So discouraged/frustrated with Jitterbug

[JudiNh]

Here I am again...just sounding off about Jitterbug. Im so discouraged with him and getting frustrated. He is just SO naughty now! He bites us all the time, and goes after any other bird he can get near. He is just out of control. I feel so badly for him that he is in his cage so much, but he just WONT behave when we let him out. So, he just stays in nearly all day. Seems sad, and cruel, but I dont know what else to do. Do you think another home would be in his best interest? Somewhere that he could be the ONLY bird, and have a person's undivided attention? Would that settle him down? Or, maybe, a home where he could have a female to bond with? I dont know what he wants. I just know that he is not happy, and right now, neither are we. :( I feel awful saying that, but Im just being honest. Can anyone offer any suggestions:? We're at wits end....:cry:

[linda040899]

Judi,
I'm assuming that Jitterbug is clipped, correct? I think part of the problem is misunderstanding and it's an endless circle. What's so odd to me is that Jitterbug is a male and this is very unusual behavior for male lovebirds. With the hundreds I've had over the years, I've never had a male be aggressive or biting. That's always been female behavior. Is he DNA sexed? From what I've seen, a contaminated DNA test will can return male when the bird is actually a female. Hen is hen but male can be a mistake.

I think Jitterbug actually is trying to get attention and is frustrated for lack so you are getting the biting behavior. Is there anyway for you, yourself, to deal with him and still protect yourself from the biting behavior? Could be he wants attention so badly that he bites when he gets what he wants....out of frustration.

As for an opposite gender companion, that's hard to say. He might like it but they also may not get along. Melon is a perfect example, although Melon is a male......

These are just a few of my own thoughts.

[JudiNh]

Thank you for your thoughts Linda. Yes, Jitterbug is, and always has been, clipped. He was dna'd when he was very young, male. I suppose he could be a she, but that would be a big surprise. I've always trusted that he is male. He DOES seem to want attention, very badly, but when we give it to him, he bites, regurgitates, humps, and just goes bananas. He also tries to get away from us and get to the stuffed animals or blankets or anything soft that he can rub himself on. He's obsessed! I so wish that we could just spend time with him and enjoy him, but he makes it basically impossible. And, he cant chum around with the other birds because he tries to hurt them. Its really awful. I feel terrible for him, but just dont know what to do to help him....

[Bella's mom]

I have no experience with male lovebirds but am wondering if there are hormone shots for males like there are for females. Would this be a possible solution?

[linda040899]

Judi,
I've had hens display male behavior (humping, regurgitating, etc) but not to the extreme that you are describing. Have you asked your avian vet about this? I know there's Lupron for hens but I'm wondering if there might be something to help Jitterbug that we don't know about. I really don't know that a female companion would even come close to helping. I've had male lovies that do the self-satisfaction thing and continued to do it even if they had female companions.

[Pips mom]

Awww, poor Jitterbug! it does seem strange that a male would be so out of control like that. Pip has always been very much the same and predictable. He's always been a very bitey lovie, but more nippy than bitey I guess, but Pip seems to calm down very gradually over the years. He's less bitey, he takes afternoon naps now, and he humps less. Pip also loves spending time with me now alot more........ON me I should say! He's like a little magnet to me, can't be on the computer without him, although right now he's hanging with Ivy.
I feel bad for what you're going through with Jitterbug. I could never imagine having to ever think about finding another home for Pip.......he's my lil monster boy, my best buddy, and especially with the fact that he gets bacterial infections......I feel as if no one could ever care for him or love him as much as I do, ya know? Jitterbug is just so darn cute, but when you have a bird who has issues going on, you have to wonder how the next person will deal with it........even if Jitterbug ends up an only bird, he'll just go for the pillows and bite still. I know he seems unhappy right now, but if it were me, I'd just try to do the best I could for him and give it some more time to see if he calms down. It is spring time! I'd let him out in a room with no other birds around and put a humpy toy for him on top of his cage. I've always just let Pip hump.......it seemed to be what made him happy and it only wore his feathers a bit and made him look a little ratty, but that was the worst of it! I sure hope that Jitterbug gets through this time and that it passes soon!

[JudiNh]

Thanks. Yeah, I sure dont want to pass Jitterbug's problems on to someone else. I just wondered if there was another situation that would WORK for him and make him happy. But I guess not. Maybe he will eventually calm down...I hope so....he's been like this for months. :( At least he has a HUGE cage, since he has to spend so much time in it. I can call the vet, but Im not sure what he could do. Its so sad. Melon is NOTHING like this....he is calm and content, and seems very happy. Jitterbug just seems frustrated, angry, and unable to cope. It is really hard to watch....poor little guy.

[Bella's mom]

If you do a forum search on male hormones there is some good information from some members with hormonal males. Hope this might help.

