First Time Lovebird Tamer

Akula00

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Feb 2, 2022
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Hello everyone.

About 3 weeks ago now I purchased my beautiful Lovebird: Frosty. While I am not a beginner parrot owner, this is my first Lovebird. I am following the usual pattern of placing hands on cage and spending lots of time around him to build comfort, however, I would love some more specific recommendations for taming and eventually moving on to getting my boy to step up.
 

Terry57

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Hello everyone.

About 3 weeks ago now I purchased my beautiful Lovebird: Frosty. While I am not a beginner parrot owner, this is my first Lovebird. I am following the usual pattern of placing hands on cage and spending lots of time around him to build comfort, however, I would love some more specific recommendations for taming and eventually moving on to getting my boy to step up.
Frosty is such a great name! In addition to sitting next to the cage, you could also read to him. I sing to my birds,
This thread has many tips on building trust:

Tips for Bonding and Building Trust

You are doing the right things with Frosty, and taking your time. I believe patience is so important, and there is no better feeling than having your bird learn that they can trust you.


I suggest wrapping him up in fluffy blanket and cuddles him and scratching head and around face for maybe 1 weeks and i also suggest clipping lovebird when you first trying to tame them or they won't trust you i had 2 love bird 1 was super tame and one was still baby and part tame and then after weeks of cuddles you teach them to sit on finger i suggest being done in a bathroom Because unlike bigger parrots you have to be a bit persistent with it but wait till you can hold her in hand and scratching her without her jumping and if she jump of lovebird prefer being being scoop up until they learn step up
I would like to respectfully disagree with your methods. Holding a bird so he can't escape and forcing him to accept cuddling is a type of flooding. I believe the only way to properly bond with a bird is by taking it at their pace. By allowing the bird free choice in this, I believe this increases the trust between the person and their bird.

I want my birds to cuddle with me because they want to, not because they are afraid of what may happen if they don't.

I also would not jump to telling them to clip their wings for taming, doing that will cause them not to trust you, not the other way around.
 

Terry57

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Im not saying afterwards you part tame you do you dou at their pace i bought from a breeder that asked how i got my lovebird so tame because they are not a easy parrot to tame especially as they get older so that is just my experience with lovebird and how i tame my male paulie and he wasn't 1 yet and i used to dance up with music and down my room so holding lovebird works to tame them
I also have Lovebirds, and have had them for several years. All of them were wild when I got them. I took it slow and did it the way I mentioned in my last post
It took a few months with some, but others tamed within days.
Holding them down may work for you, but it definitely wouldn't work for me.
My opinion hasn't changed that wrapping them in a blanket and forced holding is not taking it at their own pace.
And clipping to tame make it easier to tame and if you want to a a flighted parrot you can not trim it again
I clipped once to tame and it was not the same experience at all compared to my birds who were flighted. The flighted birds also tamed faster than the clipped one.

I know that a lot of people have luck with clipping and then taming, but in my own experience the flighted ones did better.
 

Laurasea

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I don't believe that. Forced interactions can seem like an easy way out. It can be difficult for the parrot to overcome forced helplessness , that techniques aren't used on other creatures.
Plus clipping a very young bird effects it for life. They are hardwired to learn to fly at this age and overcome fear of falling . Their bodies are still developing and their brain and flight develops their body mass, skeleton structure, and how their brain processes information and their vision. Early clipping has a huge impact on that.

I hope our new love bird owner feels welcomed and supported. And can see the passion we all have for parrots.

Any species starting out with fear takes time and can seem overwhelming. My young quaker baby phoebe had a tremendous fear of hands. It took months to overcome. She has been subjected to force interactions at the pet store. Showing her trust and never forcing anything. Has led to a wonderful close and loving parrot.
 

Teddscau

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Yeah, I don’t believe in forcing yourself on critters, either. My favourite way to get them to accept you is to sit near their cage and read aloud to them, and to feed them treats from the bars. Then you can eventually start putting your hand in the open cage door to offer them treats from your fingers (don’t approach them, let them approach you).

Next I’d work on target training, then eventually step up training with a perch by targeting them on the perch. Once they’re pros at hopping onto the perch, you can take them out with the perch and feed them treats outside the cage while they’re on the perch.

From my experience with my own lovebirds, females seem a lot calmer than your average small parrot.
 

BirdyBee

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We all have our own way to tame parrot nether or right or wrong 🤔 so the way i do it works my parrot all wind up because so tame in the end so can't be doing it wrong and sometimes you don't have to room to have your patrot flighted so is this place for people to write there experiences of what they do with parrots to help oth people with theirs? So why am i getting judged for my method because it works for me?
It "works", but it is inhumane to force the animal to trust you.

Yes, your method "works", but let me ask you: how would you feel some giant grabbed you, wrap you in a blanket, force you to love them, and forces you to stay with them? That is exactly what it's like for the bird. You wrap it it in a blanket(so it's forced to learn biting does not work), clip its wings(so it's forcefully learned that it can't escape your presence), and force him to cuddle(not out of love).

This is NOT love. This is FEAR. The bird does it because it is scared.

Yes, clipping a bird is best in some cases, but clipping to tame is not, and clipping a young bird is psychologically and physically damaging as stated by Laurasea.

I suggest you read this:
To be honest, I, and all the other members continuously tell you this is harmful and you refuse to listen.

You choose what side to be on. I can't force you to believe something. We have all provided you with out experience and research. It's good to a bit open-minded.
 

Terry57

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I think that this conversation has been interesting, and will hopefully give the OP ideas on what the best method to tame their bird is, and why that method is used by so many members here.
Let's bring the conversation back to that, shall we?
@Akula00 , how is Frosty doing?
 
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Akula00

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Feb 2, 2022
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Indian Ringneck, Lovebird and Budgie + Finches
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I think that this conversation has been interesting, and will hopefully give the OP ideas on what the best method to tame their bird is, and why that method is used by so many members here.
Let's bring the conversation back to that, shall we?
@Akula00 , how is Frosty doing?
Very sorry for such a late reply.

Frosty is healthy and very well at the moment. He isn't exactly comfortable with my hands in the cage yet, but he doesn't flap uncontrollably and I can see him growing in confidence.
 

Terry57

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Very sorry for such a late reply.

Frosty is healthy and very well at the moment. He isn't exactly comfortable with my hands in the cage yet, but he doesn't flap uncontrollably and I can see him growing in confidence.
That's great news! Time and patience really do work wonders:)
 

mango_&_sunny

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Nov 14, 2021
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Fischer's Lovebirds
Hello everyone.

About 3 weeks ago now I purchased my beautiful Lovebird: Frosty. While I am not a beginner parrot owner, this is my first Lovebird. I am following the usual pattern of placing hands on cage and spending lots of time around him to build comfort, however, I would love some more specific recommendations for taming and eventually moving on to getting my boy to step up.
Hi there,

Have you tried target training? Using a chopstick, clicker and treats. You could do this with Frosty still in the cage. It helps a great deal to bond with your bird. If Frosty is happy spending some time out of the cage, you could also have your hand flat on a surface and get him to target around your hand and eventually onto your hand. Provide a "jackpot" reward for when he actually does stand on your hand.

I must add that this will only work if you can use a favourite treat such as Millet (Millet on the stalk). My lovies absolutely love it!

You can watch some youtube videos on target training and helping your bird to 'step up' (birdtricks).

I am sure in time your bird will get tamer and tamer. Patience is the key :)
 

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