How to Tame a Lovebird Parrot

Allow Your Lovebird to Adjust to Its New Environment. Lovebirds are quite sensitive and can be easily startled. Taming will be ineffective if their environment stresses them out.

• If you've just brought home a lovebird, give it about two weeks to adapt to its new surroundings. During this period, it will primarily focus on identifying where its food and water bowls are placed.
• During this acclimation phase, try to place your lovebird in a room with regular human activity. Although it may seem counterintuitive, this will help the bird get accustomed to human presence and stop perceiving humans as threats. Keep in mind that lovebirds have excellent hearing, so ensure that the room doesn't cause additional stress—avoid loud noises or drafts from an open window. The environment should remain calm and relaxing to prevent the bird from feeling uneasy.

Place the parrot's cage nearby during your daily activities. In order to gain the parrot's trust, it needs to feel comfortable being close to you. Give the parrot about a week to adjust to this arrangement.

• Set the cage near you while you're relaxing, such as when watching TV or reading a book.
• You don't need to directly interact with the parrot while its cage is beside you. Simply allow it to get accustomed to your presence.

Engage with the parrot without touching it. Once the parrot feels comfortable being near you, you can start interacting with it more frequently. At this stage, patience is key to prevent stressing the parrot.

• Avoid making direct eye contact with the parrot. Their eyes are located on the sides of their head, unlike humans who have eyes in the front. Direct eye contact can make the parrot perceive you as a predator—this is certainly not the impression you want to give!

Place your hand outside the cage and talk to the parrot softly. Doing so helps the parrot not perceive your hand as a threat, and your gentle voice will ease its anxiety. Give the parrot around a week to get used to your hand being outside the cage.

Move your hand inside the parrot's cage. Open the cage door slowly so you don't startle the parrot. Don't try to touch the parrot or anything inside the cage. The goal is for the parrot to get accustomed to your hand being in its space. This process may take about a week.

• If you're worried about being bitten, you can cover your hand with a cloth.

Hold some food, like millet, and extend your hand into the parrot's cage. Gradually move your hand closer to the parrot to see if it approaches and pecks at the food. Don't be discouraged if the parrot seems scared, stands still, or flies to another spot in the cage.

• Repeat this action at least 3-5 times, each time bringing your hand closer to the parrot. Over time, it will feel more comfortable, come closer, and peck the food from your hand.
• Offer food whenever you interact with the cage to help the parrot get used to your hand.
• This step can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.

Place your hand inside the parrot's cage. Use slow, steady movements and a soft voice, just like when you were building trust with the parrot. Although the parrot has become quite comfortable with your hand, consistency is crucial to prevent any fear, ensuring the taming process continues.

• Slowly extend your index finger to encourage the parrot to step onto it.
• If you're worried about being bitten, you can cover your hand with a cloth.

Bring your index finger closer to the parrot. Remember to do this very slowly. The parrot might react similarly to when you held food in your hand and brought it close to it. If it does, just wait for the parrot to calm down before trying again. Don’t worry if the parrot doesn’t step onto your hand right away—over time, it will learn to trust you and do so.

• If the parrot becomes too anxious and scared, you can wait and try again later or on a different day.

Encourage the parrot to step onto your hand. Once the parrot is comfortable with your finger being close, gently slide your finger under its chest, just in front of its legs, and push lightly. Be sure to do this very gently.

• If you press too firmly, the parrot may become scared and fly away.
• At first, the parrot might not understand what you’re trying to do and may fly away. Stay calm and keep trying until it understands what you want.
• Softly say 'step up' and gently push its chest to help the parrot understand you want it to step onto your finger.
• If the parrot hesitates, you can use some millet seeds to lure it to step up.

Keep your hand still. Once the parrot steps onto your finger, try to keep your hand as still as possible. Even though the parrot is used to perching on branches, it will need time to adjust to perching on your hand.

