keeping them off the carpet

[bookworm0550]

it's their new annoying hobby: to hop around on the capet and peck at the bits and pieces of their food flung from their cage over the day. argh!!! and then what's worse is that they refuse to step up, even evie who is usually so good about it. she becomes such a brat and the hardest one to deal with. how can i get them to stop? I vucuum so that there are no food on the ground, but it's like they'll peck at the carpet anyway.

and they also chew at the window frame. i offer them other materials to chew, but they refuse to chew the appropriate stuff. it's so frustrating.

[LovelySydney]

I just had this conversation last night that my birds are more likely to chew things that are already in my house, not what I spent $20 on at the high end parrot store!! Gus is now very into the zip ties on Oslo's cage and Oslo chews on the couch cushions. I always think "come on, I bought you chew toys!" but, no interest thus far except when I force them to be locked in their cages when I am not around.


As far as them being on the floor eating food, can you place the food elsewhere for them to eat so they arent on the ground? Do they make more of a mess because of this behavior? When Gus started doing that, I started sprinkling some food in a tree base we have so that instead of wandering all over the floor he would eat out of the base. We have a tree in there now with soil (bird safe of course) and I put some seed on top of the soil. Gus now goes right to that tree and eats the seed, no longer goes on the floor.


I wonder why Evie isn't stepping up for you? Is she getting a little hormonal? I'm sure she will come around, sometimes they get into a little bratty streak for you!! The cuteness will come back!!! = )

[bookworm0550]

i just think it's gross to peck at the carpet. and sometimes i'll leave the room to use the bathroom and i can't find them cuz they're all on the floor thoughout the room so then i have to watch out for them. i don't want it to become a habit cuz my bf or friends might not be as watchful and careful as i am when they're over.

[bookworm0550]

p.s. i don't know if evie is getting hormonal. she's not nesty or anything. i just think she wants to do what she wants to do and not what i want her to do...you know, like a real child!!! LOL

[bookworm0550]

p.s. 2: are lovebirds ground foragers?

[Flapjack]

BIG rule in my house... No Birdies on the floor!

There are 4 people and a big dog. That's 12 big feet that can crush a little bird. Too much for me to keep track of where the birds are, not to mention where all the people are, trying to do whatever I'm doing, plus keep an eye out for 3 birds and 5 mammals.

Chino and Nokomis HATE the floor, so if they slip off the cage or a play structure, they're really easy to pick up. Jack is more sneaky. For some reason, she is obsessed with the ends of shoe laces. If someone leaves a pair of shoes on the floor, she'll try to get to them and run away when I try to catch her. It's so funny to watch, because she's the only expert flyer, but she runs when she's on the floor.

Jack also wants the dog. Shenzi is literally 1200x Jack's weight, but you cant tell that to Jack. lol

[Gill]

My two rarely go on the floor, when they do they chase my feet to bite my toes but they get scooped up by me as it hurts!! But the short time they are on the floor they peck at bits on the carpet!

[dieflying]

this probably has no merit for you, but the only time my bird ever gets on the floor on purpose and pecks the thrown food is when her dish is empty. sometimes i don't notice it as quickly as she does and so she goes foraging on the floor for food.

so it could be that their dish isn't filled to their liking, or that they're just bored and want to bug you by being on the floor!

[thebubbleking]

Mine dont go on the floor but i know lovebirds love to forage and preen fibers, the reason they dont step up readily is they are haveing fun and dont want to be bothered lol

[Eliza]

Beetle LOVED being on the floor... not that I encouraged him but if he decided to fly off of me or out of his cage, he made a bee-line for the floor and went running! Little stinker. I made it a rule to never have him out if I had company OR if I was working from home as a precaution: too much going on and my priority was to keep him safe.

Pickle, on the other hand... if he lands on the floor, he gets this bewildered expression on his face. If I don't offer him a hand to step-up onto right away, he runs towards me and starts climbing!

Funny how every birdy is different :)

[bookworm0550]

i think evie likes being on the floor cuz she likes to dive bomb from a higher place onto the floor. but i hate it. i hate that they peck at random bits from the carpet. i agree, i think they love being on the floor and making me chase them around. if the floor was truly a safe place, it'd be one thing, but it's not. the last thing i want is to walk on one.

[michael]

It may be impossible to alter a lovies behavior once they become set in their ways. Still, the hazards of a floor bound parrot is nothing to take lightly. I did quite fortunately manage to curb this habit with our newest male B.B., but I will say this, it took loads of persistence. For starters, he hates the color red, so wherever he wanted to land on the floor I placed a red shop rag. We then continued to gently foot swipe him from the floor. We now keep our shoes in the closet, as well as anything else that may attract the sharp eyed little booger. (To be honest, i'm not entirely sure what worked) So far though, its been weeks since he's been down there, but then again, its been weeks of preparing the upper atmosphere to appear a whole lot more attractive! Like a sock tied up to the coat rack.....:blush:....One things for certain.....Unless we can see him first, we never make a move!

[bookworm0550]

well, i don't know if i should even do this, but they hate being sprayed and that's what i've been doing. so far it's working. we'll see if they grow immune to it

[Enko_chan]

I don't allow my birds on the floor at all. They don't go on the floor now except by accident, and when they accidentally arrive on the floor, they panic and BOTH step up with no questions, even Odinn who doesn't usually step up.

If you want them to stay off the floor entirely, either ask them to step up or pick them up if they refuse. Do it the moment they hit the floor, every time, and they will eventually get the message. My birds are perfectly happy and mobile. They know where they are allowed in the room. They have their cage and cage top, the tapestry and hanging gym, and their tinker tower on a table.

[bookworm0550]

oh i do pick them up. as soon as i get one off the floor, i have to get another. as soon as i'm stooping to pick the second one up, the first one comes back down. it's quite a workout. and a pain. so far the misting has been working cuz they hate it. as soon as they feel it, they're off. it's one thing for them to land on the floor, it's when they are pecking at things, hanging out on the floor, and pulling at the carpet that it's a no no.

[michael]

well, i don't know if i should even do this, but they hate being sprayed and that's what i've been doing. so far it's working. we'll see if they grow immune to it

I do have a friend who used a squirt bottle to discourage his female lovie from walking the floor. Fortunately, it did help, but I warned him, should he force water into his birds ear or eye, it could cause an injury or infection. None the less, i'm glad to hear your only misting your birds as opposed to squirting them.

As Enko_chan stated, a verbal command can work wonders to teach your birds that some things are unacceptable (or even worse yet, dangerous!). More so than showing our anger or discontent towards their actions, i've always felt parrots were well equipped mentally to understand that whenever you express a deep concern for their safety in your voice, they know it.

[bookworm0550]

thanks micheal for the heads up about the infections. no, i say i spray them, but it's more of misting than spraying. LOL, in my house, "no" means "no for now, but yes in a minute or whenever the next bird does something bad"

[StormyMom]

My lovies are stubborn little things and they LOVE to wander the floor and pick at little pieces of paper or food thats been thrown there. Im constantly scooping them up. I just keep being persistant about them staying on my recliner/chair and sometimes theyll give in. I really dont know any other way to stop them tho