Lovebirds Escaping (10 Ways to Prevent it)
Last Updated on January 14, 2024 by Ali Shahid
When you are leaving for a trip, it might be a good idea to leave your lovebird with a friend. You expect it to be safe and happy. But things go wrong and your lovebird flees the house.
Perhaps you are at home working and someone knocks on the door. There’s a moment when you forget there’s a clever bird around and she escapes. Given this situation, what should be done?
First of all, don’t panic! Moments following a bird’s escape are crucial to recapturing it safely. It’s a bit more difficult to locate and capture your lovebird after it’s escaped. After all, they are capable of flying!
Additionally, even if you find your lost bird, you can’t guarantee that you will be able to capture it. There are some areas where non-native breeds eat native bird food in the wild. Recovering your pet bird is important for more than just your happiness. Furthermore, it’s vital for the health and safety of your bird.
Here are some steps that can be taken to locate a lovebird. However, before we embark on that journey, let’s look at ways to prevent lovebirds from escaping.
Do Lovebirds Escape?
Yes, lovebirds can fly away sometimes. It happens because they like to explore and fly around. If there’s a chance, like an open window or door, they might take off. People have seen lovebirds getting out of their cages, both inside and outside the house.
But, it’s crucial to know that when lovebirds fly away, it doesn’t mean they are upset or don’t like their owners. It’s just their natural behavior and curiosity. If a lovebird escapes inside, it’s best to close doors and windows quickly to stop them from going outside. Also, remove any dangers and stay calm. Finding and catching a lovebird that flew outside can be more difficult.
Do Lovebirds Return Home?
Yes, escaped lovebirds might come back, but it depends on a few things. How well the bird knows the area, its connection with the owner, and the outside conditions all play a role. Sadly, when pet lovebirds get out and end up in the wild, their chances of making it are usually low. They aren’t used to finding food or a safe place alone and can be really scared.
How to Prevent Lovebirds from Escaping?
To keep your lovebird from flying away, follow these simple steps:
- Lock the Cage Door: Make sure the cage door is always securely closed, especially when you’re not around.
- Close House Doors and Windows: When your bird is out of the cage, keep all doors and windows shut to avoid any escape attempts.
- Screen Windows and Doors: Add screens to windows and doors for an extra layer of protection, allowing fresh air in without risking your lovebird’s escape.
- Use Reminder Notes: Place a note on your front door as a reminder to close all openings before leaving.
- Educate Family Members: Ensure everyone, especially kids, knows how to keep your lovebird safe and secure.
- Keep a Photo Handy: Have a digital photo of your bird ready for making “Lost” posters if needed.
- Clip Wings Carefully: Consider clipping your bird’s wings to limit flight without causing harm. Ensure it can still flutter safely to the ground.
- Train Your Bird: Teach your lovebird to recognize your call or whistle, making it more likely to respond when out of the cage.
- Use Cage Locks: Employ locks or clips on the birdcage door to prevent any accidental openings.
- Microchip Your Bird: Consider microchipping or banding your lovebird for easier tracking if it ever escapes.
Remember, providing a comfortable and engaging environment, along with regular interaction and training, can help curb your bird’s inclination to fly away.
How to Train a Lovebird not to Fly Away?
Training your lovebird to stay put involves a few key steps, emphasizing trust-building, recall training, and potentially using a bird harness.
- Build Trust: Dedicate 30-60 minutes daily to bond with your lovebird. This fosters trust and familiarity, reducing the likelihood of it flying away.
- Recall Training: Teach your bird to fly to you on command. Start with short distances, gradually increasing as the bird gets more comfortable. Positive reinforcement like treats or affection will motivate your lovebird to come to you.
- Bird Harness: Consider using a bird harness, like the lightweight and flight-safe Aviator Harness. It allows your lovebird to enjoy outdoor flight without the risk of escaping.
