Help with new lovebirds!

[Nancy Alcott]

My amazing eight-year-old daughter has been begging for love birds for a long time. I was told there were no hand fed, handrails love birds in the bay area, so we went to a breeder that had non-hand fed lovebirds. We now have a pair, no we're not positive if they were matched while they were growing up, should I have them in a cage. They are apparently a year to a year and a half old. i've been getting conflicting information from different breeders, but stores, and information online. I've had them for a week, I have not let them out of the cage because they are in-flight, and our house is all windows. I've been told that in one week I should have their wings trend, so I can let him out of the cage and they don't hurt themselves. But they're only eating a little bit of the seed that I was given, but they won't eat any of the other fruits or vegetables that I've provided. They are very fearful of me, so I simply sit by the cage for a few hours a day and talk to them in a soft voice. I have all the patients in the world for these beautiful little birds, but I'm not sure if they're happy. There are chirping constantly, and I think that's a good sign… But at what point should I put my hand in the cage to see if they want to come to me?

 

[Nancy Alcott]

I apologize, I was using the voice command on my iPhone to write the above thread… To clarify, I indeed have them in a cage. I was told that within a week I should have their wings trimmed.

 

[WendyN]

Are they tame?

 

[nu2birds]

First of all.........welcome to AA. It's always a good idea to take your newly purchased birds to an Avian Vet and have them checked over. At the same time you can do a DNA test and then at least know it they are male and female. You should know by now if they are friendly and getting along with each other. Also, what did the breeder get these birds weaned on to? Like are they just on a seed diet or did the breeder get them on pellets and vegetables and an appropriate quality seed mix. LOTS of great information on this site, lots of experienced bird owners here that have lots of experience with good ideas and tips. The Food court is a great place to learn about healthy eating and recipes. Good luck with you and your daughter's new Lovebirds!

 

[nu2birds]

Oh.......and most people here are not fans of wing clipping, either am I. I'm sure a few will chime in and tell you why. I understand your reasoning with a house full of windows. But there must be a way or place in your house where they could be out and not exposed to the danger of windows. Maybe there will be some suggestions coming. Hold off on that until you are sure it's your only option.

 

[sunnysmom]

Welcome to the forum. Your birds are still settling in. A week really is a very short period of time. Just continue to spend time with them and keep trying with the fruits and vegetables. I fostered a love bird for awhile and one of the things he loved was I would take a small pepper, hollow it out and stuff it with chopped up pepper, fruit, some seeds, other vegetables, etc. and put it in his cage. He loved to forage through it and it was a good way to get him to eat new things.

 

[Nancy Alcott]

Thank you so much for the info, suggestions and help!!

 

[lunasalix]

Approaching them will need to be done slowly. You mentioned that they seem fearful of you. If they leap to the back of the cage when you reach for their dishes, then they definitely aren't ready to come to your hand.
Watch their movements and position when you sit by the cage. If they are moving around the cage, including the front closest to you, then you can move closer. Once you are able to get within a couple of feet of the cage without them running to the back, then you can start offering treats from your hands through the bars several times per day, I recommend small amounts of millet or something you know they love. If they don't take the treats after a few minutes, just drop the treat into a dish and back away. This lets them know that you will never take away something you offer.
Once they're taking treats through the bars, you can open the cage and offer from your hand while it is in the cage. Make it so that they don't have to touch you to get the treat until they are comfortable, then place the treats in your palm so they have to sit on you to eat.
This process could take anywhere from a week to over a year, and some birds will never want to sit on you. You can speed the process up a bit by closing the doors to a room and letting them out to explore that room with you in it. They will go back to their cage when they become hungry, and then you can close the cage door, though it may take a few hours. This allows them to get the exercise they need and gives them confidence.
This is how I got one of my birds to become comfortable enough to sleep on my shoulder, though it took a year from the time I got him.

 

[Rolanda]

Most here are not a fans of clipping. I have one clipped and one barely clipped. One clipped and one slightly but still flighted.
My Lovebird, Mo, came from a breeder and was hand tame and human reared with brothers and sisters. She ever so slightly clipped his feathers or his safety when he was weaned and ready to come home with me. He has always been able to fly just not soar all over the place. She did a beautiful job. He is flying more it seems.
My MP, Beaks, (my 8 year old's buddy) was clipped when I brought him home. I got him from a bird store. Had I known they would clip him I would have stopped them. They did a butchers job, unfortunately. He now flaps daily from his cage to the floor and occasionally from the floor to his cage but that is all. I am working with him but I do not think he will ever be a good flyer. I believe they are happier of they can fly. They are BIRDS and intended to fly, at least some, in my opinion.

 

[Lady Jane]

Hello glad you joined us. Are you planning to keep these birds in a cage all the time? Windows can be made so they are not dangerous to birds. Birds can be taught to fly in a small room where the dangers are limited like a bathroom Mirrors can be covered. Do you know if these birds flew before wings were cut?

 

[fluffypoptarts]

Can't hangings or stickers/decals go over the windows?

 

[SamandWilley]

My breeder clipped my lovebirds when I brought them home. However, they could still fly! It is her opinion that clipping them some, so that they are not as fast and acrobatic when flying, helps some in the taming/training process. I think it did help mine. They still flew everywhere, though. They just were not as likely to take off at the first sign of "danger".

Taming two birds at the same time is harder than just one. I brought home two, and wished I had not! But, in the end it did work out. However, mine were handfed and quite spoiled before I brought them home, so the level of trust they have in me now is in part due to that! It still took a while to earn their trust!

Lovebirds can be quite stubborn at times. I ended up having to work with them one at a time in a different room from where the cage was in order to get them to really pay attention to me! Right now they are using me as a jungle gym.

 

[JaclynBin]

Honestly, I'd go for an extremely light clip since they're this afraid of you, particularly if you can't fully cover your windows. While window stickers might help them recognize the presence of the solid screen, if they are panicked, they likely won't have time to process this and it'd be best if they've less speed with which to harm themselves if they do end up flying into something.

Have you been able to let them out at all? They could probably use the exercise and will likely return to their cage of their own avail once they get hungry.

 

[LilSprout]

My lovebird loves almost everything green and if it's leafy and green even better! Stuff like romaine lettuce, dandelion leaves, spinach, green beans etc.
I just take a clothes pin, stick the veggie through the roof of the cage and pin it there and she will nibble on a big piece of romaine for the whole day and I change it the next day or if it starts wilting a lot.

 

[nu2birds]

I like the idea of the clothespin..........it's a bonus because they can chew on it too.