humping and humping and humping and humping

[diljaa]

I have a problem with Pixel as he humps and he humps all day long!! I got a few good tips before on another forum but they don't seem to be working all that well, I'm thinking lovie specialists to the rescue.

I started to take out his happy hut and any shreddable toys he's got, then I took out his swing since he was regurgitating on it all the time, then I took out his favorite pacifier/bell toy and his rope perch since those things were his main humping things. He's been getting 16 hours of sleep with a dark cover completely covering his cage in a quiet room and I've tried limiting his food so he only gets food for an hour twice a day. No wet foods, only seeds and pellets and the occasional bites of veggies.
As soon as I take out a toy he's focusing on he just goes to the next toy, so at the moment he's only got 2 toys left in his cage, one is brand new so he doesn't like that yet but he's starting to regurgitate to the other one.
Keeping him out of the cage doesn't help, he likes our feet (wearing socks) so he goes straight for them when out and gets MAD when we tell him no. He humps his playstand and his boing, his traveling cage and he does it in the car and having a friend birdiesitting didn't slow things down either.

Since I limited his daylight hours the humping has decreased some but not at all as much as I had hoped

[Enko_chan]

Out of curiosity, is he humping only soft things?

I switched my lovies over to non-soft toys and there ended the humping.

My Odie humped constantly and I MEAN constantly. He'd rest for only a few seconds before going at it again. He's finally stopped since he doesn't have anything soft.

[diljaa]

Out of curiosity, is he humping only soft things?


No, he humps his perches next to his toys and regurgitates to his toys. After I took out the rope perch he's been doing it on a natural tree branch and the plastic ones that came with the cage. Definitely not soft things.

[kimsbirds]

Male birdies all hump...some more than others..and its' completely normal and natural! If you are bothered by it, perhaps focus on something else. Pixel isn't complaining :whistle:
Keep his objects of interest clean and rotate them often.
I don't find limiting a male's daylight hours, amounts of food, and nesting materials helps with over-humping at all. Females who are chronic layers, but not males.
Pixels' feeling just fine and he's doing what his hormones are telling him to do.
I'm sure within a few weeks, Pixel will calm down and it won't seem so "constant".

[thebubbleking]

Unless it is causeing feather loss or skin irratation...boys will be boys

[Pips mom]

Gee, I thought Pip was bad! he only likes soft things as well. How are his feathers holding up during this.....Pip's used to look very ratty and thin from humping too much on certain things. I would tend to agree that this probably won't go on so bad like this forever and will let up eventually. I know with Pip, he has his regular daily humping, but at times it will seem like he humps way more, then other times, barely at all. I've always been happy that Pip goes straight to his humpy toy when he comes out of his cage.....it keeps him busy and out of trouble for a little while! :rotfl I guess I've always looked at it as nature taking it's course and just a bird being a bird!

[Jally]

When I had Peanut to the vet recently, I asked if the marks on the bottom of his tail were stress bars. She said yes, but that they were a few months old since they were on the end of his tail feathers. I said that a few months ago is when I took away all his "happy" toys and asked if that was causing stress bars. She said that it probably was, however I did the right thing in taking them away. And then she said if she were me, she would not put them back.

Peanut was humping constantly! His little bum was rubbed raw! So, I thought I'd try to take them away and see what happens. He only had 2 that he was being happy with and he hadn't found a replacement as of yet. But, taking them away hasn't done him any harm. I often think though that he needs that outlet since it is a natural thing, but like I said, it hasn't done him any harm, in fact, he is just as ornery as ever.

[Enko_chan]

I agree that in normal circumstances, humping is a natural and normal thing. I have had birds that have humped a lot before and it never bothered me, but this was something else entirely. What needs to be understood about why I removed the 2 soft things that Odinn was humping was that his feathers in his private area were rubbed off, he was doing it from the crack of dawn until I turned off the lights at night, with literally mere seconds, as in less than 20 seconds, in between sessions. This went on for more than 2 months, and showed no signs of stopping. Even humping five or ten times a day may be OK, but my deepest instincts to protect them told me that this was not OK.

It was also affecting his relationship with his mate who was angry and stressed out the entire time he was doing it.

Odinn seems no worse for the wear without his humpy toys, but I am a bit baffled as to what the situation is with Pixel's. Just how much IS he humping? If it is a normal and reasonable amount it may be that its just something that will have to be accepted, but if its not, vet intervention may be necessary.

[bookworm0550]

dang, that's crazy humping. thank god my birds aren't THAT obsessed that their feathers are rubbed off.

[diljaa]

Pixels' feeling just fine and he's doing what his hormones are telling him to do. I'm sure within a few weeks, Pixel will calm down and it won't seem so "constant".
So I should just be proud of my little boy ;o) He's healthy and happy and just wants to pass that on to some little ones


I don't find limiting a male's daylight hours, amounts of food, and nesting materials helps with over-humping at all. Females who are chronic layers, but not males.
He's not been DNA sexed but all things points to him being a boy. He hasn't tried to nest or lay eggs (obviously) and when he finishes humping he really "finishes" if you know what I mean. But yeah, it hasn't helped much to limit daylight or food so I'm guessing it's not a factor here.