• Reward the parrot with food to reinforce positive behavior when it perches on your hand.
• Practice getting the parrot to step onto your hand a few times a day, and reward it when it does.

Take the parrot out of the cage. Once the parrot is comfortable stepping onto your hand, it’s time to start training it to leave the cage. Move slowly and speak in a calm, reassuring voice to encourage the parrot to step outside.

• The parrot may be hesitant and reluctant to leave its cage, as it sees the cage as its safe space. You can try luring it with food, but don’t force it.
• Clear the path leading outside the cage (remove toys, food bowls, and water) to make it easier for you to extend your hand outside.
• If the parrot flies away or returns to its cage when you try to take it outside, don't worry.
• If it flies away, avoid chasing it. The parrot may view you as a predator. Instead, wait for it to land somewhere, then calmly approach and extend your hand so it can perch again.
• If the parrot flies back into the cage, let it relax for a moment and try again.
• Getting the parrot to leave its cage and stay on your hand will take at least a week of consistent daily practice, or longer. Be patient and give the parrot time to adjust to being outside the cage.

When the parrot is perched on your finger, take it on a tour of different rooms. Many bird owners often take their parrots to explore the bathroom.

• Regardless of the room you take the parrot to, make sure to cover mirrors and close windows to prevent distractions. Also, ensure that the room is safe, with no dangers like spinning ceiling fans or other pets.
• In a new environment, the parrot may fly off your hand. If that happens, don’t chase it.
• Offering the parrot some treats in the new room will help it feel more comfortable in that space.
• Each time, take the parrot to a new room for about 15-20 minutes, several times a day.

Let the parrot perch on your finger. In this step, you will use both hands, making it easier to take the parrot out of its cage. Choose a room the parrot is familiar with, like the bathroom, or stick to the room it’s comfortable in.

Sit down on a chair, the floor, or the bed. It will be easier to teach the parrot to move from one hand to the other when you're sitting. Sit down slowly and gently to avoid startling the parrot, which might cause it to fly off your hand.

Place the index finger of your other hand on the parrot's chest, just in front of its legs. Gently push your finger as you would when teaching the parrot to step onto your finger, saying 'step up.' Keep repeating this until the parrot steps onto your hand. Do this daily, and the parrot will soon form the habit of transferring to your other hand.

• The parrot might not be used to your command, so try several times to help it understand that you want it to step onto your other finger.
• Reward the parrot with a small treat each time it steps onto your hand.

Practice until the parrot can step onto your finger without needing you to push on its chest anymore. As with other training steps, you should have the parrot practice this multiple times a day, for about 10-15 minutes each time. Stepping up is a very natural action for parrots, so they will learn quickly.

• Repetition is key to mastering this skill.

• Don't give up! The training process for taming a cockatiel requires a lot of patience, but the rewards are definitely worth it!
• Don't pull your hand away when the parrot bites. If you do, it will learn that biting makes you move away. This means the parrot will be training you, rather than you training it.
• If you decide to keep a parrot, it’s best to choose a younger bird, ideally a chick, as they are easier to train and their bites are less painful.
• Always remain calm and relaxed throughout the training process. Although this can take several months, maintaining your composure will make the parrot more at ease.
• Remember to close all windows when taking the parrot out of the cage, or it might fly out.
• Though taming cockatiels can be challenging, you'll soon realize they make wonderful companions!
• Young cockatiels are easier to train. All animals are generally more trainable when they are young.
• Cockatiels can be quite shy, so if you want a more confident bird, consider an Australian gray parrot. However, keeping an Australian gray parrot has its own set of challenges.
• When you first bring your parrot home, you can wear gloves to avoid pain from its bites.
• Millet seeds are very fatty, so in addition to millet, you should also offer your cockatiel other foods like fresh fruit, seeds, and pellets. However, millet remains the parrot's favorite treat.

• There are certain foods that can cause toxicity in cockatiels, and you should avoid feeding them these, such as date seeds, avocado, chocolate, and onions.