New Owner - Thread #billion

[Hofstadter]

Boo.

Just making this thread because I just want to know if I'm taking care of them right. They seem to be happy, occasionally i hear one do that beak grindy thing.

Fah. Backround info. Two lovebirds, male and female. Tolstoy and Tetya. I got them last Wednesday, so I've had them for about 5 days. They are located in my living room, just behind my chair, where I pretty much always am, so they are close to always exposed to me. They have a seed diet...currently. I slipped a bit of apple in their cage to see if they wanted it, put it on the plastic part of the seed bit but they just knocked it of...probably should put another piece in there today.

Anyway. I dont mind if they dont bond heavily to me, but it would be nice to have them on my shoulder occasionally. They have started eating millet out of my hand, I can get abooout, an inch and a half away with a finger before they edge away on their perch. I'm probably going to get their wings clipped when my moms friend comes down, not sure when, just to make them a bit less...spazzy.

I love these little guys already, but we had a small incident this morning. Nothing serious, I just opened the larger door of the cage to get that bit of apple out. And Tetya flew out. Shes fine, she fluttered against the window, and I managed to catch her and put her in her cage. Which is kinda the catalyst for making this thread, because I thought I was doing everything right. Theres probably a bunch of info I'm missing here, and if there is, please ask, I've debated getting birds for years, and now that I do, I really want them to be happy healthy little buggers.

Thanks for reading

-Hofstadter

 

[DallyTsuka]

well, for diet, i'd also add in more than just apples.

ideally, small parrots like lovebirds should have seed in the diet, along with about 20-30% of pellets, up to 50% but no more. and fresh veggies and some fruit. fruit is mostly sugar anyways and veggies are healthier. try serving veggies in different ways as well.

this forum has some great recipe threads, as well as threads listing safe fruits and veggies to try.

for taming, a method i personally like is one i used for me own lovebirds. i have it posted as a sticky on a couple other forums, but i wrote it.

here it is:

Birds are a lot like people in the way that they have different personalities. Some are bold and playful, others are shy and timid, while even some others are aggressive and finicky. Most taming guides are directed at the "average" bird. The taming guides are really good for the most part, but there are certain birds who need to be approached differently.




Positive reinforcement is noted to be one of the best ways to tame birds and many other animals. It uses good and positive rewards to show the animal what you want and like. Birds respond very well to this, and this has made it one of the most popular ways to tame a bird.




However taming is not always one size fits all. There are different ways to deal with a shy or aggressive bird. This guide focuses on those types of birds.
The main message of this guide is "mutual agreement" where you look at your bird's likes and dislikes and know where their limits are and you set a neutral ground with them.




First I will discuss aggressive birds.

First you must look at what your bird is aggressive about. Many are cage aggressive. Working with a cage aggressive bird when trying to tame it can be very difficult, and a lot more work than an average bird. Many owners get frustrated and either give up on taming or they get rid of the bird. Very few stick it out and keep trying.





The main idea with a cage aggressive bird is that their cage is their home, they do not usually want you dealing with anything in their cage. In or near it. They may bite or lunge at you or even chase you if you do not respect their space. This can make feeding and watering and cleaning a hazardous task.





How do you deal with these birds? First, look at the cage, is there something particular in the cage that they are protecting? If so if it possible to remove it, then do so. If not, then it is up to you to avoid this situation. The bird has a good chance of becoming more and more aggressive each time you invade its space, which can create worse future problems.





So, how do you get the bird out of the cage if it will not step up or will not stop attacking your hand? Easy! You let the bird come out of the cage on its own. Just leave the cage door open and do not reach into the cage for the bird. Respect the birds cage as ITS space, not YOURS. If the bird is clipped, you might have to escort the bird to its playgym if the playgym is not within climbing or jump reach of the bird's cage. To do this, simply towel the bird gently and carry it over to the playgym, and then leave it alone for a bit. Let the bird enjoy its time out. After the bird has had time to calm down, you may try step up training. If the bird is not aggressive on the playgym, this is an easier job and regular training can take place on the playgym.





