Help! Lovie behavior has changed drastically.

[Lovely Rosette]

My lovie is 1 year old now...I have had her since March last year. When I first got her I hand fed her as a baby and she became used to my hands and often sat with me peacefully..but as the months went on she became violent..even towards my husband who was taming her along side me..she won't step up and has to either be coaxed out of her cage or forcefully removed which I really dislike doing..but coaxing doesn't always work. If not removed I cannot clean her cage as she continuously attacks me.

We had to clip her flight feathers to prevent her from attacking us this way as well..she would fly to us and grab mine or my husbands ears or nose and bite them until they bleed.

I have tried many things that have been suggested to me. Changing out toys, changing position of toys and perches. She refused to eat anything but seeds. I buy a seed with vitamin but I don't think it is enough. She refuses to eat fruits or veggies she refuses pellet diets. She even refuses certain brands of seed the pet store recommended a vitamin filled food mix with fruit, egg, veggies and other things but she only eats around it.

She won't use cuttlebones so I have to add calcium powders to her foods. She hates the actual cuttle bone and only screams at it.

3 weeks ago she laid two eggs within a few days of each other despite me trying to prevent nesting habits. She has a toy she "loves" and I removed it from her cage. Since laying the eggs though she became crazy... she runs around the cage sometimes in a freak out, when her nesting habits started she began pecking things really hard and making allot of noise. After she laid the eggs she..won't sleep. She used to take naps around 4 PM but now she doesn't nap.

At night for the past 3 weeks she screams and screams and screams. We have to put her in a separate room now. I live in Japan and we don't have central heatings and air so she always stays in the same room as we do but now we have to put her in another room with her own heating which is costing allot of money for us but she stays quiet if alone.

Right now she is in the living room with me and screaming..I can't do anything without her screaming. If I block her from seeing me and stay silent she calms down..but if she sees me or my husband she starts the screaming all over again. I thought maybe she wanted more attention but..giving her more attention has not worked...

Our lack of sleep or peace is driving us crazy as we both have jobs and work different schedules. She wakes up extremely early with very little sleep as she screams at least until midnight or later until put into a room by herself. My husband sleeps early and I sleep later..he wakes early and I sleep later but this has prevented our sleep schedules with her sudden screaming fits that last until 1 am and then she rises early at 6 o 7 and begins her screaming again.

We have done everything in the books and what we have found online to try and tame her but something is wrong. I have owned birds since I was 16 and have never encountered such a problem..

It has come down to my husband hating her and wanting her removed from the house..I really want to give her a chance..she was given to me as a gift of love but has turned into a stress make in our house hold..I don't know what to do other than give her up..but I really want that to be the very last resort..I want to feel she is a good pet like she was the first 3 months of our life together.

Please help us..I'm begging anybody..

[Pips mom]

You must have a heated bedroom where you sleep? If she wants to be alone right now and that's all that calms her, I'd move her cage in there at least for the earlier part of the day once you've gotten up, or if you work during the day, maybe move her in the bedroom when you come home for a while so you all can have some peace. She must sleep at night, but to keep her from getting up too early, try covering her cage with a dark color sheet or blanket. The times you spend around her right now will obviously be noisey ones. She's probably hormonal......my pionus Ivy screams when she's hormonal too, but mostly just early in the day and not all the time. The screaming is not something permanent, but it's something you'll have to deal with for now and for future hormonal times. I sure hope that you can work this out and not have to give her up because the same thing is just going to happen again in another home and she'll end up being passed from home to home. If you can find the patience and love and maybe some headphones playing music or something, I know you have tried so hard!

[thebubbleking]

With the hormones rageing she is in protection mode, she thinks you are her flock and are protecting her eggs and territory the screaming is to let you know she is alive alert and does not want to be bothered.
Give her alone time as needed if it continues there are shots that help with hormone levels.

[Mummieeva]

I have a question. Did you let her keep her eggs or did you take them from her?

[Lovely Rosette]

thanks for all the help! To pips mom I already used a bird cover and a blanket but it didn't help but moving her to another room for her to stay in has helped allot! thank you for the suggestion!

thebubbleking- thank you for the recommendation I will keep it in mind if it ever comes down to that.

Mummieeva- I do remove the eggs after a short time as she doesn't lay on them at all. I intend to train her not to lay eggs just as I have done with my cockatiel due to the health risks egg laying can create. After I discovered the eggs I touched them and they were very cold and she didn't seem to care that I was touching them. When I picked them up she didn't care then either. I still spend time with her even though we are separated by rooms. I try to take her out at least once or twice a day if possible then leave her on her own.

Thanks everyone. I feel more relief after hearing peoples advice. We will do our best to handle the situation. Letting her go is absolutely the last thing I want to do so I hope her hormones will calm in the near future.

[Mummieeva]

If she should lay them again be sure to leave them til she has gone a few days(say 4) without laying more. If she is still not touching them it is safe to remove. Most lovebirds do not sit on their eggs til they are done laying them. Many lovebirds will react badly to eggs removed to soon. That is possibly why her behavior changed after she laid the eggs. I wish you the best luck.

[Bubblelady]

Not to be a spoiler....but you sound like you are describing my Johari. She was a sweetheart for 8 months. Then became a raging hen who pursued me and drew blood at every possible chance. And her hormones never let up! I did give up, after another year of trying EVERYTHING. She now is living happily with a male lovebird...in another home. She continues to lay eggs periodically but never broods them. Which seems to distress her "hubby". I REALLY tried to discourage egg laying because Johari was born with metabolic bone disease. But she was/is hard wired to lay eggs. I sometimes wish I had kept her and just gotten her a mate. But that's water under the bridge. Bottom line, I do believe that some hens will never be happy with a totally human flock. Linda, you may have some input here, but it's my CAV's opinion that breeders (excluding those like you) have created this situation by selectively retaining the good egg layers and there by creating "super layer" lovebirds. So, if all else fails, you may consider getting her a partner. Johari is very clearly happier since she paired up...with a FEATHERED friend. Good luck!

[Pips mom]

This thread really makes me smile :) Such great advice and such a caring birdie mom!!! With all these good wishes, and all you have done........I'm sure you'll get through this hard time and all will be fine!!