovies are afraid of hands and some will never like them. I have one biter who isn't greatly fond of hands, but she tolorates them. It will take time and patience for your lovebird to come to trust your hands and know they will not harm them. Try feeding your lovie some millet in your hand and see how far she/he will step onto your hand for it. I did this with one of lovebirds, but it took time and lots of PATIENCE. :2cents:

[Lindades264]

Hi, one of my lovebirds is this way as well. I find if I spend alot of time with him, away from the others, he is good at the step up command. But if I leave him too long and do not spend time with him alone he becomes shy again. He will not stay on my hand and hops up to my shoulder. I find it just takes practice and patience. I got him when he was 1 years old, and when he was just over 3 he started the step up. He is now 4 years old. Today I had him in the bedroom and we were practicing it once again. I just keep reinforcing it. Good Luck.

[Tango's_Mom]

Sounds like you have made excellent progress, It took me well over a month for me to get Tango to come to me on his own, even longer for me to be able to take him out with a stick. He also really didn't like hands, it took me a full 6 months to get him to step onto a finger for the first time, and another month or so for him to do it whenever I asked and to actually stay on it for mor than a second when I got him out, or for him to let me pet him or give him a beak rub, now he jumps right onto my finger or hand, he loves to get scritches around his neck, and beak rubs, he'll let me pick him up and hold him, and he likes to wiggle under my hand if it's on the desk and rub his beak against my fingers, so there is plenty of hope for Lola to accept your hands, it will take time and patience. You have to make sure that your hands aren't scary, that means avoiding grabbing her (exceptions being in an emergency or unsafe situation etc.), or startling her with your hands. If you allow her to see that your hands are not threatening, she may come around, I always made sure that when I was around Tango and had him out, that my hands were doing something near him, or at least visible, but not in anyway directed at him, so I was either, changing his bowls or paper, typing, reading, something, he always got to see my hands, but they never bothered him. Once he was less afraid of them, (basically he ignored them, as long as they left him alone) I would feed him from my fingers, millet is great, you can gradually use smaller pieces as she gets more comfortable. Once Tango no longer seemed bothered by hands, I held my finger up for him one day and gave him the step up command (he already new it from the stick), and just pressed my finger against his tummy, and up he went. Once he mastered the step up on a finger, he became much more confident around my hands.

So don't worry too much if she doesn't like hands right now, it's something that comes over time. I can be done, but you will need alot of patience, and some time, and you're probably gonna need to be willing to take a few bites.

[Islandbirdies]

Thank you everyone. Tango's Mom (great name by the way I have my first budgie's name is Tango so I'm a "Tango's mom" too) that was lots of good advice I'll be patient and try it out, I'll keep everyone posted especially if I find any helpful techniques.

[Sweetpeaches]

hi,
my lovie peaches is also skiddish of my hands too. i got her about a month ago when she was 5 mos old. within the first 2 weeks she did the step up command, and she loves sitting on my finger or shoulder and even enjoys a "chin" rub, but still does not like to be "petted" by my hand. she's just now starting to come out of her cage and hop over to where i'm sitting on the couch (cage sits next to couch) i so want to pet her but we'll have to wait till she's ready....so again patience is everything. but even if she never gets that comfortable i love her anyway! good luck!:)