However, if the bird is not willing to come near you with your hand nearby or attacks you still, simply sit where the bird can reach you, but simply read a book or do something that does NOT involve the bird. Place a sprig of spray millet, or another favourite treat where the bird can easily climb to reach, but placed close to you. So if you are sitting on a desk with the bird's playgym on top, sit a few feet away with the treat a few inches from your arm. Let the bird come to you, do not look at the bird right away if the bird comes to you for the spray millet. This will teach the bird that they can trust you and can go to you and you are not a threat. Let them come to you on their terms. Over time, eventually work on holding the treat so that the bird will step up onto your hand.





What is different about this method from regular taming of holding a treat in the hand for the bird? You are not forcing the millet upon the bird, you are letting them set the pace and go to you on their own terms. You have learned to respect the bird's cage space and its own personal boundaries, the bird will feel more comfortable around you and in time will learn to accept you. The cage aggression likely will not stop, but with the mutual respect of space (owner stays out of cage and owner does not get bit, thats the "mutual agreement here") will help with the bird staying more calm when you DO need to go into the cage to feed, water, clean, and service toys. They learn to trust you as they see that you do respect their space and they will relax more around you and not feel as threatened.





Skittish birds are often timid, flighty, nervous, and scared. These birds tend to adapt much slowly compared to other birds and tend to like familiarity, so frequent cage set up changes may spook them. These birds may take months to fully settle in to a new home, or even into a new cage. These differ from untame birds in the way that they tend to be even slower at adapting and are slow to trust and seem to be scared of nearly everything.




For skittish birds, the method is VERY much the same, only some things are done differently for different reasons. Never towel a skittish bird to bring it out of the cage, this will only frighten them more. Toweling should only be used for medical reasons or with an aggressive clipped bird who needs to be transported from point A to B. A bird can be trained to associate the towel with playtime (positive reinforcement) but this can prove too stressful on a skittish bird.




Never invade a skittish bird's cage. This is their safe haven, the place they should feel comfortable and relaxed. Placing your hands in the cage will frighten the bird and feed their insecurity. For these birds, if they seem really nervous at first, you can cover a corner of the cage, blocking your view of them and their view of you. This is somewhere they can retreat to when they feel scared or overwhelmed.




Allow them to come out of their cage on their own. Quietly sit by and read a book or something similar and just leave the cage door open. Never reach for a timid bird unless absolutely necessary (emergencies, medicating, etc) as they may feel threatened by a "predator" and it may cause them to be even more fearful.




Forcing treats on them as well may not work because they are scared of the hands that hold them. These birds need to be left to come to you on their own as well, just like the aggressive birds. The method is the same, only you want the treat placed farther away from you at the start than you would with an aggressive bird. Over a slow period of time as the bird gets more comfortable, you may move the treat an inch closer to you, until you can hold the treat with your hand open flat on the table. The "mutual agreement" here is that you respect the bird's need for security and space and you will gain a more confident bird in time.




Let me state something with this taming guide. These birds can be worked with FLIGHTED. I have actually found these birds tend to benefit more from being flighted and I have had better results with them being flighted than I have had clipped. However, the aggressive bird might be better attitude wise clipped after taming should the bird attack you, but if the bird does not attack you it is fine to leave the bird flighted if you wish.




I highly recommend the skittish birds to be flighted rather than clipped. Clipping may help a bird rely on you to get around, but it can downright scare a timid bird and cause regression in their trust in you rather than progression. Flighted timid birds also tend to have a confidence boost and will be more willing to approach you as they can get away easier if they feel the need to. Never force a skittish bird to do something it does not want to. This damages their trust in their owners. If the bird wants to fly off and get away from you, let it do so freely. It will see you will not stop it if it wants to get away.


The treat does not have to be food. It can be a favourite toy or some other thing that they really like. I have used this method for my lovebirds. My male is super shy and timid and has been the hardest to work with in terms of earning his trust, but our female is aggressive and it has been a long but well-worth-it road to having her trust

 

[Hofstadter]

Well neither of them are that territorial of their cage. I can put my hand right up in there with millet and they gladly eat it.

Also I did something nifty. I dunno if its good, so, let me know what you think

Theres a little toy wooden ladder for them. I held it in one hand. The millet on the edge of it. And held it up.

Tetya stepped on the ladder, and as soon as she did, i said step up. I moved the ladder around inside the cage a little, she sat there chomping on the millet for 10 second before fluttering off.

