Tips on new lovebird (please help)

[leiafisher]

Hi, I adopted a female masked lovebird 2 weeks ago. She is 3 months old and so far very unfriendly; the few times I've tried to approach her she runs away or tries to bite me. I decided to give her a while to adjust to a new setting before attempting anything further. She is also very loud and constantly screeches. My mom and brother complain about the noise and I've had to move into a different room because she wakes me up in the morning. If you have any tips for quieting birds and/or how I can develop a bond with her, that would be great. Thank you so much!

 

[LunaLovebird]

It's been 2 weeks. Building trust takes far longer than that. You need to go slow and show that you aren't going to hurt her. Does she like millet or sunflower seeds? If so, I've found using those to be a great motivator (just offer her some through the cage or on your hand; it might take some time). You could also spend time reading to her. For now I would try both of these things on a consistent basis, but making sure you aren't smiling with teeth or looking directly at her when you do it as that could also frighten her.

If she came from a place with lots of other birds she's probably trying to call to them which might explain the noise. Do you cover her when she sleeps or is she in a totally dark room for sleep time? If not, I would recommend you start and then you can uncover her when you're ready to have her up. That can reduce the morning squawks. That being said, she is a bird and birds can be loud.

 

[Zara]

Welcome to the Avenue!

 

[birdy.929]

I would recommend talking to her softly, trying to feed her through the cage bars, and to move slowly around her. Birds can take a long time getting used to people, and this isn't something you can rush. As for the noise, all birds will be loud sometimes, but to reduce it, you can give plenty of toys and foraging activities to entertain her.

 

[Ali]

@leiafisher Do you have the cage covered at night? That will help to keep the noise down. My parrotlets don't even make a peep until about half 7, 8 in the morning when I take of the sheet.