We've got to find a solution to this problem!

[amylb64]

My 20 year old daughter bought herself a lovely little peach-faced lovebird female about 2 years ago. What a little beauty! Everything seemed to be going fine. We all understood that the bird, Keeva, would be Beth's, and that's just what happened. Keeva loved Beth. But soon she would fly off of Beth (or walk along the couch) to someone else, and that person would end up bitten. So, then Keeva naturally had less time out of the cage with Beth if other people were around (large family+small house= shared bedrooms). And at times, Beth would be bitten, if someone else walked past her while she had Keeva. Now, due to these issues, combined with the increasingly busy lifestyle of a now-22year old young adult, Keeva gets less time with Beth, and nobody else can make up for that because Keeva hates everyone else (she makes a growling sound at me if I change her water or food). Now, the biggest issue with this lovebird is the continuous, piercing, screeching. It's driving us nuts. We also have a budgie, Louie, who now echoes each of Keeva's calls, so they seem to be feeding each others screams! Louie quiets if we cover his cage, but Keeva does not. The only way to stop the screeching is to set her cage in our windowless bathroom with the lights off for 30 min of instant nighttime. So, when the screeching starts up, Keeva gets moved to whichever bedroom happens to be empty. And at night, her cage sits in the shower of that little bathroom, because as soon as she sees daylight, she starts her screeching. I'm at a loss. I don't like standing outside to talk on the phone, especially during Feb in Michigan. This is not a fulfilling way for Keeva to live, or she wouldn't be screaming her head off. For a year I've been suggesting maybe Beth could find a mate for Keeva. They would have each other all the time. But I don't know if she would accept a mate. If we put paper in Keeva's cage, she makes pretty new feathers of it, & sticks it in her tail. She also lays eggs periodically, so maybe she would welcome a handsome little male. But I'm afraid if it didn't work out, I'd have another screamer in the house.
Can anyone offer some advice? I really do want to do right by Keeva. Beth wants to be a responsible Lovebird owner, but we simply don't know what to do.

[linda040899]

Hi and welcome to Lovebirds Plus Community!

Part of the problem with parrot biting is understanding it. When Keeva (very pretty name!) flies to someone else and that person gets bitten, it's Keeva's way of trying to drive away what she (operative word being she) perceives as a threat to her mate.....Beth. Parrots are very protective of their mates and Keeva has chosen Beth for that role. Getting Keeva a lovebird companion might work, but it can also backfire, as Keeva already HAS a mate - Beth.

The calling/screeching is what's known as contact calls in the bird world. When a loved one is out of sight, vocal calls lets the other know that all is OK even if the other bird is not visible. You can try calling back to Keeva, which is what the Budgie is doing, and see if that works. If not, try rewarding silence. Ignore Keeva when she's vocal and reward her with a favorite treat when she's quiet. Of course, praise her when she's doing something that pleases you.

The downside of a mate for Keeva is that it would have to be a male and then you are setting yourself up for fertile eggs which can produce babies.......

Hope this is helpful.

[Lashania]

I'm with Linda on this one.

My grandfather has this beautiful Greater Sulfur Crested Cockatoo named Rhoda. Whenever I would go up for the Summer, she would hate the adults, and love on me and my brother. (originally me, it took a LOT of work for her to like my brother). Whenever we weren't visible, she would SCREAM.

If you've never heard it... But she was higher pitched (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycP6Ce1X1LY)

My grandfather would lose his mind. Until I got the bright idea of hollering her name while I was outside. Then she would calm down... for a little while. He always said that the worst was when I would leave from vacation, because for a week or so she would get so depressed and loud.

[Lashania]

Also, before I forget... here's how I got my Rhoda and current lovebird to at least tolerate other people.


WITH Beth in the room, but not handling the bird. You need to start from square 1.

Using a small perch or dowel rod, fiddle around in her cage. Gently touch her head, her back, her feet. Work on step up while in her cage - Her domain, where she feels safe, and so is more aggressive - If you can get her to not freak out on you when you're in the cage with the stick, slowly start bringing fingers and hands into it.

Have a different person do this each day, and whenever she is calm and good, Beth can do her 'good girl' comments from the bed or wherever she is. This will reinforce to Keeva that Beth wants her to be social.

It takes time, and people have to be willing to put in the effort. But it will make for a happy bird and a happy home.

[linda040899]

I have a Military Macaw that has a wonderful set of lungs!! He recognizes the sound of my car when I've gone out and return home. His way of welcoming me back is screaming contact calls!!! As soon as I go into the house and say hello, he quiets down, as he's satisfied I'm home and he knows I'm safe. They are truly majestic creatures and understanding them is an art in learning. That's why I always say, they are not bonded to a human. The human is assimilated into the flock. We become part of their family, not the other way around. :)

By the way, Rhoda is a very lovely Too!

[Lashania]

Thanks Linda. I miss her like crazy. My grandfather told me that when he can't take care of her anymore, she's mine.

I've been looking into the ways to get her to me if that should happen soon... and it's got me nervous.

Did you know to move a bird to Hawaii, they have to do a 7 day quarantine at the vet? And that after that quarantine, they have this thing put on their travel container that will break if you open the door? That it CANNOT be opened before arrival in Hawaii?

Poor Rhoda... she'd freak out. And I wouldn't even be able to sedate her. :) She'd be screaming in cargo for a LONG time. (That actually makes me grin a bit.)

[linda040899]

I wasn't aware that Hawaii had restrictions quite that bad but I know they don't want disease brought to the islands from other places. Oddly enough, it might not be as bad as you might anticipate. When in strange surroundings, many parrots feel insecure and go into what I call hiding mode. If they sense a predator, they sit very quietly in order to avoid detection. My choices for transport are Continental Airlines and Delta Airlines.

[newclassic]

I empathize with your daughter having less time--this is exactly why I'm waiting years to adopt another animal once mine pass away. I'm your daughter's age, and I got my lovebird and cockatiel when I was 7. It was easy caring for them as a child when I had no other worries. But once I hit high school, I spent less time at home--and whenever I was home I was studying. And then college happened, so I was away for four years. While I was away, my parents remodeled the house with expensive carpets and furniture they couldn't bear to get bird poop on--now they have less space to explore :/.

Cage aggression is not uncommon for birds, so that may be why she growls/lunges at you when you change her food. My lovebird is a little territorial when it comes to food in her cage, but out of the cage she's fine--I wouldn't be discouraged if you get to the point where she's fine out of the cage but still somewhat territorial in it. Either way, I would definitely follow Lashania's advice and slowly have her warm up to you.

Just curious, how many people are home during the day? Does she play with her toys? You could try rotating them out every once in a while, so she doesn't get bored of them. You could experiment with providing her some kind of audio stimulation--e.g. recordings of other lovebirds to chirp at; or, you could even try a recording of your daughter's voice and see if that changes the tone of her chirps (i.e. shrieking to curious chirping). My lovebird gets excited when she hears other birds :).