Is this a good sign, or kinda pointless.

Thank you guys so much for any advice <3

 

[DallyTsuka]

actually, perch taming her is a good first step. have them get more comfortable stepping up onto a perch, and slowly make that perch shorter until it is just your hands

the point of the post i sent above is basically to tame them at their pace, i find the best bond is made when you earn their trust, not force their trust

 

[Hofstadter]

Yeah thats understandable.

My family also breeds dogs, so the adjustment to a birds timetable is causing me a whole heap of distress and uncertainty :/

Edit: maybe stress is a bad word. Its just weird. The breed of dog we have is basically an instalove dog

 

[Hofstadter]

Tetya flew away.

She got through this crack in the window in the puppy room. I was putting in a toy I just cleaned.

Thing is, my moms friend clipped her wings. She said shes done it before, I saw her do it. But clearly she ***ked it up.

 

[DallyTsuka]

i am terribly sorry to hear she flew away, but dont give up, you still have the chance to find her!! put up lost posters and leave a cage outside with her food and water, she may come back for it if she is in the area.


even with clipped wings, birds can still fly away, so escape outside can still be a risk the lady very well could have trimmed your birds wings correctly, but birds still fly with clipped wings. the point of a clip is to let the bird glide safely to the ground, not drop like a rock. plus, lovebirds get some good lift even clipped. i wouldnt put the blame on the lady it was a misfortunate accident, but you can still have hope!

even play recordings of lovebirds out your window, it may lure her back. also, securely put your other lovebird in the cage and bring the cage out for a walk and try to find her that way too.

 

[Hofstadter]

We gave up. We put the cage outside and let him call. She kept on replying for like an hour. But she never came back.

Its been about 6 hours now. I don't think she is coming back. I'm a bit worried about Tolstoy. I think he will be okay. And i think I heard him beak grinding earlier, I offered a bit of millet and he took a bite. So...im not sure how hes coping. They've only been together for just over a week. Is there anything I should do. I cant buy another bird because of funds.

Thanks

 

[SoCalWendy]

We gave up. We put the cage outside and let him call. She kept on replying for like an hour. But she never came back.

Its been about 6 hours now. I don't think she is coming back. I'm a bit worried about Tolstoy. I think he will be okay. And i think I heard him beak grinding earlier, I offered a bit of millet and he took a bite. So...im not sure how hes coping. They've only been together for just over a week. Is there anything I should do. I cant buy another bird because of funds.

Thanks

So sorry to hear she flew away.. So take this time to allow him to bond with you.

 

[DallyTsuka]

keep trying people have lost parrots and have had them found even months later!

 

[Hofstadter]

Well my mother stopped me from letting me look for her. So, ive been trying to get my mind off tetya by bonding with tolstoy.

Hes been getting on really well without her, hes pretty happy...i think...i can hear him grinding his beak from across the room, its pretty loud XD.

I havnt been sure what to do, hes a little timid. He beaked my finger a few times, and i can get my hand quite close without him backing off. But thats about it. He usually sits on the perch closest to me and watches me do computer things. I hope he likes me, i love this little cutebutt to death.

Ive been trying the step up thing, not going too well, as i said he backs off whenever i or the perch gets near.

Have a video of him. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4HhsLrRVw4]Tolstoy the lovebird - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Hofstadter]

I have great news. He can step up onto my hand now!

He has really come out of his shell in the past couple of days. He especially love this stick i grabbed from the garden, when i put it in his cage he tries to pull it down with his beak to stand on it, and when he does, he always moves that little bit closer to me.

With the hand, i had to lure him on with some millet...and it took a while to get him off because he was quite comfy. He can also explore my lap if i put millet down there, it was so cute, i put the stick in the cage and the other end on my lap, he came to end, poked my leg with his feet a few times, got to the millet and stared up at my face while chomping away, took all my energy not to squeal.

Ive also started him on pellets, grinding him up some vetafarm nutriblend pellets, mashing them up and sprinkling seed in it, hes quite happy with this mix.

Also when he gets a little scared out of the cage, he flutters right back in there, so soon im getting a t stand or playgym to put on my desk and he can just hang out there near the open cage while im working.

Its been a really good couple of days and i wanted to share