We have recently bought a pair of male peach-faced lovebirds, and because they're a pair they much prefer each other than us.
We read that they should be let out the cage to have a fly around for 1-2 hours each day for exercise, which we do, but then we can never get them back in their cage afterwards.
They have currently been out of the cage for 7 hours now and-still-refuse to go in. I've tried leaving them alone and just sitting their calmly, I've tried putting something interesting in their cage to coax them in, I did try and catch them at one point but I'm not very good at that as I don't want to scare them.
At some points they have even both been in the cage to get food but as soon as I get near to shut the door they fly out again.
Any suggestions?
Ever consider getting a second cage? Lovebirds can be pretty aggressive when they are bonded to each other, and even if they are separated, they need constant interaction for them to remain good tame pets. A second cage could allow you to bond with the birds individually. When taken care properly, they make really sweet cuddly pets.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
Please ignore the other answer. Birds are animals of prey, you should NEVER try to scare them. You need to be calm with them.
If I were you I would keep the lights off (but enough light to allow you to see). This will calm down the birds a bit. I remember when I first got my budgerigars, and one of them was flighted ... It took me a while to take control of the situation.
Never use a towel to catch them, that will only scare them.
All you can do is play a game of tag right now. Do not be afraid to grab the bird. But never grab on too tightly.
When holding the bird, it should look like this:
http://leapfrog.nl/blog/wp-content/uploa ... Keep your hands around the neck, and the palms around the body (but again not too tightly, because bird bones are hollow and break very easily)
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com Once you get them in the cage, I suggest you take them to a local pet store or a vet (or if you know anyone with birds), and ask them to clip your birds wings.
A clip doesn't last forever, but it could help you tame the birds.
This is a really good parrot forum: www.theparrotforum.com
It has a lot of information, and there's always someone to answer your questions.
Good luck! Lovebirds are so cute:)
since your birds are not tame YET .. i would suggest only letting them out in a small area like a bathroom .. Since they are already out .. i would get a net and trying to catch them this way .. Or i would try to "scare" them into a bathroom or smaller room, once you've one that you can just catch one. then the other will eventually come to since they are bonded ..
