Daanmaz
Moving in
- Joined
- 5/12/20
- Messages
- 11
Hi all!
I have adopted a very sweet lovebird couple 2 weeks ago. They are very much untamed and I got them from someone who rescued them from a bad home. They don't play with any toys at all.
The rescuer informed me they are probably around 2 years old and are happiest when they can fly, which I let them do every day for several hours after which they return to their cage by themselves at the end of the day. When they are out flying I see how happy and much more comfortable they are, and they get more curious towards me every day (coming over to same side of the room, etc.). They are not clipped, so they go all over and love flying from side to side in our 10 meter long living room. I know I should not expect them to become to tame at all, but I still would like to invest the time I have in trying to bond. I am slowly starting to switch from seeds to pellets, so I can make myself more "attractive" by offering seeds, and I'm spending a lot of time besides their cage.
But, they share a nest box in the cage. When in their cage, at least when I'm around, they hardly come out of the nest box at all unless they need to eat. It makes it incredibly hard to train with them because they hide quite immediately and then I can't judge whether I'm making improvements at all. Above all it makes me feel bad about leaving them in their cage. Also I've read that having a nest may also increase breeding behavior.
So: I've tried taking it away, but when they found out they did not return to their cage any more and decided to camp out on the cabinet. I tried chasing them back in but when that wouldn't work until I returned the box, and then a some more chasing around the room was enough to get them back to their cage.
Question is: Should I still try to remove the nest box? Will it improve taming and limit breeding behavior? And if yes, how would I go about it?
Birds: Paulie and Bonnie (poor bird currently molting), 2 blue colored Agapornis personata.
Photos: Paulie and Bonnie, and their extended space.
I have adopted a very sweet lovebird couple 2 weeks ago. They are very much untamed and I got them from someone who rescued them from a bad home. They don't play with any toys at all.
The rescuer informed me they are probably around 2 years old and are happiest when they can fly, which I let them do every day for several hours after which they return to their cage by themselves at the end of the day. When they are out flying I see how happy and much more comfortable they are, and they get more curious towards me every day (coming over to same side of the room, etc.). They are not clipped, so they go all over and love flying from side to side in our 10 meter long living room. I know I should not expect them to become to tame at all, but I still would like to invest the time I have in trying to bond. I am slowly starting to switch from seeds to pellets, so I can make myself more "attractive" by offering seeds, and I'm spending a lot of time besides their cage.
But, they share a nest box in the cage. When in their cage, at least when I'm around, they hardly come out of the nest box at all unless they need to eat. It makes it incredibly hard to train with them because they hide quite immediately and then I can't judge whether I'm making improvements at all. Above all it makes me feel bad about leaving them in their cage. Also I've read that having a nest may also increase breeding behavior.
So: I've tried taking it away, but when they found out they did not return to their cage any more and decided to camp out on the cabinet. I tried chasing them back in but when that wouldn't work until I returned the box, and then a some more chasing around the room was enough to get them back to their cage.
Question is: Should I still try to remove the nest box? Will it improve taming and limit breeding behavior? And if yes, how would I go about it?
Birds: Paulie and Bonnie (poor bird currently molting), 2 blue colored Agapornis personata.
Photos: Paulie and Bonnie, and their extended space.