How to Tame a Lovebird

If you've decided to have a lovebird as a pet, you'll need to be prepared to tame it. It may take some time to tame a lovebird, as these are intelligent creatures and it will require more than it might take to gain the trust of a dog or cat, but you'll soon find that a tame lovebird makes a great companion.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Talk to the lovebird softly. Approach it slowly. Lovebirds tend to be protective of their cages so it's best not to start quickly and stick your hand inside the cage, which will startle the bird.

2. Place a dowel against the lovebird's chest and encourage it to step onto the dowel. Once the bird is comfortable doing this, you can work up to having it step from the dowel to your finger.

3. Allow the lovebird out of its cage while you are watching TV or doing household chores. Let the bird come to you on its own terms. Talk to it while you are going about your business and soon you'll find the bird will approach you out of curiosity.

4. Spend a lot of time handling and interacting with the lovebird. It will take some time for the bird to develop trust and spending time with it is a crucial step in taming a lovebird.

Tips & Warnings

• Start with a young lovebird. Older lovebirds may be more difficult to tame.
• Trim the lovebird's flight feathers while you are taming it to keep it from flying away from you when it is outside its cage.
• Gradually build up to the point where you are allowing the lovebird outside its cage. Allow it to get used to its new environment first.
• Always reward the bird for positive behavior while taming.

[craziie]

on 4/14/2008 hi my black maskedlove bird climes to the top of the cage but when we take it out it does get scared but when it sees the cage it wants to fly to it. it can eat from my hand and let us pet it