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1K views 10 replies 7 participants last post by  stacey101 
#1 ·
Hello, i am lovebirdholly and I am new to the bird scene, Holly is my very first bird peroid. She is 5 years old and was given to me by a friend who was given to her by a friend lol, my friend gave me the bird immediatley because it did not get along with her cockatieal. Anyways she was said to be vicious, a flesh eating bird lol, so we were cautious of her. After a couple of days I was able to get her out of her cage with a glove ( thank god I was wearing one ill tell ya that ) she was very nippy, she has gotten use to the glove but she is not a fan of bare hands, she certinly does not like anyone near her cage, she makes like a hissing noise bobs her head up and down rubs her beak all over everything and yells alot, i wouldnt call it screaming, and sometimes throws her food out of her bowl when i add new. I am hoping with patients and determination from myself that Holly will one day be the cute little love bird i see on you tube if not , just tamed enough to were i can hold her, and she wont want to eat me. I would like to teach her simple commands such as "step up", "no bite", "out" ( for her cage ) and some singing and whisling. I had done alot of surfing on the internet and have learned that i need to clip her wings, get her off this silly seed diet only thing they have her on, ( which is going well) not to force my self onto her like not sticking my hands in the cage to force her out, not yelling at her when she bites or is yelling at me. I think i have learned alot on how to take care of her but would like to know if anyone else has delt with an abused lovebird, and does anyone has any tips or trick that could help me with her posseiveness and fear, and just all and all how to make her happy. I would appreciate any information and help. thanks
 
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#2 ·
Welcome! I think you'll be able to work your love bird over! :thumbsup: It just takes time, patience, love, and trust! You're already on your way doing all the research you are doing! :biggrin: She may never be super cuddly, but I think you can build her to a point of basic trust. What area do you live in? We could point you in the right direction for getting her wings clipped and recommend a better diet for you!
 
#3 ·
Thank you ! I am in Columbus, Ohio. I have already got an appointment set up for her on December 2nd to get her nails and wings clipped. They warned me that she would more than likely be upset with me for a few days after. But im ready to get her on her way to a happy new life with our family including two dogs :) Recommendations would be greatly appreciated :) thanks jenny
 
#4 ·
Well, when she gets clipped, I wouldn't go in the room, talk to her, let her see you, etc. That way she doesn't associate you with the clipping. I do bird groomings (been doing it for... 5 years now?) and, often times, they run back to the person they know like you're saving them from the 'bad people' :lol:

For her diet, I would remove sunflower seed completely, if possible. Sunflower is high in fat and recent studies have linked it to aggression, stress, and plucking - it's like birdie caffeine. Try supplementing her diet with lots of fresh goodies, but go light on the fruit - that also has been linked to higher aggression levels. Egg is great for them, rinse the shell and hard boil it, then chop it up fine (shell included) and sprinkle it on her food - it gives her a good source of protein and calcium all in one!

If you can get her eating pellets, that's fantastic, but as an older bird, she may not take to it well, it may take time and persistence. I've had a lot of success with little birds putting them on small sized, natural pellets - my guess is it looks a lot like seed! :lol: You can try Roudybush Nibbles, Harrison's Super Fine, or Exact Naturals for Cockatiels/Parakeets. I think ZuPreem Parakeet is about the same size too! :thumbsup:
 
#5 ·
Thanks Jenny tomorrow I will try the hard boiled egg thing tomorrow. Today was an okay day, this morning i woke her up gave her fresh food and water, left some music on for her and went to work. When i got home i rinsed out her bowl did the same thing got her out of the cage talked with her for a while had her on my shoulder ... and then she bit me right on my neck, ouch ! I didnt yell scream or anything but it was pretty painful. I gave her to my husband and she was okay for about an half and hour then it was time for dinner for us. Everytime we sit down for dinner she consitantly chews her cage and bobs her head up and down.. do you know whats up with that behavior? She is in the dinning room across from the living room, that's the best place i have for her that is not by a vent or window... she can see us no matter where we are either kitchen, living room or dining room... Also just yesterday and today she has started to try to bite me when i give her food in her bowls, do you know what that is all about...? Thanks jenny for your food suggestions :) everything is appreciated.
 
#6 ·
She's probably wanting to join you for dinner! :lol: When you sit down for dinner, give her a little dish of what you're eating if it's bird safe - no salt, seasoning, etc. Cooked, warm veggies are a favorite of my birds and Goober enjoyed some unseasoned chicken tonight!

Attacking you while you're feeding her sounds like cage aggression to me... Love birds are notorious for this. She's getting possessive of her cage! It's mine Mom ALL MINE!!! :rofl: The best ways to fix this that I've seen are to rearrange things regularly, but since she's new to your home and un-tame, I don't think that's wise. Perhaps someone else will have better tips for cage aggression - I know the theory on what to do, but not the practice, and they are always so different! :rolleyes:
 
#9 ·
Welcome to the forum. It is wonderful that Holly has a new home with you.

I'm certainly no expert regarding lovebirds, or any birds, but these are just a couple of suggestions my bird mentors have given me.

1) Try putting a towel over your hands instead of gloves, or even over the top of the gloves. It may not work at all, but I've been told birds are less afraid of towels than gloves. The theory as to why this might be is that the towels don't look like hands, but the gloves do.

2) Maybe providing her with a hand-held perch with which to come out of her cage instead of your fingers might also be safer for your fingers.

3) Changing things around in the cage is supposed to be a very good way to help lessen cage aggression, but perhaps she is too new to your home to do that now. If you think it will stress her too much now, wait a couple of weeks, but do start doing this regularly whenever you think she is ready. It seems you take her out daily, so someone could be changing the things around in the cage while another person is interacting with the bird. I have heard it said that even something as simple as chaning the orientation of the entire cage or the location of the entire cage within your home can also work the way chaging around items inside the cage works.

4) Lastly, some people just let birds with cage aggression come out of the cage on their own terms and pick the birds up from the outside of the cage. However, this won't help you if she is biting you when you try to feed her. Maybe you will just have to do that for a while when she is out of the cage, too.

The other suggestion I would make is not to put any bird who might tend to be difficult to handle onto your shoulder. For me, there is so much more mischief they can get into there, and so may ways to avoid your hands if you need to get hold of them.

I agree with Jenny that your lovebird will probably consider you her rescuer after the grooming. Comforting her will be a good opportunity for you to bond with her. The wing clipping will also settle her down quite a bit.

Again, congratulations! I am happy Holly has a home with someone who seems as concerned about her as you do.
 
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