Lonely bird?

[Pistachio1]

Hello Avians! A little update since i last talked about Mango. Mango has been happy ever since i put in more foraging toys in. I have build up a fence on my balcony so it could fly around without me worrying and it allow Mango to excerise a bit.

On another note, I am having trouble with putting it back into its cage when it's time to go home. It constantly clings on to me and does not want to go home. Even if i manage to put it home, after i close the cage door, Mango would act very franctic/ crazy. It would walk up and down, climb here and there hastily trying to find a way out of the cage just to get near me. I have tried looking up solutions on Youtube but to no avail. I have tried putting its favourite treat inside the cage, but no matter what i do, it will still want to come out and stick around me. I have tried positive reinforcement but it does not work too. What should I do to make it want to be comfortable to go back home?

how long are your sessions with him? you might try more sessions but shorter ones so mango doesn't think going in the cage means he'll be stuck there until the next day. Or maybe just mix it up a little so sometimes you put Mango back and let him out again soon.

these days we let ours out for many hours so he's usually tired by the time we need to put him in, and he's ready for his treat.

that said when we first got him he'd get frantic a little after the door was closed and and asked to come out right away. that behavior is largely gone now. we used that model of letting him in and out for short sessions to make him worry less about going in.

 

[Pat H]

I'm talking about real bird cages, they really do pop around once in a while use

I'm talking about real nice bird cages that poeple sell sometimes I'm in a place where there are barely any one with a bird, and I've seen some really nice Bird cages for birds the size of Amazon's!

I just had to make a comment here!!! --
Years ago, when we unexpectedly adopted our beautiful Umbrella to fill the void our Timneh had left... [we were prepared for another Timneh, but he had already been sold when we arrived]... So when we brought our Abby home, of course the cage was WAY TOO SMALL...
In a short time we were blessed... traveling thru the nearby town -- here was a beautiful, LARGE wrought iron cage SITTING BY THE SIDE of the road... FREE!!! SCREECH went the brakes.... and we were able to get it home! I had to take it apart when it was an inch too large to fit thru the door, but... We were so happy!
It had a small piece of bar missing above the door-- just large enough for her to get her head thru, which she now does to GRAB our attention when we walk by... WHAT A BLESSING!!!

 

[FeatheredM]

I just had to make a comment here!!! --
Years ago, when we unexpectedly adopted our beautiful Umbrella to fill the void our Timneh had left... [we were prepared for another Timneh, but he had already been sold when we arrived]... So when we brought our Abby home, of course the cage was WAY TOO SMALL...
In a short time we were blessed... traveling thru the nearby town -- here was a beautiful, LARGE wrought iron cage SITTING BY THE SIDE of the road... FREE!!! SCREECH went the brakes.... and we were able to get it home! I had to take it apart when it was an inch too large to fit thru the door, but... We were so happy!
It had a small piece of bar missing above the door-- just large enough for her to get her head thru, which she now does to GRAB our attention when we walk by... WHAT A BLESSING!!!

That must have been a very lucky day for you!

 

[Pistachio1]

How long is he out each session?

 

[D.Chu]

A little update on Mango guys. I have manage to train Mango to do free flights outside my house and it is such a wonderful feeling! He/ she is able to fly out and come back on command. Even if he flys out too far, he will somehow manage to come back which is such a delight! I have a video of it, but sadly avianavenue doesn't let me upload videos. If you want to see them, give me a PM.

 

[BirdLady13]

A little update on Mango guys. I have manage to train Mango to do free flights outside my house and it is such a wonderful feeling! He/ she is able to fly out and come back on command. Even if he flys out too far, he will somehow manage to come back which is such a delight! I have a video of it, but sadly avianavenue doesn't let me upload videos. If you want to see them, give me a PM.

I'm not trying to be a jerk, but we all advised against this for a reason - please be very careful. I'm happy Mango has freedom, but it's also worrisome. I know how nerve-racking it was when my Hahn's flew out of sight for a minute.. I can't even imagine if it was my Lovebird.

 

[D.Chu]

I'm not trying to be a jerk, but we all advised against this for a reason - please be very careful. I'm happy Mango has freedom, but it's also worrisome. I know how nerve-racking it was when my Hahn's flew out of sight for a minute.. I can't even imagine if it was my Lovebird.

Thank you for your concern, but I feel that I have bonded with my bird a lot and i get a feeling that it trust me a lot and so do I to it. My next plan is to start going on hikes and bringing Mango along. Letting it explore and giving it time outside seems fair to me as I do not like to keep my bird in a cage or in a room. I think that birds have a sense of loyalty too when I was taking care of Mango. Whenever it gets spooked or frightened, it would not fly furthur away from me but instead comes back to me and hide behind my neck.

 

[Tazlima]

Thank you for your concern, but I feel that I have bonded with my bird a lot and i get a feeling that it trust me a lot and so do I to it. My next plan is to start going on hikes and bringing Mango along. Letting it explore and giving it time outside seems fair to me as I do not like to keep my bird in a cage or in a room. I think that birds have a sense of loyalty too when I was taking care of Mango. Whenever it gets spooked or frightened, it would not fly furthur away from me but instead comes back to me and hide behind my neck.

It's not an issue of loyalty. It's an issue of safety. Hawks, falcons, cats... all are experts at stalking and surprise attacks. Mango is snack-sized and lacks the protection of a flock to provide lots of buddies watching for danger. Your bird could very easily be snatched and gone in the blink of an eye, with no time for spooking or hiding.

Humans are so big that we can look at most predators and go, "ooh, pretty/cute/cool," then wander on our merry way without worrying about being attacked. Little parrots don't have that luxury.

