Uhhhh what's that noise??

[LovelySydney]

Well today must be the day that Gus decided he is comfy at our home. Around 4pm he started chirping to himself quietly, and now, 40 minutes later, he is being VERY LOUD and very chirpy - ear piercing even. I don't know if this is bird 'screaming' or flock calling. Is this normal? I haven't had a lovey long enough so that they can settle so I don't know the behavior once they figure 'this is home'. This is very well behavior she could have while my bf & I are both away at work - Im usually not home in the afternoon so this could be normal for all I know.

How long does this usually last?
Will he wear himself out?
Does he need something that I'm not giving him?
Is he lonely or bored or hungry?


I'm going to go have to go homework in the other room because Gus has become VERY distracting, to say the least:(

[bookworm0550]

it's normal, very normal. he's just being a bird and being loud. i find that loud birds tend to be more comfy in their surroundings rather than quiet and shy their first few days. and it never stops ;)

[Kali]

Do you have any other noise in the room, TV. Radio.
Mine tend to up the decibels to compete with any other noise.
When we have visitors they get louder and louder, then it is not unusual for me to shout.
BE QUITE YOU TWO, WE CAN'T TALK OVER YOU.
It usually works for a little while at least.:happy:

[nacho135]

it took about a week after i brought my lovie home for him to actually start making noise, and he still isnt too loud, but when we whistle to him thats when he makes the most noise.

[bookworm0550]

man, you guys have it lucky. mine love to be loud. i should rename Joey to Loud and Pan to Louder. Evie's usually the quiet one, but she has her moments. My bf and i feel bad when Evie's chirping loud nonstop and we blame Joey and Pan til we realize Joey's eating and pan's playing. Oops. They all sound the same, what can I say?

[LovelySydney]

well - the noise hasnt't stopped, infact, it's gotten worse. and Gus's behavior has become worse. He now refuses to step up or come out of his cage at all. We leave the door open all day, he usually would come right out and climb to the top and sit there, now he won't even come near the door. Nothing traumatizing has happened to him that would prevent him from coming out - we haven't tried to grab him or pick him up, everythings on his own terms. But he will not come out of his cage, he wont accept millet, he just sits in there and SCREAMS and the closer you get, the louder he gets.

We don't know what to do. I can handle a vocal bird, but this is constant, 6 hours of screaming, it's very hard to understand let alone handle.


Any ideas?

[LauraO]

Sometimes it's hard to give advise on the board due to not being able to see or hear what is going on. I know it's hard, but can you describe the type fo screaming/chirping that is going on? No lovebird should scream for six hours straight. If there has not been one break then something is wrong. My first thought is there may be something Gus sees near his cage that is making him uncomfortable. It could be anything, including something you or someone in your house is wearing.

In general, you are going to notice a lot of behavior changes in Gus over the next year. He has already been rehomed and changed environments at least two or three times that we know of. That is a TON of change for any creature. So understanding and stability will be necessary.

[LovelySydney]

Well he ended up coming out of his cage and became quiet little Gus, as we know him to be! He just sat atop his cage and watched everything WITHOUT the noise. When I went to pet his beak, which we have been doing for the past week with no problems, he backed up and flew to the bookcase. I just don't understand this change in behavior because he was coming along so well and now he just seems to be very scared.

A little bit ago he got out and my bf used the stick to pick him up and place him on my shoulder. He is now sitting there calmly, my little Goomba all puffed up and comfy, he's actually in my hood. So maybe he was has just been throwing some temper tantrums lately. I feel like I haven't spend enough time with him this weekend, so he might be feeling lack of interaction on my part. I make sure not to wear outrageous clothing or alarm him in any ways, I do treat Gus like a little baby!!


I'm a little embarrassed about my posting earlier. I will admit I was becoming very frustrated with Gus, especially because we were (I thought) starting to bond and then he just 180'd on me with his behavior. I love that he's in my hood right now snuggled and I realize that the positive outcomes far outweigh the negatives when they happen.


Everyone might have to bear with me while I learn everything about my goomba. I only had Luka for a short time, not nearly long enough to go through all the lovebird stages that Gus will have. This will take time for me! but I want to thank everyone for being so supportive and helpful when I have questions. I am NOT going to throw in the towel on Gus or re-home him or anything, he is a part of our family for the long run!! I am determined to make this work and to encourage and learn good behavior for the both of us = )

thanks again.

[bookworm0550]

it is tough when you think you are making progress and then it seems to go backwards. that's how it is w/ pan. he'll let me pet him or give him scritches and then he'll freak out moments later or bite me next time i try to get close. it is very frustrating, but i'm just being as consistent as i can be and as patient as i can be. i know it's one baby step forward and 3 huge steps back at times.

they will change as time goes on, like any one of us. My Joey is still his sweet self, but there's a horny, fiesty, rebel fighter in him at times that was not there when he was still a baby. Everyone told me he was gonna go through a nippy stage and that that was nothing compared to hormones and now I see what they mean.

you know, these lovies, they have a mind of their own so don't be worried if he didn't step up today. maybe he's just having a really bad day or something. maybe he's just testing you like all kids do. he'll be fine.

