Having A New Lovebird As Pet~Help~

[Dragoncliff]

HI,i just got a new lovebird which i name it 'Hika'. I am new into taking care of bird as pet.

-Hika is still afriad of me,whenever i get my hand close to it,he will move the other direction.Sometime whenever i put my hand into the cage,he will flipped his wing loudly (i clipped his wings already). What can i do?

-Like i say,i am new to pet birds...what type of toys should i get it?

-During at night,i don't no where should so..i put my bird,i put it near the window and cover half of the cage with towel (is that a right thing to do?)

-I want to play with Hika,and i don't wanna stress him out,but sometimes i am too afriad to bring it out.It will always aviod me.And sometimes it chrip loudy,and it always climb around the cages...another thing is that Hika's claw are quite sharp and his beak is quite sharp too..so..i am scard he will bit me.And whenever i tried to put my hands slowly in to touch him,he will always run to the corner...

[Mummieeva]

Welcome to the world of being owed by a lovebird. It will take some time to get Hika use to you. So be patient. One thing to do is to call,whistle,and chirp back at him when you are awake. Sit next to the cage and talk to him also. If possible eat dinner next to his cage. If you have a bird safe room you can let him out. Just open the cage and let him come out if he wishes. I am not to much in favor of sticking hand in to remove them if they are scared. Doing that normaly can earn you alot of bites. Your birds cage should be away from drafts. The choice of covering bird is up to you and bird both. If there are lights on at night in room bird is in the cover cage for sure. Just do like you have been and cover half the cage. If the room is dark all the time til morning you might be able to not cover the cage. Lovebirds like many diffrent toys. Swings and wooden toys they can chew to pieces are a few. I wish you and your bird great luck in becoming fast friends.

[Janie]

Hi and welcome!

Please read through the Lovebird Resource Library and the "Behavior & Taming" section of the forum. You'll find great advice and information regarding pet bird care and taming. The "Search" engine on this forum is another great resource. You can find tons of threads about toys if you'll type "toys" in the search box. :)

[Dragoncliff]

But i do have another problem too,i don't really mind talking to Hika.But i am still a student,so sometimes when i come back from school,i will get tired and sleep from the afternoon till night,let say about 2pm-9pm.And Hika will mostly get tired during at night.But i usually talk to him for half an hour before going to sleep or change his water.

[dani]

I have that school problem too:(
Do you get morning time with Hika? I find that they enjoy a little interaction on mornings when they are all bright and energetic.

[Dragoncliff]

Oh...then maybe i should do that,but Hika doesn't chirp often,is it that it is afriad of me still? He do Chirp sometimes but he chirp too loud sometimes whenever he is climbing.

Ok...i let out Hika today (to clean the cage),and let him walk around,but he seem like to go inside dark places,and i have my brother to help me.Whenever i get near him,he will hop here and there,and i try to catch him with a towel and pat him,to show him that he doesn't have to fear me,but it's uselss in the end and he is very SCARED of hands.How can i do to make him not to be scared ?if i moved my hand slowly to him,he will hop to the other side.And i notice something today,he keep picking his feather,and once he keep putting in and out his tongue,he seem like to play with his tongue.And he seem to pick/play at the top cage with his beak,climbing around the cage,almost everyday.

How long does it take to train one lovebird who is very scared?I think before i brought him,he has been grap by people hands everytime,i can understand that and i will give him more time,and i'll try to keep him company.

[Janie]

How long? It varies from one lovebird to another. If you'll read the "Behavior & Taming" section of the forum, you'll find a whole lot of good advice on how to begin the taming process. Does your lovebird have a wing clip? That is the first thing I would recommend for a new lovie in a new home. Until the last few months I did not clip their wings myself but instead had their avian vet do it until I felt completely comfortable that I could do it. It's important that after a wing clip your bird doesn't "thump" to the ground but will glide down instead.

My last two lovies were hand-fed and tame when I got them at 9 weeks old but it still took several weeks for them to gain trust in me. They trusted their breeder and her family but I was a perfect stranger to them. I took them separately and also together into a small bathroom and worked with them for about 15 minutes, mainly on the "step-up" command, 4 times a day for at least two weeks. If they'd been fully flighted, it would have taken 10 times longer, I'm sure.

I know that you are anxious and want a lovie who will cuddle with you immediately but that is rarely the way it goes. My favorite lovebird book, Vera Appleyard's "The Lovebird Handbook" suggest that taming can take up to six months or longer. Patience is key!

[dani]

My Haku has been with me for 6 months and in many ways he is still very shy and uncertain. He's made alot of progress, and he trusts me alot more, but by nature he is still a cautious bird. I am willing to just keep trying with him, and I know that time and patience and effort will earn his trust eventually, but I also know that not all birds are affectionate physically, so I don't have any unreasonable expectations of my wee birdie. Just get to know Hika slowly and consistently, and he will eventually show more and more curiousity and interest toward you, and will begin to take comfort in your presence.

[Mydoona]

I have had my lovebird for only two weeks but am already making some little progress.
She will take seeds from my hand but still tries to bite my fingers if I have no seed or put my hand in the cage.
she doesn't shy away from me tho and will come right up to me to bite me.
I make kissy noises and she comes over and looks at me and wants to bite my lips.
I am hpoing to get her to love me before I let her out of the cage as I fear if I let her out while she is biting me..I will never get her back in the cage.:2cents: