How to Tame a Lovebird
Lovebirds are beautiful creatures and amazing pets. They add beauty and charm to your home. Just the sight of these pretty birds is a refreshing experience. If you tame a Lovebird then the joy they bring into your life have a doubling effect. Lovebirds of any age can be tamed and trained. However, if you have hand reared baby Lovebirds then they are much more easier to tame than adults.
Decide how many Lovebirds you want to tame and start with a single bird at a time. Taming a Lovebird requires its undivided attention. A pair of Lovebirds will socialize with each other and the process becomes more difficult for you. A single bird will consider a human as his companion and will learn the process much quickly and easily and the training becomes a fun experience for your bird.
Taming a Lovebird requires a lot of patience, time and practice for your bird. A tamed Lovebird is well worth the time you spend on taming. The best time to start training is as early as possible. The training should be divided into three to five sessions of no more than ten to fifteen minutes each. The training sessions should be conducted almost daily.
Take your Lovebird into a separate room where there is minimum distractions from external sources. Close all open windows and doors so that your bird may not fly away. Now take the Lovebird out of its cage and talk to him in a low voice. Words like “Good parrot” etc., etc. have a soothing effect on your bird and help to calm him down and get him prepared for training. Do not yell or shout at him.
Establish a trustworthy relationship with your bird. Fearful birds are difficult to tame. Once your bird is comfortable in your presence, put your hand inside his cage with a food item in your hand. Do not make sudden movements that may scare your bird. Do this several times until your Lovebird becomes familiar with your hand and starts eating food from your hand.
The next step is to teach him to step up on your finger. For this, bring your finger near the Lovebird and gently touch him on his chest. The bird will go out of balance and in order to balance himself he will step up and sit on your finger. Now bring him out of its cage and speak a few encouraging words and offer him a treat for complying with the required behavior. Repeat the process several times.
When your Lovebird has learned to sit on your finger, take him into his cage and teach him to step down on its perch. With repetition your bird will easily step up and step down as many times you want. Patience is required to teach these steps. Some birds learn very quickly while others learn a little later depending on the age of your bird. Practice this again and again until it becomes its second nature.
Now teach him to fly to your hand from a distance. Take the food item in your hand and utter the familiar word or whistle. When your Lovebird flies to your hand give him the treat and speak the encouraging words. Practice this step as many times until your bird learns this step fully and flies to your hand instantly. With practice and patience you will finally have a precious hand tamed Lovebird.