[Enko_chan]

Keep an eye on him if he was screaming for an abnormal period of time and acting strange and then suddenly calmed down and got clingy. He wasn't acting lethargic or anything when he calmed down, right? I may be reading more into what you described than actually happened, I'm just double-checking.


Birds do go through changes, and sometimes it is tough to know when they're being quirky and when something is wrong or needs to be changed!

[LovelySydney]

no he's not sick enko, although I appreciate the concern. He just snoozed & then when we put him back on his cage he was back to exploring and chirping away until bedtime.

bookworm how long have you had pan? that's exactly how it is with Gus...we are consistent with him but he is not with us! I understand that he's not going to just jump on me and want to cuddle but one day he's on my shoulder and snoozing and the next when I come near him he acts like I am a complete stranger and that beak comes at me! I guess besides being frustrating it just makes me sad, because like you said, its 1 step forward, 3 steps back. Hopefully in time we will become better friends. & I know it TAKES time, I just wonder sometimes if I am doing the right things with him or if maybe he's just not going to be a 'people' bird, if that makes sense.

[bookworm0550]

i'm sure he'll come around seeing as you are his only flock. i had pan since Jan 2nd of this year. it took a month for him to settle and the other two to get used to him.

[LovelySydney]

Gus for whatever reason has become completely cage territorial. he has never had a problem with me changing food & water but this morning he saw me coming, squaked and squaked and before I knew it he was latched on my finger. I can't even put my hands near the cage anymore, he now warns me with chirping that he's going to bite. I can't lie, I am so sad that he doesn't like me. I almost cried this morning because I just don't understand. I know Gus will never be able to talk to me and tell me what's wrong but man I wish he could!! He just hid in the corner of his cage all morning, occasionally squaking at me. I feel completely defeated.


I know I sound like a little baby but I am sad:(

[BarbieH]

Aw, he still likes you! He's just protecting his cage, which to him is like a nest. Are you sure Gus is a boy? They can be cage territorial too, but this is very common with hens.

When Gracie (my lovebird mentor) gets super territorial about the dishes, I distract her to another part of the cage with one hand or a piece of paper, while I change dishes with the other. It's safer. I know she loves me, but she's just wired to protect her territory.

Regarding the original noise question, happy birds are typically chirpy birds. Birds that don't feel safe really don't make a lot of noise. All my birdies get wound up and have a very chirpy time in the afternoon. Then, for no apparent reason, they all stop. Part of it is a flock thing. I sometimes call back to them, it ingrains me even further in the flock. Gus would probably like that. :) (Added: You never know what they will consider to be a contact call. I've had them answer back when I sneeze. They try to imitate it.)

[bookworm0550]

awwww, i'm sorry :( i wish i could be of better help w/ advice, but i've never had that encounter before.

[LovelySydney]

we are still waiting on the sex results for Gus - maybe our he is a she after all. It was just a very sudden mood change for him becuase like I said, he has never cared that my hands were in the cage and today he just HATED it.

As bummed as I am by this I am going to keep trying. I'm wondering if he is acting like this because he is a lonely bird? Maybe even though the previous owner had a bird who tried to kill him, he likes the company of another bird? We can't have two at this time (one was the compromise!) so I hope that isn't the case, but I do wonder.

[BarbieH]

It truly doesn't sound lonely to me, as much as it sounds hormonal. Gracie would go from zero to ***** (the "b" word) in zero flat! Then, after about a week, she would go back to her normal self again. How old is Gus now?

For now, protect your hands by distracting Gus to another part of the cage. Eventually he will get used to the idea of not biting the hand that is changing the dish.

A biting bird can really test your love, and accepting what you need to do (compromising with a few grams of feathers) can really grow your love. I have a very deep relationship with Gracie, and I can't even touch her.

[LovelySydney]

Gus is roughly 13 week's I'd say. There is still black on his beak although its slightly going away. He just came out of his cage and is wandering around which is a good sign, although we'll see what happens when I try to get him back in!!

[thebubbleking]

Think in terms of perpetual two year olds.. they will constantly try to get attention, try to push limits, and basicly get away with whatever they can lol

[LovelySydney]

Well - tonight Gus came out of his cage on his own and we did clicker training for awhile. He was very determined to get the millet so it went well. Gus knows 'click' means treat and knows it very well, but tonight when I tried to get him to step up he ran away from the dowel scared. I wish I knew what has made him so skittish lately. After some time he napped on top of his cage while the dogs and I did the same on the couch.

No screaming tonight. I actually put my face right in his tonight and touched his beak with my nose, he didn't react. I didn't really mean to do it, lol, I was looking at his coloring and got too close, but I'm glad I didn't get bit! Once 6pm rolled around he was in bed already, looking at me to put the cover over his cage!!

Sooner or later I will get him to go to bed at a later time! I feel like this hinders us too, our bonding I mean - because I get home from work at 5 and and an hour later he's in bed. = ( I need more time with my Goomba.