Our lovebirds and their house.

[akp124]

We have 3 lovebirds, 2 female and 1 male. The 2 female we got together. At first we thought they were a female/male couple just because of how one of them acts. The male stays in my room since we got him recently and does not 'mingle' with them.

Anyway, we bought the two girls a little bird house that we screwed onto their cage. They loved it. They love it so much, that all they do is tear up paper and take it into their house. Nothing else. We leave their cage open and they have all the space in the first floor to go exploring in. The only place they go is to the table where we put our unwanted mail so they can tear it up. We've tried to close their little house, but they just mope around all day making noises and sounding sad, so we give in and open the house again.

Is there a way we can get them to be in there less? It seems that the more we close, the less they want to stay out. It has also made them VERY hostile when we try to go in and clean the cage.

[linda040899]

Out of sight, out of mind! A bird house/nest is not a good thing for two hens, as you could get considerable aggression between them if one or both of them go into laying condition. Hens tend to like dark cozy places, as they make perfect places to nest and lay eggs.

After you take away the nest/house, give them a foraging basket so they have things to search through to find food. In the wild, parrots spend most of their waking hours looking for food and it will keep them quite busy!!!!!

[akp124]

They both lay eggs at the same time! One time we took the house out and they started laying at the bottom of the cage.

[linda040899]

If they both lay eggs at the same time, you happen to have a pair of hens that get along together. That's the exception rather than the rule. Removing the nest and giving them something else to keep them busy should be enough to change the current behavior. Foraging is a good thing, as it's natural and their food supply can depend on it as it does in the wild.

[akp124]

I wil see what I can do with the foraging. It sounds like a great idea. Unfortunately, when we leave their cage door open, they immediately start looking for paper to shred.