[thebubbleking]

several of my males went though the humpy thing etc but they calmed down after a year or so.
He is prolly real jealous as he considered you and ben his mates and some new bird came in and got all the attention and ow he gets less time out.

my advice is be patient and have a tooth pick or loli pop stick to distract him when he trys to nip. give extra love be patient :)

[JudiNh]

Okay thanks everybody. He really has been like this for far longer than since we got Melon..he is no different now than before Melon came, so I dont think it is jealousy. I think it is hormones just totally out of control. We will just keep trying to be patient, and wait for him to come around. He has to settle down eventually, right? :omg:

[Bella's mom]

I have been reading some older threads and it seems there are hormone shots for males. Some even sat Lupron which is also uses for hormonal hens. May be something to talk to your vet about, especially if you feel Jitterbug is unhappy. He sure is one beautiful Lovie!!

[michael]

Okay thanks everybody. He really has been like this for far longer than since we got Melon..he is no different now than before Melon came, so I dont think it is jealousy. I think it is hormones just totally out of control. We will just keep trying to be patient, and wait for him to come around. He has to settle down eventually, right? :omg:

Kind of guessing here, but even though Jitterbug had previously been showing some unwanted behavior, this might not mean the addition of Melon hasn't compounded the problem. .. If at one time Ben spent more time with Jitterbug, thats fair enough reason for the bug to act out in jealousy. Besides wanton of more attention, he may also be giving you warning bites that yet another intruder (Melon) has entered the picture. .. Also, should Jitterbug perceive a threat to his objects of affection (stuffed toys, blanket, etc) by your flock as a whole, that alone may keep him on edge 24/7.

While some poeple may advise you keep certain "objects of affection" available for hormonal males, that doesn't mean removing as many as you can won't help. . At least its worth a try. .. Maybe keep one good one IN his cage?.. Spending more one on one time away from the "flock" may also help too. .. In addition to whatever tactics might help, I would also employ the usual methods of lowering the hormones. That is, lowering the amount of daylight hours, and exchanging any starchy foods with those with less caloric value such as veggies.

Although hormone treatments can offer some reprieve towards raging hormones, due to certain risks involved, they should only be used in extreme circumstances. .. Trust me, Jitterbugs response to his surroundings are by all means not that extreme, afterall, he/she's a normal lovebird who simply wants to breed.

[JudiNh]

Thanks Michael. I actually have one soft toy in his cage, so he can get things out of his system, so to speak....but I never see him "use" it. I have cut his daylight hours down, and eliminated the warm starchy foods, like corn, and the cooked mash mixes. Hasnt made a difference. When we try to take him away from the rest of the birds for some one on one time, he squawks SO loud the whole time, and they all squawk back, so loud, that our ears ring. Ugh. The only thing he DOES seem to enjoy, and behaves nicely for, is when we take him in the shower. He loves it, and is quiet, and preens and splashes and plays and seems very happy. But that is the only situation so far that seems to make him happy.

Poor guy. I do wonder if "letting" him breed, with a female, would make him happy, and would be the kind thing to do? But, there's no way to know I guess unless we tried, and if it didnt help than I would have given him away for nothing (Im not a breeder and have no desire to ever be one.). It would be a risk ,and one Im not sure I want to take. But I DO want the poor little guy to be happy. Right now, he's just a very frustrated pet. :(

[michael]

Judi. .. You mentioned he goes after the other birds. To what extent does he do this? Does he target certain birds? ... The bathing sounds like a positive thing. Along with the shower, do you think he might enjoy a shallow bowl of water in another area somewhere near his flock? .. As for letting him breed... Whether that would help is difficult to say. It may blossom into a good pairing, or could make the whole situation even more complex. For now though, I would be sure not to misinterpret normal breeding behavior to that which might be viewed as sexual frustration. .. As long as he's not abusing himself in anyway, there's a good chance he's not frustrated at all. ... What i'm hoping, is that aside from his active hormones, he's also trying to fit in somewhere. That could take awhile.

