Taming Lola my Zebra Finch and Clinging help needed.???

[flymouse]

I wanted to show everyone my sweet little Lola. And ask for some advice too.

Ok most the time you can't tame a zebra finch. Or befriend it. aka hold it. I'm still trying on a male mainly to calm him down. His name is Zippy. He zips all over the place and tries to escape each time I open the door. Thank goodness his quarantine cage has a small door. He gets to come out soon. He moved in with us on the 1st of September when we adopted him.

Ok Lola.....we adopted her too same pet store. She was bred and brought in from a different breader. Not sure of her age but she probably is not over 3 months old now. She as you see is a fawn color so probably as i am told not a pure bread Zebra Finch line.

I also have society finches I bought in January with there second set of babies. 3 that I can see out of 5 eggs.

Videos on line said when they are about 3 to 6 weeks old they are not scared of anyone. I had a baby society finch I started holding at that age. She was so sweet and awesome but something happened at 3 months and she died. Another subject so moving on.

Lola is young so I decided to start trying on her even though she was older than 3 weeks. She of course fought me in my hand for first bit each time. I read hold them for 5 minutes twice per day. I then moved it to 15 minutes.

Now she goes to sleep in my hand. I hum a do la la la to a lullaby when I hold her and talk to her. My family laughs at me but the lullaby (lullaby and good night) calms her. I can now reach into her cage and pet her.

But the new problem is she doesn't want to get out of my hand. I will work for 5 minutes or more. Get her off she flies back on. She does NOT want in that cage. If I do get her off, the cage she is in has a HUGE door and I have to lean into it using both hands and body to try and block the opening. She will cling to my shirt, hand, fingers, side of cage and rush trying to get to me. Like a child you are leaving with a baby sitter.

I'm so afraid she will fly out and my sons dog will eat her. Ok flash back on dog and birds.

She is a sweet little dog we adopted 2 years ago but chases birds down outside and kills them. I yell at her. She is medium size. When I got my society finches in January I put them in the cage and was putting something in the cage 20 minutes later when I seen I only had one bird. The female had slipped past my arm right into Cocoa's mouth. I was so sad.

The cage Lola is in is the same cage. Will include a photo. Does anyone else have this problem.
I need a sleeve like thing like they have in ICU for the baby incubators or whatever they are called. Any suggestions. Besides throw out this $95 cage.

Oh and my new avairy has a HUGE door too. Why do they do that.

Ok pics coming. Only 3 at a time. So another following this one.
Hugs
Mickey Jo

[flymouse]

Now she goes to sleep in my hand. I hum a do la la la to a lullaby when I hold her and talk to her. My family laughs at me but the lullaby (lullaby and good night) calms her. I can now reach into her cage and pet her.

But the new problem is she doesn't want to get out of my hand. I will work for 5 minutes or more. Get her off she flies back on. She does NOT want in that cage. If I do get her off, the cage she is in has a HUGE door and I have to lean into it using both hands and body to try and block the opening. She will cling to my shirt, hand, fingers, side of cage and rush trying to get to me. Like a child you are leaving with a baby sitter..

Ok pics coming. Only 3 at a time. So another following this one.

[flymouse]

So how do I get her to not fly out and stop clinging. It is like when a 2 year old wraps there arms around your leg and you get one arm loose then the start on the 2nd and they re wrap the first and back and forth. It is a fight to let me shut the door keeping her inside. But I don't want to stop the training. I want to be able to have her fly from and to my hand. Or that is my goal. grin.

[Kelly]

flymouse
Super cute birds
I love Lola's color

[flymouse]

flymouse
Super cute birds
I love Lola's color

Thank you Kelly. Loraine Lady Gouldian.com told me to look up Finch Mutations.

[wildbird]

If the cage door opens out, you can put zip ties on each corner of the top so it will slide up and down making it easier to get your hand out. Maybe she would be more likely to want to stay in it if there was another female there so as not to be alone. I would never open the cage doors unless the dog was locked in another room.

[lovezebs]

flymouse

I agree with wildbird, dog goes in another room, with door closed, when you're dealing with the birds.

Lola, is a pure bred Zebra, only a different colour mutation. She is a lovely looking little girl.

[flymouse]

Yes I agree. I'm going to include some picks of the door. I don't see any way for it to slide up. Stupid people that design them probably don't even have birds.


Hmm weird each time I load pic it is not there. Let me try again.