Am I expecting to much?

[Erynn]

I got a lovebird a couple of days ago. 24 hours after I got him I brought him out of his cage to play. he sat on my finger for awhile and then jumped on the back of the couch and started to try and pull the buttons out of the remote. When it was time to go back to the cage I said Loki step up, and he stopped what he was doing turned around and stepped up. Now it has been a few more days and he has come out to play everyday but now the second he can he runs away from me and will not come near to be put back. he was well behaved the first day andnow he is not. am i rushing things by thinking he will be a friend to me right away. The only other bird in the house is a lutino cockateil. and the lovie was bought from petland.

[Mr Five]

Hello and congrats on the new lovie. Let me start off by saying that lovebirds are like little kids with ADD. They will test the boundaries in every way they can. I will assume that the wings are clipped. If not this is something that you might consider until you can have the bird do what you're asking of them. Another thing is that you have to get the bird to want to do something. You might try to get the bird come to you for a treat. This is a method of training. If you can find something that the bird really likes to eat and remove it from the diet. Then the only time the bird will get it is when you're wanting it to do something. We use millet spray for our training. It works for most of them. One thing to remember that if you force them then this is not something that they want to do. You also have to reward them when they do what has been asked.

Just wondering how old the bird is too. I see that you bought it from Petland so I'll assume that it's just weened or no more than 4 months old.

[Erynn]

he has a few feathers still changing from his first molt so I estimate 6-9 months old. his wings are clipped and he is really good about nt biting he nibbles a bit when he doesn't like something and then pinches when i don't respond. (I think I got lucky with that.) He can be coaxed out of his cage with spray millet and when he is put back and still wants to play he calls to me. Should i stick to the 10-15 minute play sesion 2-3 times a day for a while. our cockateil gets he cage door open when we are in the room and she has free range. She just plays on top of her cage or finds something to play with on the loor. She is always supervised and I want thisfor the lovie too.

[Adi]

When you expect him to stay on you... what exactly do you want him to do? My lovie is unbelievably active and to really get his attention and have him stay put, he really needs to be doing something. When I want him to stay on me, I always bring along something for him to eat or play with. I think lovies get incredibly bored if they're not constantly doing something, and they need stimulation for their curious minds. You have to teach him how to play and give him a variety of things to focus on.

Lovies are very head strong and they love to cuddle and be scratched but only on their terms! Sunny will only sit quietly on my shoulder when I'm walking around as he seems to enjoy the ride. Otherwise he always wants to play!!!

To have him go back in the cage nicely, you often have to make that fun too. Put a small portion of his favorite treat in the cage so he has something to look foreward to. You might also want to stick around the cage for a few minutes once he's in. Praise him, reassure him, and scratch him through the cage bars. That'll help let him know that going in the cage isn't a bad thing.

[Taylor]

Lol when i first got my lovie she would fly around my room until i could calm her then she'd be fine. We took her to the pet store during the first week to get het wings clipped and we were surprised the pet store didn't do that before i took her home.

[1cutebird]

I think all birds are different. My lovie was a year old when I got her and not particularly tame. It's taken a year for her to come around. She always wants to be shredding popsicle sticks she prefers that to sitting on me and doing nothing. She's a loving bird but not snugglers like my other two birds. Just be patient and give Loki space he'll come to you when he's ready. Stick to the 15 minute trainings for a while.
Good luck!