Lovebird Nasty

[country woman]

The last few days mylovebird Tiki has become nasty to me. Yesterday I cleaned his cage out new shavings in and clean water and fresh food, when I put him back in his cage I went to pet him and he bit me hard leaving a mark. he has never done this before.

 

[woman.at.the.well]

the only thing that comes to mind is that birds are VERY territorial of their cages so maybe that had something to do with it. i'm sure you handle the bird in and out of the cage all the time but he/she may just have had an off moment. lovies tend to be bullies as well so may have just been being a little awnry.

i have 3 lovebirds so they are not even interested in the human touch and i don't push it. i try to let them live as naturally as possible without my interference since they have one another for companionship. maybe your lovie could use a friend? i would check to see how they do with another bird after they've been alone for awhile first though.

 

[awashinlove]

He's simply getting how most parrots in captivity get, and why thousands lose their homes and even their lives each year. This is a good time to remind people that birds do reach a point where they're very, very belligerent. One will never keep the company of a parrot without winding up with stitches some day. But I digress.

country woman, it's possible he may be a she, and she may be nesting. Either way, at this point don't give him any extra attention, but nor do you want to deprive him. Try instead for a time to not change a thing. Keep your normal schedule, get him out to play as usual. When he bites you you absolutely can not back away or give him any reaction. Calmly, quietly, and firmly remove him from your flesh and return to normal after lowering your voice considerably and saying, "No bite." Make sure there are no dark corners in his cage and that no toys can be hidden behind/in/under. Do not touch him anywhere but his head, neck, and feet, it's important you don't stimulate his body (whether male or female). Be sure to provide cuttlebone.

Give him a few months and see what happens. Do know that you can work through this. It's imperitive you stay strong, and take a few bites for the team. Lovebirds don't introduce to buddies well so you can't be swayed from being his companion during this rough time. Many like to say it's time to give up at this common point, but I can promise you that with the right attitude and dedication you'll do just fine, even if it's far down the road. I've seen countless birds turn around after being thrown around a slew of people who give up - so don't give up.

 

[country woman]

When I got home I took him out of his cage and he was fine. very loving, sat on my shoulder and chirped quietly. he flew to the floor and was fine. he went to his cage and went in. I wil try what you said. thanks for the advice. Will he/she be like this for long. Tiki never done this before. I do love him very much and will never give up.

 

[qpmomma]

HOw old is Tiki? As birds mature they test you to see what they can get away with. Birds always test boundries and your position as flock leader. It's very important you set boundries and establish yourself as flock leader. awashinlove gave good advice. WHen he bites, don't overeact b/c then he'll think, "hey, that was fun, I'll do that again!" Be confident when you handle him. Birds can sense when you are uneasy and they'll use that. Don't be afraid to get bitten. When I'm doing something with my quaker and I think she's going to bite me, I give her my hand and offer the chance to bite to show her I am confident, I am not afraid of her, and I am not going to back down and give into her. Most of the time she sees this and backs down w/o biting. If I am doing something and I accidently hurt her or something, that's a different story and she had every right to bite me.

Remember, it's never the bird's fault when you get bitten. Learn to read Tiki's body language. I can always tell by Spencer's body language what kind of mood she's in. If she's in a crabby mood, I don't push anything with her b/c I know I will get bitten. She has only seriously bitten me once and it was my fault. Everyother time she gave me warning bites or signs.

I agree with only petting the bird's head. Petting the back and tail can excite the bird and frustrate him/her. Even if you were able to pet him on his back before. Baby birds grow up. One quaker breeder once said, "you wouldn't take your 30 year old grown son, lift up his shirt and give him a rasberry would you?" The same applies to birds. What was acceptable to a baby may not be acceptable to adults. When Spencer was a baby I was able to put her head down and blow on her neck, but now she's too cool for that! lol

Cage agression is another great point to bring up. Don't force a bird to step up inside thier cage. Thier cage is thier home and should be treated with respect. Try removing Tiki from his cage next time you have to clean it, rearange toys, or give him food/water. Even if he let you do that before, he may be growing up. Would you want your mom barging into your house, moving stuff around?

Good luck and God bless!

Christina

 

[awashinlove]

When I got home I took him out of his cage and he was fine. very loving, sat on my shoulder and chirped quietly. he flew to the floor and was fine. he went to his cage and went in. I wil try what you said. thanks for the advice. Will he/she be like this for long. Tiki never done this before. I do love him very much and will never give up.

