how to adjust previously owned lovebirds

Question
Hi!

I acquired some lovebirds today from someone who wanted to get rid of them. I have had a parakeet in the past, so I didn't think twice about adopting them. Little did I know, lovebirds can pack quite a punch into a bite, vs. the little   bites from a parakeet.

They are both female (supposedly- thats what the breeder told the previous owner, and I know its not guaranteed).
Mya is a peach face (11 mos) and Mika is a black masked (7 mos). The previous owner had them for 4 months.

I have no idea how to accustom them to my environment..I figured not to take them out for a few days, they bite a lot but the peachfaced one likes to climb around my arm. She always wants out and tries to get out when I put food and water and stuff in.

They try to bite me whenever I get close, even just get my hand in to put food in, or just put my hand close to them. The woman gave me a pair of black thick gloves she uses to handle them....

Theyre both very sweet and I really like them...I have no clue how to tame them, or how to get them to adjust.  

Answer
Hi, Kathryn.  Thanks for posting!

The first problem you have is that these birds are together...birds prefer other birds to humans, therefore, it's going to be quite a job trying to tame them down (perhaps impossible).  Secondly, give them some time!  If you just got them today, leave them alone in their cage and allow them to get used to their new home and get used to you first.  This might take a couple of weeks or a couple of months...it just depends on the bird.  If one likes climbing around your arm, let the bird do this if it's OK with you.  Problem you'll run into is getting the bird off of you when it's time to go back into the cage.  You might want to start setting your boundaries with these birds by not allowing her to come on your arm if she's going to bite.  Her reward for not biting is being allowed on your arm.  Sometimes when another bird sees another having these "fun times," the other one comes around easier.  These birds are still young and they could be trying you to see what they can get away with.  However, most likely, these birds were not handfed as babies and allowed to imprint on humans, thus, they are not tame.  

Any time you put your hand in the bird's cage, you are cornering them (at least this is what they think).  This is another reason they bite you.  Any animal that is cornered will bite.  In addition, a bird's cage is it's safety zone, it's personal territory, and most don't like "intruders" in their personal space.  Therefore, the best thing for you to do is to allow your birds to come out of their cage on their own before you attempt to work with them.  Take them to an area in your home that is away from their cage (they will always try to get back to their cage when they feel threatened/scared).  Put them down on the floor, a bed, a play stand, and just talk/interact with them, reward them for doing what you ask, etc.  Do this several times per day every day for as long as you have their undivided attention.  You may have to work with each bird separately if they don't cooperate when together (which will most likely be the case).

Come back with any additional questions.

Chrys