She did use the words "orange" and "mask".   I just thought if she was handfed she would be more compliant with humans.  All the birds in the cage acted flighty when the lady went to get Mini out of the cage.  I guess they didnt spend much time with them. 

Thanks for your hypothesis!

 

 

Handfed means different things to different breeders. Some handle the babies and talk to them a lot. Those will be tame and sweet. Others gavage feed or handfeed but instantly put the baby back. Those babies will most likely not be tame or socialized.

Some breeders allow the parents to feed but the breeder handles the babies every day. Those babies will likely be really sweet and very calm around people.

 

If you should decide to get other birds later on, ask if the babies have been socialized, and listen carefully to whether the breeder hems and haws around with her answer. If she acts oddly walk out and find another breeder.

Keep trying with Mini though and maybe you can tame her.

Please don't get her a friend and expect her to calm down. She won't. She would likely be great with the other bird but even crankier with you.

Annie

Hand-fed:  Fed by a human ONLY, from about 8-14 days (or earlier) after hatching

 

Hand-raised:  Fed by the parent birds, but handled by a human.

 

People confuse these terms, thinking "hand-raised" means the baby has been away from its parents and fed by a human.  From my experience, lovebirds need to be hand-fed to be very tame.

 

As Annie said, there are even great amounts of variation in how much human interaction a baby receives even when it is HAND FED.  They really need more than to be fed and stuffed back with their siblings, or other young birds. 

 

Young lovebirds that have been socialized and given good human interaction are truly some of the sweetest little birds imaginable.

Breeders around my area have been using "socialized" to mean that the birds are handled often and socialized.

It's a shame that there are not specific terms used everywhere so we know what we are getting into when buying a young bird.

Annie

On your question of how to tame this bird-- take her into a small, quiet room. Bathroom works well, make sure the toilet lid is down.   She should be where you can easily get her if she gets away from you, and where she can't see her cage.

 

I'd get some kind of small play stand or transportable perch, and let her sit on that while you are working with her.  You could put some seed or treats for her, while you just sit quietly--maybe just sit and read for awhile.

 

Train her to step up onto your finger "on command".  You'll most likely have to do this by having her on one finger and putting the other hand in front of her, finger under her chest, so she has little choice but to step up.  Do this several times, praising her each time she does it correctly.  Finish off after she's done it correctly, NOT if  she has started refusing.

 

She'd probably enjoy sitting on your shoulder while you read or watch tv or computer, but you need to be able to remove her without a battle.

ohh boy ive had to hand tame about 8 lovebirds over the years and yes i took some time and alot of patience and females are the worse. i totally agree with goodbirds advice and as ladybyrdbell says lots of bandaids...but it can be done and after you do succeed they are such a joy to have around.

 

 

 

you can do it!!!

Thanks everyone for the encouragement!  I started putting bandaids on the areas I know she will go for!

My fiance and I both sit with our hand in the cage.  She squaks and travels all over the cage, but she has been settling down some. Not as jumpy.  Is it ok for me to just take her out and hold her, will she get used to me doing that, or will it delay the process?

is her wings clipped? if not i wouldnt bother getting her out cuz she will just fly away from you then it would be hard to catch her. if so, try it put her on your lap you might want to try and "cup" her in your hands talk to her softly my lovebirds love it toby especially i think he would actually fall asleep like that. but then again that may be too soon for that. anyway try it and see how she does she just may surprise you and be alot calmer outside of the cage.

Her wings are already clipped! I was just sitting near her cage and she went to her door and was trying to lift it up!

lol thats not good gotta lock her in. gracie had gotten out like that about 4xs had to lock her in with having 3 dogs and my grey a tradegy was waiting to happen

.

if shes coming to the front of the cage with you near it that certainly is a good sign.

I used garbage ties to keep it closed. I have no other animals, but other things could happen.

Doors that lift up are hazards in themselves. They often fall on the neck and the bird cannot back up. Get some strong clips at the hardware store and use them to keep from having an awful accident.

 

I use these for tote cages and they are good, but if you see her chewing on them they can be hazardous because of the brass or zinc in them. There may be some made of nylon or strong plastic.

Annie

Great idea!

I use the plastic ones that look like that.