training techniques?

[#1ThaiBoxer]

I have a lovebird around 5-7 weeks old. It is wild. The breeder didnt have time to tame them so he sold them for cheaper. They eat on their own but the breeder did not syringe feed them from when they were young. I have had the bird for about 5 days. Everytime I stick my hand in the cage, it will run away and avoid me. It doesnt seem to want to have anything to do with me. Any advice on what to do?

[DebSpace]

Hello and welcome! You have come to the right place. There are a variety of books and magazines on the subject (good in their own right), but this board combines information, experience and support that make it by far the best resource for lovebirds available. What you have is actually quite common. The best place to begin is the Lovebird Resource Library, third item down on the Lovebirds Plus Community page. It can take months of calm, patient persuasion to gain the trust of a lovebird. They are intelligent creatures with distinct personalities, so trust just doesn't come naturally to them. Even the hand-fed-from-the-breeder bird is very likely to react the same way you would if someone carried you off in a box to a strange place with new sights, sounds and somebody staring between the bars at you speaking a foreign language. Given time and consistent patience, the rewards of lovebird ownership are priceless. Respect their cage as their territory, coaxing them out with millet, teach them the "Step Up" command and just talk and/or sing to them each day. They will warm up to you, but it does take time and persistence. ;) ;) ;)

[#1ThaiBoxer]

ok today I tried to get to him. First couple times, he avoided me completely going crazy. Later at night, he is not as crazy. Maybe he is tired or something. I tried to handle him but he wouldnt let me. He doesnt nomally bite but then he was very still. I stuck my hand very close to his mouth and he bit me. It was HARD. I pulled away. I did it again about 3 more times and he bit but this time, I didnt pull back. It really hurt. He bites hard. He isnt quick to bite. He only bites when I put my finger right by his mouth and I leave it there for awhile. I came back with a stick and did the same thing. He jumped onto it! I was delighted and I let him down. A couple more times and he jumped on the stick when I ut it in front of his mouth. But he still wont let me handle him with my hands, only with stick. I thought that was enough for today. How is my progress? He lets me hold him on the stick and move him around. I have not however, brought him out when he was on the stick. When should itbe okay for me to bring him out perched onto my stick?

[mandy]

Hi! I agree with Deb... being consistent is the key. My Biscuit was 8 weeks old when i got her. She was parent raised and shreiked everytime i went near her cage... i experimented by allowing her to step out of her cage by herself and basically just let her get used to my presence... currently (after about 6 months of patience and a lot of tips from this forum) she is becoming a velco bird :D

[Janie]

You need to give your bird a lot of time to adjust and stop rushing him. If he bites when you stick your finger up to his beak, don't stick your finger there. Obviously it is something that he's very uncomfortable with and you need to build a trust with him first. Mandy said six months and that is good to keep in mind. Some lovies adjust much, much faster than others and it is hard to be patient and let them do things on their time but if you don't, you'll do more harm than good in building a trusting relationship with your bird.

Read back through the pages and pages of the behavior and taming threads. Very good tips and information there.

[#1ThaiBoxer]

he actually doenst bite. he only bites if I stick my finger like 2 inches in front of his face. I need to leave it there for like 30-40 seconds. He stares at it like "what is that?" Then he bites the finger after staring at it for a long time. Anything else, he will not bite me.

[sdgilley]

Hi,
Please give your lovebird time to get used to you. His cage is his territory and by sticking your hand in there, you are invading his territory. You may be encouraging him to bite - and they can draw blood when they get good at it.

You should let your bird come out to you, don't go after him. Take him into a quiet room (inside his cage) and sit quietly talking to him. Open his door and if he comes out - let him explore you. If he doesn't come out, don't be discouraged - this take s time. Make sure that windows and mirrors are covered to avoid him going for them and hurting himself. If you have other animals (dogs, cats) keep them out.

Lovebirds are wild animals. It takes time to build up trust with them. If you constantly violate the trust (like grabbing him out of his cage) then you will have a longer road and may create a more determined biter.

