IanV

New member
Feb 27, 2022
1
4
Parrots
Lovebird
Hello! I hope youā€™re having a good day. Alright so Iā€™m new lovebird owner I know absolutely adore and Love mine. I got it about 2 weeks ago from a bird store. First of all, they werenā€™t treating the poor guy well there, and they were keeping Like 20 of them in one small cage and grabbed them very hard from the neck when they wanted to get them out. So I understand why my lovebird would be scared of hands. I got some tips and accordingly, I let the bird get used to his new house for a couple of days which I think he did, because he was very quiet at first and now heā€™s chirping more. After almost a week, I let the bird out in the bathroom with me sitting there and played lovebird sounds and he enjoyed it very very much. Of course sometime I had no choice but to guide him with my hands back to his cage. But he is sooooooooooo scared of either me or my hands. I dont know how old he is. the very tip of his beak is still a bit black. What do I do? Am I doing something wrong?
 

Laurasea

Well-known member
Aug 2, 2018
12,593
10,702
USA
Parrots
Full house
hello and welcome to the forum!

It can take a lot of patience to befriend a parrot. Just going to cage many times a day to say hello and offer a favorite food item by hand csn help. Starts to have them associate you with good things.

Hopefully this thread bump will get some good tips from other members.

Here us thread by a lovebird enthusiasts

 
Last edited:

Eldarion_

New member
Jun 16, 2020
8
4
Australia
Parrots
Dirk- yellow-sided GCC
Queenie- pineapple GCC
Dusty- albino cockatiel
Raz - pastel-face pied cockatiel
Hello!

It sounds like you are doing a wonderful job with them, and I definitely think that with enough patience they will become less timid. It can take a very long time to gain the trust of a bird, but I think you are already on the right track!

There are lots of small things you can do to bond with them. Like what has already been said, being in the same room as them can really help. Then you can slowly start offering treats by hand, and eventually you may be able to encourage them to step up onto your hand. You can also try other things, like having toys out for them to play with, but the most important thing is for them to associate you with good things.

Also keep in mind their body language. If they start to show signs of anxiety, fear, or aggression, it's probably a good idea to put them back in their cage and let them calm down for a while.

These are the methods I used to help gain the trust of my newest bird as they were from an aviary. It took a few months, but she is comfortable now and is an absolute sweet heart.
 

HeatherG

Well-known member
Apr 25, 2020
3,893
6,966
Iā€™ve had some very sweet lovebirds. They can be very tame especially if you play with them every day. If your little guy has black on the tip of his beak, he is a very young bird. Iā€™m not sure how young.

I would feed your lovebird treats through the cage bars to help him learn you are the source of joy. I would whisper sweet nothings to him/ her while feeding things like fresh sweet corn or peas or gloppy squash or safflower seeds. Or sing him songs with his name insertedā€”the best kind for birds. My lovebird was named Clementine. My boyfriend hated that folksong but the bird thought it was great.

When I have a jumpy bird, I have petted it using my nose. That and kisses donā€™t use hands and so are less scary. Though you can get a good pinch if youā€™re unlucky. I hold my hands behind my back when approaching a scared bird, too.

I also have always had the best relationship with my birds when I lived in a studio apartment and they could watch me sleep. Iā€™m convinced that seeing me asleep looking ridiculous and vulnerable really helped my little conure to like me more. So if his cage is in your bedroom, youā€™re in luck. You could also take a nap on the sofa if heā€™s in the living room. (Just my wacky idea)
 

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