Birds change for days, weeks, months, or years and they frequently turn their behavior on and off - every last one is different and to set a standard is to not understand birds. Lovebirds are some of the most difficult out there, I'd put them in a category with Cockatoos and Amazons, so bear with him. This may well have been a one-time deal, or you won't see another incident for a week, but in any event stay consistent.

Cage agression is another great point to bring up. Don't force a bird to step up inside thier cage. Thier cage is thier home and should be treated with respect. Try removing Tiki from his cage next time you have to clean it, rearange toys, or give him food/water.

Just from my own experience, allowing a bird aggression this far gives many the go-ahead to be aggressive at further dates and times. Basically, "they win." Unfortunately, there comes a time when they'll take full advantage of any moment in history when you may have slipped. I never view a cage as the bird's, that cage is my cage in my home, and that bird has no right to bite me on my territory, just as they'd expect in nature. My birds know there's never any use in biting me, I'll get my way so it's their choice to back down and make things go smoothly.

Don't ever tease a bird, of course, but there's no harm in pushing a bird's social limits and refusing to submit. Since the bird is permanently stuck in captivity steps must be taken to conform their emotional state for the sake of their emotional sake. If you don't like aggression, don't ever tolerate it. If they bite inside their cage you make it your new hang-out for awhile. The difference in behavior has always been a positive one, this is among the best pieces of advice I've ever given.

Sadly, breeders have spread that one must leave birds alone in their cage. Most of a breeder's advice will indeed revolve around avoiding a bite as this boosts sales and lowers returns, even at the long-term expense of the animal.

 

[country woman]

He was been a lot nicer. yesterday and today. Not so agressive. I think he is almost a year old,

 

[country woman]

Yesterday I had Tiki out of the cage. I let her come out on her own. I was reading a book I have on love birds and it said at a certain age Tiki will start nesting, well I got my proof yesterday when she was on my lap she was tearing pieces of paper and tucking them under her her feathers then would fly to her cage and put them in her house. She will not let put my hand in her cage like she used to. but will come out on her own. Is this normal for Lovebirds. I tell her that I love her and she chirps softly as she seems to understand what I am saying.How long will this go on?

 

[awashinlove]

Yesterday I had Tiki out of the cage. I let her come out on her own. I was reading a book I have on love birds and it said at a certain age Tiki will start nesting, well I got my proof yesterday when she was on my lap she was tearing pieces of paper and tucking them under her her feathers then would fly to her cage and put them in her house. She will not let put my hand in her cage like she used to. but will come out on her own. Is this normal for Lovebirds. I tell her that I love her and she chirps softly as she seems to understand what I am saying.How long will this go on?

You need to put your foot down with her - would you let a 2-year-old kiddo keep you out of their room by biting you? Nope! Let her know where you stand on the cage. All birds will try and cross a line with you and seperate themselves, but for both of your sakes you must do what you can to bolster the human-parrot relationship. You're her flock, and she's in your cage.

About the paper, some males will actually tuck paper in their feathers to make themselves prettier, so this doesn't guarantee nesting.

But if she is nesting, without knowing her breeding origins, either you were lied to about her age or she's mass bred and at one point had harmful hormones in her. Keep a close eye on her health, and be sure to have fresh cuttlebone. Generally they don't nest for more than a couple of weeks once they feel comfortable enough to lay eggs, but they do procreate on demand so there's no telling how long one would nest beforehand. Make sure to regularly mist her, and consider popping over to a vet if you want to confirm whether or not she's nesting.

 

[country woman]

Today I cleaned her cage with no problem. Tiki was out of her cage yesterday and was very good. No biting at all.

 

[country woman]

Yesterday when I was cleaning Tiki's cage I noticed she layed an egg. We took the egg out and this morning she had another one. We took that one too. How many more eggsis she going to lay? They will never develop since we don't have a male. Will Tiki be ok. She is not as mean now.

 

[awashinlove]

No, no, no - leave those eggs alone. She needs to understand the eggs aren't fertilized, you can kill her by taking them away because she will continue to lay until she has a nest and this can give her a calcium deficiency. Just leave the eggs in there until the bird stops nesting - leave them all for no less than a month, and if she nests for a year (which is a rare occurance) then you just let the eggs sit for a year. I, myself, leave eggs until the female smashes them, which usually takes about three months.

If you don't have it already it is imperative you get her fresh cuttlebone. Move her water and food a few inches from the nest and keep a daily log of her weight.

She should lay an egg about every 48 hours, and will do this for as few as six days or as many as twelve days (average is between the two). So you should find she makes a nest of 3 to 6 eggs, but will most-likely stop around four.

 

[country woman]

She has not layed another egg. She does have a cuttle bone and her dishes are not near her nest.