I have a very dedicated hand biter. I made things worse by pulling him out of his cage early on. He's a pretty green masked at 3+ years old, and I adore him. BUT he hates hands. If I'm not careful, he'll bite my face, and he draws blood.

Also, lovies need 10-12 hours of sleep every night. This is preferably quiet and dark. I put my lovies in my bedroom at night and cover them. It's very important that they have that time to rest. I only mention this because you said he's less excitable at night. Your lovie sounds like he's still a baby. That makes it even more important that he get his rest.

Good luck.

[Mummieeva]

I will second it takes a long time to build trust with lovebirds. Personally if bird is not reacting well to you sticking hand in cage I would stop. I allow my birds to come out on own unless emergency. It can cause more harm then good. The cage is their home and they need to feel safe in it. Everyone needs a safe spot birds included. Just realize it takes time and patience but it is so very much worth all of it.




Steph

[#1ThaiBoxer]

ok. But if I leave it be, do you think it will never come out? He is completely wild and never handfed ever. O, and my bird is about 6-8 weeks I think.

[LauraO]

I don't think anyone is telling you to leave your bird alone. They are telling you to step back and take things slow, meaning no sticking your hands in the cage or in the birds face. This is a very slow process that cannot even begin until you give the bird some room to relax. The best thing to do is to start off by sitting close to the cage and talking to the bird. You can also read to the bird or generally just make it a part of your life. You have to do this several times a day every single day. You also need to read through the behavior and taming section as there are tons of posts with these same questions and how different people have dealt with them.

I'm wondering how big your bird cage is and how many toys are in it? A lovebird needs a big cage to flap around and a lot of toys to play with as this stimulates them and keeps them busy. Most petstores around the island carry bird toys. I'm also wondering if your bird's wings are clipped?

Good luck and keep us informed on how things are going and what you are doing:) .

[#1ThaiBoxer]

I have about 3 toys I rotate around. The cage is 16 width by 24 length. The wings were clipped but i suspect they have grown back a bit enough for it to catch some air time. he can jump then flap his wings and gain like up to a foot in height. I bought him a happy hut to sleep in today but he just bit it then stuck his butt at it and slapped it with his tail a couple times and flew back onto his favorite spot-the top diagonal perch. that was kinda funny. I talked to the breeder I got him from and he told me this-grab him out of his cage and play with him so he can get used to my hands. I'm thinking my bird will just run all over my house when I lose control of him and this would probably scare the bird. He tells me since its wild, I should get it used to me before it gets older. My friend did this and it worked, it just hops onto his hand now but he had a gentler, calmer bird to begin with anyways. THe advice sounds completely against what everyone here has told me.

[Janie]

I don't think your breeder is giving you good information. Sounds like he/she is in the business of breeding and selling birds with no thought or concern for the bird after it's sold. All birds are different and have different personalities and while one might not mind being grabbed, another one would mind so much that you'll ruin any trust you're trying to build and have to start over. It could add months to your taming schedule. There are plenty of breeders on this forum and I don't think a single one would agree with the advice your breeder has given you.

I think your cage is too small and more toys would be nice. The wing clip sounds right, getting a foot of height is good. You don't want your bird to be clipped to the point of no lift or flight.

[#1ThaiBoxer]

today, I decided to let him come out of the cage on his own. He flew right out and ran from me. I had to chase him around the house as he crawled through every some spaces and under the bed. I got him back and was forced to grab him since he still wanted to run away. I put him back in the cage and realized he was VERy dirty. I decided to give hima shower. So I reached in and slowly got him out. I didnt outright grab him out but had to follow him around in the cage to get him out. He hopped on my palm and I secured him by cupping my other hand on top of him. I held him close to my chest and he calmed. We sat down for about ten minutes and he was calm. He didnt try to run anymore. I turned out the water and put his face right by it. He stuck his face under the running water to clean his nose which got dirty. I wet my hand and he let me run it across his body to clean him. After, he ate a banana from my hand and also ate some of his food out of my hand. An hour passed and he was very calm afterwards. He wanted to stay on my hand and didnt want to go back in the cage until I gently placed him back onto his favorite perch. I was a little worried that today was a bit much for him.