Humping Me!

[Smudge]

My 9 year old Lovebird (Smudge) has only been with me for a couple months but he's VERY attached to me. Originally we expected him to bond with my fiancee as he always had a thing for men but now he won't even let my fiancee take him out of the cage or spend time with him and anytime I talk or laugh he starts chirping and squaking.

All this is fine as I'm home most of each day and he spends all of it with me. Thing is that apparently he used to hump his stuffed animals and since we've had him he hasn't done it once. This morning, however, he started humping my foot! It's like a little mini dance against my foot and it's freaking hilarious. He's done it quite a few times since this morning.

I'm just wondering if this is okay or is this something that needs to be discouraged? Also anyone know why he's doing it? He doesn't regurgitate or anything. Thanks!

[summoora]

If I'm not mistaken, humping can't usually be completely eliminated, but it can lead to regurgitation and other hormonal behaviors, and it can indicate sexual frustration in the bird, so therefore should be discouraged. Decreasing his daylight hours to 10-12 such that he gets 12-14 hours of sleep can help keep his hormones in check, as well as (if he makes it at all possible) making sure he spends time socializing with other people, such as your fiancee. Sometimes a snuggle hut or nest will aggravate these behaviors as well.

[JudiNh]

Jitterbug does this ALL the time. As soon as we open his cage door, he flies immediately to my son's stuffed animals and goes at it. Awful! I have no advice, just to say, I feel your pain. :omg:

[Pips mom]

Pip has always been this way........he used to hump so much that all his feathers on his chest area and lower were always worn with thin spots and looked ratty! I've always just let Pip do his thing, and he seems pretty happy, no problems, just a lovie bein a lovie I think. It never led to anything else like regurgitating. These days he still has his favorite thing to hump.......Ivy's swing! Sometimes it's the first place he goes when he wakes up! but I've noticed that he's not too bad about the humping anymore. He still does it daily, but like I said, it's never really caused a problem, and it seems to make him happy, so I never really concerned myself with too much with Pip's humping. He has never, however, tried to hump me!!! :rotfl

[michael]

......I'm just wondering if this is okay or is this something that needs to be discouraged? Also anyone know why he's doing it? He doesn't regurgitate or anything. Thanks! It could be the season as both my males are currently in breeding mode. .. B.B., in particular, also has a foot fetish. Why does he have a foot fetish? I think it may have something to do with toenails appearing as though their beaks ready to be fed. I've also noted the same behavior around fingers as well. .. I've tried to discourage him using a spray bottle, but instead, he now likes the spray bottle. ..No no... not that way. He just likes to bathe all day. .. At any rate, along with the aforementioned decrease in daylight hours and happyhut removal, bathing does tend to help cool his jets a bit. .. Most the time however, he's right back at it no matter what I do. .... All in all, whenever its mating season, neither of my birds appear to be any worse for wear. .. Like yours, both are relatively middle aged lovebirds, who aren't yet ready to give up their extra curricular activities. My advice, is do try to discourage Smudges behavior by employing whatever indirect methods you can. And if possible, do try to keep him off the floor. Its not safe there. .. Along with removing those items that seem to prompt him into breeding mode, cutting back on daylight hours and frequent bathing, all put together, might make Smudge a little more comfortable. .. Of course, it can be a little difficult to remove your feet, to which you'll just have to make sure you don't step on him. Seriously. ...........:)

[JudiNh]

LOL...Jitterbug is also obsessed with toes and fingernails! SAME thing!! :omg:

[Smudge]

Thanks everyone. I always have socks on so it's not the nails. He never goes on the floor as we have way too many animals for that to be safe for him so whenever he humps my foot it's when I have it up on our coffee table or have my legs crossed on the couch. :)

[Enko_chan]

He may like your socks. My Odinn loves fleecie, soft, bathrobe type, and soft sock material. I've used things like this when I make or refurbish toys and its what he goes for- though his favorite thing is just a piece of fleece. When he first started up he was so insatiable that he was bald in the crotch. I thought there may have been something wrong with him. He calmed down over time, though. This has never led to regurgitation, even after his mate started giving him the cold shoulder when it came to mating and regurgitation things. (They still love to play with each other but they are both males and have differing tastes and feelings when it comes to mating, though they once got on when they were babies.) Anyhow, if it bothers you that he does this to your toe, or if you're afraid of him becoming attached to you in an unhealthy way, perhaps limiting the amount of light he gets, or (opposite kind of advice one usually gives- I know) perhaps offer him something he may like to hump in his cage that is not you. Although some males do have hormonal problems and regurg. issues, it seems to me that many, even most male lovies/parrots hump and that its a natural and normal thing.