Training 3 month old lovebird - not hand fed

[Sunshine&Nimbus97]

Hi all!

I recently moved to California with my 11 year old Lutino lovebird, Sunshine, who I've had since I was twelve. Her mate, Rainbow, sadly passed away last year, and I wanted to get her a friend; I'm in grad school and my boyfriend works all day, so I was worried about her getting lonely.

About 3 weeks ago, I purchased an adorable blue opaline Fischer's lovebird named Nimbus, and to my pleasant surprise, the two of them get along well! They cuddle all the time. They sometimes squabble, but I bought a cage with a divider so I can separate them if necessary.

Anyway, I'm looking for advice on training my new bird. He's super comfortable with Sunshine but kinda scared of my boyfriend and I. Unfortunately, Nimbus was not hand fed as a baby, so he's afraid of getting too close to people in general--the total opposite from Sunshine, who was hand raised and is obsessed with sitting on people. (Note that we can approach him while he's in the cage and talk to him etc., and we let him explore the house. He's really intelligent and curious, always figuring out how to escape his cage!)

I'm worried I introduced my new bird to my other bird too hastily. Since they bonded (and he's a baby), how can I bond with him separately? Honestly, I knew I should've given it a week to bond with Nimbus before introducing him to Sunshine but they were really interested in each other, and i jumped the gun.

Here's how I've been training Nimbus so far:
I take him into my bedroom room for training sessions so he's not distracted by my other bird. I hand feed him millet to reinforce him being near me. Nevertheless, he's absolutely terrified of my hands. If I get too close he flies away. A couple times, I made the mistake of picking him up despite him running away, thinking that (like Sunshine) he would get used to being close to me, but he was afraid. I was able to put him on my head, and he was totally fine sitting up there for like 30 minutes as I walked around the house. I've tried the step up command but not luck. Also, I like to have Nimbus out in my bedroom while I do homework and talk to him, so he gets used to me. Nonetheless, he never really approaches me on my own. A few times I was able to lie on the floor and inch my way up to him slowly. I've also found it helpful to take him into the bathroom for training because it's a smaller and darker room.

I know it's only been a few weeks, so I guess he's still getting used to everything. I just don't wanna miss out on a critical period in training him. Would it make sense to separate my birds until he is more comfortable with me? Or would that feel punishing to both of them?

So yeah, TLDR: Might have introduced my baby bird to my old bird too quickly and now having trouble taming him. He's totally afraid of my hands and I'm not sure how to proceed with training. Thank you for reading!

[linda040899]

Hi and welcome to Lovebirds Plus Community and congratulations on you new Lovebird!

It's good that Sunshine and Nimbus at least get along, as sometimes it just doesn't work that way. To get Nimbus used to being near/around you is going to take time. First off, he's in a completely strange environment and birds are prey animals. He has to learn by experience that you don't intend to make him your next meal!! You need to be patient and let him come to you. Many parrots do not like human hands. They see them as pure EVIL!!! They might step up or hop up onto a closed fist or and arm but those fingers are just not acceptable. I've had Lovebirds that will eventually accept my hands but many just will not. There's nothing you can do to change that unless Nimbus wants to change it. Your head is a very high perch so he feels safe.

Bathrooms make excellent training locations. There's only so far they can go. During training sessions, use instant treats to reward behavior you want. Only treat/offer praise for what you want, nothing for behavior you don't want. Try using a perch to teach step ups and always use the command so Nimbus knows what you expect him to do. Perches/dowels are usually easily accepted, as they pose no threats.

If you would like to share some pictures, you will need to upload the photos to an online storage site such as Imgur and then copy/paste the image URL here. We would love to see what Sunshine and Nimbus look like!

[Sunshine&Nimbus97]

Hi Linda,

So much for your kind response! It's nice to know that I'm on the right track. I'll keep taking Nimbus into the bathroom for training.

Here are some pictures of my birds

https://imgur.com/a/2Hu6VYo

https://imgur.com/8Vd2MJj

https://imgur.com/a/MHW1nIf

[linda040899]

They are absolutely stunning! Sunshine is a Peachfaced Lutino and Nimbus appears to be a Blue Fischer's Lovebird (eye-ring species) so its good that there's an age difference so Sunshine will probably view Nimbus as a companion rather than a mate for breeding. Lovebirds are very social and most like the companionship of another lovebird. While they love their human slaves, humans can't be with them 24/7 and many pairs are equally friendly with their owners. I will always have a lovebird in my life!

[Sunshine&Nimbus97]

Thank you!! Yes, they're so adorable

It's funny you mention mating vs friendship. In the beginning, Sunshine was very interested in mating (she would extend her wings and do that sort of mating dance she did with her previous mate). I'd separate them when she did this, and after a few days of Nimbus being totally oblivious to her advances (since he's just a baby), she stopped. They mainly just cuddle and preen each other now. Interestingly, though, I've noticed that she's sometimes regurgitates to him, as if she were his mom! Definitely a weird dynamic, haha.

My main concern right now is that sometimes Sunshine seems to over-preen Nimbus, to the point that Nimbus will complain and they'll fight a bit. I've heard of females over-preening their babies before (happened to a friend of mine), and i don't necessarily see any feather loss on Nimbus, but I'm still a little concerned. I don't want it to progress. Sunshine also plucks her feathers out, which I'm assuming is because she's sexually frustrated/eager to nest. Even before we got Nimbus, she was extremely territorial when she wanted to nest and would pluck her feathers sometimes. My mom made the mistake of getting her a snuggle sack, and I had to remove it because she was so obsessed with it and was getting nippy. Now, I basically just give her toys and paper to shred, which she seems to enjoy. I'm trying to find the balance between satiating her desire to nest and not actively promoting nesting (and territorial) behavior.

Anyway, does anyone have any suggestions for what to do when one lovebird appears to be pulling its companion's feathers out? I should mention that Nimbus gets annoyed, so I separate them (my cage has a divider). But a few seconds later, he tries to go back to snuggling with her anyway!

Thanks for the advice

[linda040899]

The fact that Sunshine is a sexually mature hen and Nimbus is a very young male could become problematic. Nimbus cannot satisfy Sunshine in her sexual needs yet simply because he is not sexually mature. Give him 3-4 months and that will change. In the meantime, keeping Nimbus safe is the goal. Is there any particular area of Nimbus that Sunshine seems to overpreen? Areas you don't want to see this happen are the back of the head and around the face. If squabbling escalates between 2 lovebirds, the dominant one is perfectly capable of killing the submissive one by simply severely injuring the back of the head. It gets very bloody and the submissive bird just lets it happen. I've seen this a couple of times with my own flock and I had a couple of birds killed, mostly at night. The fastest way to break up a squabble is to use a water bottle with the nozzle set on "stream." The force of the water gets the message across instantly that what's going on is not acceptable and all the birds do is get wet, not hurt. I have a spray bottle of water on hand all the time and it's just dedicated to my parrots.

When you see Sunshine feed Nimbus, she is showing him affection and also considers him to be a baby. She definitely likes him. Giving her lots of stuff to shred will keep her happy and busy!