Unless it is causeing feather loss or skin irratation...boys will be boys
There is some feather rattiness but that's it and that just started after he was forced to hump a natural branch instead of a soft rope perch


I agree that in normal circumstances, humping is a natural and normal thing. I have had birds that have humped a lot before and it never bothered me, but this was something else entirely. What needs to be understood about why I removed the 2 soft things that Odinn was humping was that his feathers in his private area were rubbed off, he was doing it from the crack of dawn until I turned off the lights at night, with literally mere seconds, as in less than 20 seconds, in between sessions. This went on for more than 2 months, and showed no signs of stopping. Even humping five or ten times a day may be OK, but my deepest instincts to protect them told me that this was not OK
This is exactly what Pixel and I are going through! Constant, non stop humping. Although when you say this I feel that his humping has decreased more than I realized before, but this used to be the situation here. I don't know if me taking all his fave toys and perches out are a factor or if he's just naturally slowing down. After taking out a toy yesterday I'm pretty sure he was regurgitating to his water feeder! :omg:


Odinn seems no worse for the wear without his humpy toys, but I am a bit baffled as to what the situation is with Pixel's. Just how much IS he humping? If it is a normal and reasonable amount it may be that its just something that will have to be accepted, but if its not, vet intervention may be necessar

The guy I got him from told me that there most likely were many factors to his humping, he's young and this is probably the first "grown up" mating season and his hormones are going nuts, I changed his food in the spring from an all seed diet (he was on that when I got him) and maybe he's just feeling better with energy to spare or something.
I have a vet appointment next Monday so I'm going to have him checked out.
I'm just a little worried about his weight, he's too thin and I really want him to gain weight but of course he's not gaining any during all this humping. He got sick in March and lost some weight then and went as low as 37 grams, I got him up to 42 grams but then we had to have someone birdiesit for 4 days and he went down to 40 again (don't get me started). Took him a while to get back up to 42 since the constant humping isn't exactly fattening.

Thank you all for your responses! I really appreciate you taking the time to help me and, if nothing else, let me feel better about my little hornbird.
Hearing that your lovies are the same really calms my nerves especially after someone said he could get hormonal toxicity and another person tried to have me believe this was a behaviour problem like plucking.

[Bubblelady]

when he finishes humping he really "finishes" if you know what I mean.





Ah yes, I know EXACTLY what you mean :omg: My first lovie was known to all the local avian vets as the lovie "with the sexual problem" :blush: And woe be unto him who bothered him before he was "finished". A friend who witnessed his passion commented, at the end, "So, now do you give him a tiny little cigarette?" May I add I was his one and only "humpy toy". He fed his perches, the furniture, my ear (to name a few) but saved all his humping for me :blush: It's how he said "hello" to me. He did it EVERY TIME we were "reunited". Like, he'd left me for 5 minutes to go eat & then came right back. "Hello"! Once per "visit" would hold him, but any physical separation called for another "reunion". He really liked my sock-clad big toe, but my head, hand, shoulder, knee--all would do if my feet were unavailable. We tried female hormone injections but they were only good for 3 weeks/shot. And I never noticed any seasonal difference.

I'm really hoping my new lovie is a HEN!

[papahassan17]

Both male and female lovebirds do love to hump. This is is very normal and you shouldn't be so alarmed with it. However, when your lovebird excessively humps maybe it will be better if you take the object or the toy out of your lovebirds cage, in the wild humping has an important purpose among male lovebirds, they do it so as to encourage egg-laying in female lovebirds.
You can substitute those objects or toys where they love to hump to another where they to enjoy to play :D

[diljaa]

Both male and female lovebirds do love to hump. This is is very normal and you shouldn't be so alarmed with it. However, when your lovebird excessively humps maybe it will be better if you take the object or the toy out of your lovebirds cage, in the wild humping has an important purpose among male lovebirds, they do it so as to encourage egg-laying in female lovebirds.
You can substitute those objects or toys where they love to hump to another where they to enjoy to play :D


If I remove a toy of interest he just moves on to the next toy so there seems to be no stopping him!

[wilkiecoco]

Ah yes, I know EXACTLY what you mean :omg: My first lovie was known to all the local avian vets as the lovie "with the sexual problem" :blush: And woe be unto him who bothered him before he was "finished". A friend who witnessed his passion commented, at the end, "So, now do you give him a tiny little cigarette?" May I add I was his one and only "humpy toy". He fed his perches, the furniture, my ear (to name a few) but saved all his humping for me :blush: It's how he said "hello" to me. He did it EVERY TIME we were "reunited". Like, he'd left me for 5 minutes to go eat & then came right back. "Hello"! Once per "visit" would hold him, but any physical separation called for another "reunion". He really liked my sock-clad big toe, but my head, hand, shoulder, knee--all would do if my feet were unavailable. We tried female hormone injections but they were only good for 3 weeks/shot. And I never noticed any seasonal difference.

I'm really hoping my new lovie is a HEN!

this describes kiwi to a tee!!!!!!!!!!!!! i never thought of it that way - as a reunion - but that is exactly what it is. if he flies off to visit someone else in the house , whether it be 5 minutes or 1, once he returns to me, it is back to humping. (one per visit just like you said) I like the way you put it Bubble - it is like he is saying hello! Now if only I could teach him another way to greet me!! :blush::omg:

[Bubblelady]

Now if only I could teach him another way to greet me!! :blush::omg:

Good luck with that! I never found one :rofl:

[Enko_chan]

I feel relieved that Odinn only humped soft things and that this never included me.

Though, something did change in our relationship when the humping started. He used to let me hold him and would lay on his back in my hand and allow me to kiss his feet and tickle his tummy- never again. He never bites, but his interests shifted to Chris- without humping, and to his "humpy" as we call the fleece object of his affection. Since the humpy has been gone, his interest has been in Freyja primarily, though they never got back in the groove of humping one another- and Freyja still tries to mount him sometimes.

He did not move on, once I moved the fleece things out of his cage, which is a relief. I couldn't care less if he humps, but I would prefer him to not hump off his privates following his feathers. His feathers have all but fully grown back in in the three months since we took away his humpy.

[bookworm0550]

Speaking of humping, I saw my hen humping joey's humping toy but she didn't get very far cuz pantalaimon wanted to cuddle and preen