[JudiNh]

Thank you again Michael. I appreciate that insight.
He "chases" the budgies off their cagetop if he can get to them. He tries to attack Melon (like he would really hurt him if he could) by lunging and biting at his feet, and going right at him, with open beak. This is when I have allowed them to be in the same space for a few minutes, in neutral territory. I have to intervene very quickly though, because Jitterbug goes after him immediately. As for the bowl of water, yes, he loves that. I give him tubbies in his cage or on his cage top and he also loves to splash in the sink under the faucet. He is a real water bird. :)
I guess what makes me think he is frustrated, is the frantic behavior. When in the cage, he is always pacing, scrambling along the ceiling, and climbing the walls...hanging upside down at the door, like he just wants OUT. And when he is out, he goes nuts, chasing, attacking, and trying to get at the other birds. If he is allowed to be off his cage top, he goes for the stuffed animals. And, if we try to hold him, he just bites and chomps all over our hands, as well as regurgitates to our fingernails, and humps our fingers. Its wild. Like he is just totally hyperactive, and doesnt know what to do with his energy. Its just crazy.
Does this sound like normal behavior, or frustration? I really dont know....but NONE of my other birds have ever acted like this. And, Melon, who is also a lovie and is the same age as Jitterbug, is nothing like this at all. So, it just doesnt seem normal to me at all....:confused:

[linda040899]

Judi,
Sounds like Jitterbug really wants to be a member of the flock and wants it so badly that he goes nuts when an attempt is made to satisfy his want/need. What happens if you allow him to be on your arm if your hand/arm is covered by a long sleeve or something that his behavior can't hurt? As a breeder, I don't see that putting him in a breeding situation would do much to help his behavior. I could be wrong but my own personal feelings (I've seen modified versions of Jitterbug) is that a female would either be ignored in favor of an inanimate object or attacked such as you are seeing with Melon.

How does he do with foraging for food if it's not readily available in a dish or bowl? The need to forage (or lack of opportunities) has been known to cause behavioral problems in captive parrots.

[JudiNh]

Hmmm...I havent tried much foraging. I will try that for sure. He wont stay on my arm, but will run up to my shoulder, bite my ears and neck, and make my ears ring with his shrill and constant screeching. Ouch! I wish I could just let him be out all day, on his cage top, with the budgies, like he used to be. But he just wont behave and Im afraid he will hurt the budgies...or keep them from eating. And, he wont stay on his own cage top by himself...he will just fly off.

[linda040899]

Judy,
In the wild, parrots spend much of their day foraging for food. In captivity, that activity is lessened or non-existent because many parrots have food served to them in readily available dishes. Perhaps if he has to spend time doing what he would do in his natural environment, it will take his mind off other things. If he gets a lot of protein type foods, you may want to change that to veggies or even small nuts. Perhaps diverting his energy to a different source might partially solve the problem.

[JudiNh]

So, does anyone have any favorite foraging ideas? I can google it, but just wondered what works best for your lovies. This is all new to me....dont really know how to start. :confused:

[linda040899]

Judi,
Check out this link I have stuck to the top of one of the forums:
http://www.lovebirdsplus.com/community/showthread.php?16711-Foraging-enrichment

You may get some ideas or be able to adapt some of it for Jitterbug. :)

[JudiNh]

Oh wow, thanks Linda...this is great!! :)

[linda040899]

Judi,
I hope some if the ideas are adaptable and it helps Jitterbug! Sometimes it's hard to try to unravel what our parrots are trying to tell us so we go by trial and error. :)

[personatus]

Just out of interest, what is Jitterbugs diet like, what does it consist of? Also, how many hours of darkness does he get in one day?

[JudiNh]

Jitterbug is a good eater. He eats, as a base diet, volkman's cockatiel seed without sunflower seeds. But in addition to that, he eats birdie bread, fresh veggies (like broccoli, carrots, red peppers, etc.), and nutriberries/avicakes. I offer pellets but he doesnt usually eat them. He also likes dried veggies, and the occasional cheerio. :) He eats nearly anything I offer him (except for the pellets, LOL).
I cover his cage at about 7:30pm, and uncover it between 6:30-7:00 am.
Does that all sound okay? :confused:

[Z28Taxman]

I think Ditto's been talking to Jitterbug. All week he's been feeding everything in his cage.:x

He even fed my fingers the other night (first time he's done that since he was around 2). It wouldn't be so bad if he'd only feed one toy like he used to and not shake his head afterwards.>:

At least he's not bitey. The only time he gets nasty is if I go near his happy hut, then he turns into this guy :evil:. If he thinks I'm going near the hut he'll run in there and just stare at me.:whistle:

[JudiNh]

Yeah, maybe they're in cahoots. I think Jitterbug is plotting a revolution...to turn all lovies against their hoomans...LOL...he must have gotten to Ditto...NOOOOO!!! :rofl: Hope Ditto settles down soon, and then, talks some sense into Jitterbug. :lol

[Z28Taxman]

Yeah, maybe they're in cahoots. I think Jitterbug is plotting a revolution...to turn all lovies against their hoomans...LOL...he must have gotten to Ditto...NOOOOO!!! :rofl: Hope Ditto settles down soon, and then, talks some sense into Jitterbug. :lol

Well I don't think Ditto would be part of that kind of revolution. He's leading the "turn all humans into obedient slaves revolution". :omg:

[JudiNh]

LOL...good for Ditto! :clap