Sorry, but letting your bird free fly all alone is as risky as letting a dog swim in gator-filled swamps. It's all fun and games until somebody gets eaten. Please reconsider - I really, really don't want to log back on and find that Mango has become yet one more cautionary tale.

 

[D.Chu]

It's not an issue of loyalty. It's an issue of safety. Hawks, falcons, cats... all are experts at stalking and surprise attacks. Mango is snack-sized and lacks the protection of a flock to provide lots of buddies watching for danger. Your bird could very easily be snatched and gone in the blink of an eye, with no time for spooking or hiding.

Humans are so big that we can look at most predators and go, "ooh, pretty/cute/cool," then wander on our merry way without worrying about being attacked. Little parrots don't have that luxury.

Sorry, but letting your bird free fly all alone is as risky as letting a dog swim in gator-filled swamps. It's all fun and games until somebody gets eaten. Please reconsider - I really, really don't want to log back on and find that Mango has become yet one more cautionary tale.

I am aware of predators, but where i live is sort of like in a jungle. Lots of birds around and a lot of trees around too where all the other birds reside. But among all the other birds, Mango has the brightest colour. I also make sure that I am around when it is flying outside freely. But i will be sure to check for any predators up in the sky and on the ground before i let it go on a free flight.

 

[BirdLady13]

I am aware of predators, but where i live is sort of like in a jungle. Lots of birds around and a lot of trees around too where all the other birds reside. But among all the other birds, Mango has the brightest colour. I also make sure that I am around when it is flying outside freely. But i will be sure to check for any predators up in the sky and on the ground before i let it go on a free flight.

Don't forget other birds can be just as much of an unpredictable hazard as any obvious predator; Mango is small and inexperienced. Unfortunately if Mango is attacked or chased off it isn't going to make a difference that you're around.

 

[FeatheredM]

I know this is something you don't want to year:but freeflighting your lovebird is not safe, there are plenty of things that could go wrong, even with you there just as BirdLady13 said

 

[Muna]

Your lovebird is still young & once he gets spooked he will wonder elsewhere to safety.
I would never trust my own lovebird to fly freely outside expecting her to come back whenever she feels in danger. You know her better than anyone else.

lovebirds are stubborn, they will sometimes simply refuse to come back. It happens when recall training sometimes. They are not a good candidate for free flight, let alone free-roaming

100% to Zara post about lovebird.

 

[FeatheredM]

We are telling You this because losing a Bird is one of the most aweful feelings. Poeple have lost Big birds because they were to confedint that their Bird would come back. If you go to unanswered threads, there are so many lost Bird alerts

 

[Zara]

Letting it explore and giving it time outside seems fair to me as I do not like to keep my bird in a cage or in a room.

I think this is the only thing you´ve said in the recent posts that I agree with. But please invest in a harness. This way your bird can enjoy outings with you and be ¨safe¨ - even birds in harnesses can be taken by predators, but at least this gives you the best chance of keeping your bird safe. Most good brands make small enough harnesses for lovebirds.

I also make sure that I am around when it is flying outside freely. But i will be sure to check for any predators up in the sky and on the ground before i let it go on a free flight.

Unless you can fly, and fly faster than your bird and any predators in your area, then you can not possibly keep your bird safe and to think so is delusional. Your bird could get spooked by a sound or sense, and fly up and hide in the trees, or fly far away. It is easy to fall into a false sense of security, but are you really going to risk it? To risk having your lovebird outdoors with no harness is not only dangerous, but selfish. It is not your life on the line if something goes wrong, it will be your bird who pays the price.

Please, reconsider.
Invest in harness training to enjoy quality outdoors time together in the safest way.

CLUE: TRIGGER WARNING!

Predators are everywhere. Please listen to our advice.

 

[Muna]

Please, reconsider.
Invest in harness training to enjoy quality outdoors time together in the safest way.

Also another option bird carriers that are well protected & perfect for hiking. There are plenty of options to keep your lovebird safe.

 

[DoubleTake]

Just something to keep in mind, one reason lovebirds do not make good free flying candidates because they are stubborn little beasties. That's all I'll say on that...

 

[Zara]

My uncle gave me my very first baby lovebird called Mango and it is about 1 and a half months old.

So this make your bird now 3.5months old. And when your bird starts to mature, they can change from one day to another.

lovebirds do not make good free flying candidates because they are stubborn

This will creep up on you.
I know my youngsters went through a phase of evading returning to their cages, drove me bonkers, would feel sick if that was outdoors and they were hiding out somewhere not wanting to come back. They don´t understand it is dangerous out there for them, they understand the concept of going home, or safety.

 

[BirdLady13]

Oh god, I read the blog post and looked at the pictures.. I'm nothing short of horrified. That is a bird owner's worst nightmare.

CLUE: TRIGGER WARNING!

Predators are everywhere. Please listen to our advice.

 

[Zara]

I'm nothing short of horrified. That is a bird owner's worst nightmare.

Yes It is an awful picture. When I first saw that the other year I had nightmares for a week. I hadn´t posted it in AA until now because I thought it was too upsetting for people, but ultimately it is educational for those who want to free fly unsuited birds. A lovebird would not stand a chance up against these birds of prey.

 

[D.Chu]

Hello avianaians! Just an update on mango. Been keeping mango at home and in an enclosed balcony that is outside and she is doing terrific! (I think its a she because she preens me a not and it hurts, how do i stop it?) I've been thinking about getting another lovebird to keep it company, but i am unsure of what i should do. Sometimes i just wish mango had a partner to keep each other company. But some say otherwise as they might fight. I need some advice or guidance from you seasoned veterans if you could spare me some