I don't know if this is worse than biting.

[danielle]

I've had my two love birds for about two weeks and they are amazing, they both eat broccoli and pellets and anything else i put in the cage. The love baths and come right to the front of the cage whenever I come in the room, Jack will chirp to me while I talk to him, but they won't come out of the cage. They are fine but when I open the cage they wont come out, if I reach in they crawl into a corner and I feel so bad I take my hand out. I tried to stick a perch in to get them to step up but they are scared of that too. Does anyone have any suggestions? I really appreciate it.

[alwaysodile]

I'm not an expert but I'd MUCH rather have a bird that was wary of me to begin with rather than a biter. I'm sure with gentle persistance and affection your two lovies will come around. :)

And as I keep telling myself, lovies have rather long lifespans. There's no need to hurry anything.

I'm sure some of the wiser members of this forum will soon be here to offer their advice. :) This is indeed a great place.

[Tango's_Mom]

I would just wait until they decide to come out on their own, you will gain much more by going at their pace than trying to take them out by force.

[Flapjack]

You can believe me when I say... this is NOT worse than biting! LOL. I handfed my Jack from 2 wks old, and boy was I suprised when he turned into a biter. He is much better now and is about 4 1/2 months old. I would suggest just leaving the door open and doing something in the room, rather than just sitting quietly watching them. Don't make sudden noises or anything, but they are extremely curious, especially about paper, it seems. If Jack goes somewhere I'd rather he wasn't, and I can't reach him, I start playing with a piece of paper and he comes flying onto it, then I can pick him up. Your birds may feel nervous if you are staring at them and not moving much- like a cat maybe?? Just ignore them but play with something interesting. See what happens. It'll take time, too, so be patient. Congratulations on your new babies!

[michael]

Wonder if they might come out to take a bath. Or maybe a little treat just to get one of them to venture out. I'm sure one of them is braver than the other. Which one do you think may take the first risk?......Michael and Goofy

[Ilovelovies]

Curiousity will eventually get the best of them. There's one thing about lovebirds though, they call the shot's:lol . I agree with Flapjack, open the door and act like your not paying attention to them and it may take them a little while, but they'll get braver with time:)

Sharon

[Ducky]

Your lovies are obviously very interested in you, and have learned that you bring good things. That is a GREAT first step!:D I don't have a lot of experience taming lovies, as mine was handfed when I got him, but I know that interest=good.

Really you're doing awesome though! As Michael suggested, I'd start with luring them out with things they want. Course with mine, everything I don't want him to want he wants! :rolleyes:

Also, once they do get used to coming out and such, you might try clipping wings if it becomes obvious it's less of a fear issue and more of a dominance one. A lot of people say that this helps them calm right down. When I got mine he'd been fledged for a couple of weeks and decided once I got him out that he'd rather not be on this big ol' stranger. SO he proceeded to fly straight into a window. :omg: Wing clip, which resulted in a couple nasty bites (you'll learn;) ), and put him away for some calming down. He quickly decided that coming out on me wasn't so bad after all. After that it was all about building trust.:happy:

[danielle]

Thanks, I going to try maybe placing some treats out. I appreciate all of the ideas. I got worried when I read that if they stay in the cage too long that it will cause them to become territorial.
Jack, the fischer, will definately come out first, he does everything first. He tastes the food, takes the bath and is the first one to the front when I talk.

[Janie]

Two weeks and things are going that well!!!!! :D I agree, let them take their time coming out. Yes, I would try a little "luring" too! :D Sounds like they are getting very used to you in a short period of time (two weeks is a VERY short period for adjustment) and my guess is it won't be long till they venture out! :)

[danielle]

Tonight my mother-in-law came over and clipped their wings, I felt horible. they wouldn't come out and they were just shrieking all over the cage and then she grabbed them and did it, now they won't even look at me! I'm scared I just took a step backwards in gaining their trust. Did anyone else have that experience the first time?

[Cathy]

The good news is that your mother-in-law is now the bad person and you won't be associated with the wing clips.

There is also a school of thought that encourages you to catch your bird and bring it out of the cage and hold it closely next to your heart for about 20 minutes: stroking and talking softly, then allowing the bird to get a treat and explore. I might give that a try.

[danielle]

Guess what happened! I left the door open and sat on the desk and Jack come out and then Jill came out . The cage to the desk is only a little hop. They didn't come directly to me, but I left an empty food bowl on the desk next to me and the went right to it, then they sat and watched me. I took a dowel (is that what you call the perch) and Jack stepped up on it. Then i put some nutrberries down for them. It was amazing!

[michael]

OOOH nutriberries, Goofy loves nutriberries. I have to hide em cuz he does multi peeps and slithers back and forth through my hands till he gets one. I'm sure Jack and Jill would have eventually ventured out on their own without the prospect of food but it sure speeds up the process. Maybe now they'll come out and explore their surroundings instead of their treats. I doubt having their wings clipped caused any recession in their behavior as far as bonding with you. The only problem is that they need to realize soon that they can't fly. Sounds like their already far ahead the schedule compared to a few other reluctant lovies and maybe eventually you'll be wondering how to get them back in! JACK AND JILL! GET IN YOUR CAGE ITS PAST MY BEDTIME!.....Goofy and Michael

[LauraO]

Tonight my mother-in-law came over and clipped their wings, I felt horible. they wouldn't come out and they were just shrieking all over the cage and then she grabbed them and did it, now they won't even look at me! I'm scared I just took a step backwards in gaining their trust. Did anyone else have that experience the first time?

The first time? There's a ton of us here who experience this birdy drama every time there's a wing clip. Won Ton, the highlight of my birdy world, acts like you're pulling out his toe nails everytime you clip a flight feather, and he fights the clip like he's fighting for his life8o .

It sounds like you're doing a great job with your lovies. Time, love and patience are a key to any lovies heart.....They are beautiful!

[Gene]

Shame, poor things. I saw that with my very, very tame first lovebird: people came and went "Aww, it's so cute. Can I hold it?" Then they would aggravate him and he wouldn't let me (my hands) get near him. It would take me a week, with lots of coaxing, to get him to be like he was. That's why I now keep my lovebird (new one) away from all people, especially children, because they make them nervous and have no idea how to handle them
Next time, try doing it yourself. Search on the net too, there are lots of wonderful sites that guide you through wing-clipping.
http://www.netpets.org/birds/reference/behavioral/flitrim.html
http://www.lovebirds.co.nz/main/index.php
Good luck, don't lose hope!

[Gene]

Wow, now I sound like a hermit. I meant strangers and all children (as I don't have any of my own). People who know how to handle lovebirds get along fine with Bekkie. :happy:

[Eliza]

The first time? There's a ton of us here who experience this birdy drama every time there's a wing clip. Won Ton, the highlight of my birdy world, acts like you're pulling out his toe nails everytime you clip a flight feather, and he fights the clip like he's fighting for his life8o .



This is EXACTLY why I have Beetle trimmed at Fancy Feathers :lol

-e-