- Wing Trimming: Some owners opt for wing trimming to limit their lovebird’s flying ability. Do this carefully to avoid discomfort or injury, preferably under professional guidance.
Remember, patience and consistency are crucial. Training takes time, but with persistence, you can successfully teach your lovebird not to fly away.
How to find an Escape Lovebird?
Respond Immediately
When your lovebird escapes, you must act quickly to ensure its return. Birds are capable of traveling long distances quickly. The farther away they are, the less likely you are to catch them.
Get everyone involved in finding and capturing the bird as soon as it escapes. Splitting tasks allows you to conduct multiple rescue operations simultaneously. Often, it is hard to find birds on the ground. So having many eyes on the ground is imperative.
Imagining What the Bird Sees
Occasionally, a bird won’t move due to shock. It is important to keep an eye on the bird whenever this happens. Identify a way to bring the cage closer to your bird. Generally, lovebirds prefer familiar food and shelter as long as they can land downward.
Still, lots of pets who grew up indoors haven’t learned to fly and land downward. It may take some hours before a bird finds the courage to flap its wings. However, escaped birds often flee right away.
When birds escape, they’re scared and don’t notice where they’re flying. Take a bird’s eye view of the scene. Understand that your bird cannot identify its home from the air. Assuring that your bird maintains non-stop visual contact with you is imperative.
Wear brightly colored clothing. Utilize yourself as a slow-moving familiar object to encourage the bird to approach. If you’ve spotted the bird, gather a team and track its location around the clock.
Bringing the cage near the bird
It is always best to bring the cage close to the bird. If a bird has gone missing, place a cage near the place where it flew away. For example, if your bird flew out of your front door, place the cage near your porch or on your doorstep.
If possible, hang the cage outdoors to make it look like an indoor cage. Put tasty treats in or around your bird’s cage to lure it home.
It is best to use large, easily visible pieces of food. Set up a trap door latch on the cage’s door to automatically lock when the bird enters.
Using Familiar Sounds
When cages and food fail to bring home a lost bird, call it by name instead. Repeat familiar sounds, words, and phrases in the area. You may be able to lure your pet down to you in this way.
Utilize the Community
After waiting all day for your bird, it’s time for Plan B. After a couple of hours, your bird usually gets scared and flees in some random direction. As a result, they may not be able to return home.
Let the neighbors know the bird is missing. It is still an option to reach out door-to-door, but social media is often more effective. Share your posts on your community’s Facebook page.
Do not allow anyone to attempt to catch the bird. Instead, you can request that they give you the location. Bring the cage and a few items you need to capture the bird. Be sure to alert your local vet clinic, bird club, and shelter.
People will bring lost birds to shelters. Therefore, if they know you’re searching, they can get in touch with you right away.
Wait
Once you’ve followed all these steps, the only thing left to do is wait. Luckily, you won’t have a hard time finding it after the first day. Immediately after the following freedom, birds are either terrified or excited. It can cause all kinds of erratic behavior.
They may be flying around randomly without paying attention. Most birds will calm down by the second day. They may recognize landmarks, like you or their cage. Often, an excited bird will begin searching for a home.
My lovebird flew away will it come back
In most cases, they will come back because they need food. Definitely. They’ll try their best. This situation still needs to be handled carefully. But lovebirds can’t navigate very well, and your bird hasn’t seen your house from the sky.
It has no idea what to look for. Although, if it can find its way home, it will fly home naturally. In many cases, lost birds return to their comfortable, food, and water sources on their own.
Conclusion
The good news is that there are many ways to prevent the escape of your bird or capture it again. In general, birds don’t like to stay outside for long periods. It is your responsibility to assist them in returning home.
A landmark such as your cage and the bird’s cage can help you achieve this. Alternatively, you can try calling the bird to see if they can locate you. Birds that hang around your house are usually easy to catch.
Give them a chance and they’ll fly back to their cage. To avoid the headache of catching your bird, it is better to prevent the escape.
