Strange Behavior

[Tallyollyopia]

I have two lovebirds, Gully and Fern, and I've noticed them doing several odd things recently. The first odd behavior that I've noticed is that Gully will hang upside down (on the perch, on the bars, on the toys) and when Gully does this, Fern will come up over Gully and nip at the fleshy parts of the legs. The second odd thing I've noticed is that they're taking the paper out of the toys I've been making them (mostly from paper and cardboard) and dipping the paper in their water before laying it on the bottom of the cage (where it dries and sticks to the bars of the bottom making it difficult to get out). They have also been alternating between aggressive and mild behavior. The birds were completely wild when I got them (I finally tracked down and interrogated their breeder), and they'd bred in a large aviary with no contact with people until the day they were caught, shoved into a cage, and sold. (Sorry, I feel a little...miffed with the breeder's lack of education in dealing with birds of any kind, and it comes through sometimes.) I've slowly been getting them used to being around people, and for the most part they're fine being in the same room with more than one person. Lately though, if there are two or three people in the same room they go ballistic, bouncing from side to side in their cage and squawking alarmingly while their eyes pin rapidly. My question is--why? What is causing these behavior changes in my birds, and what do I do about it?

[michael]

Switching breeders from an aviary to being confined to a smaller cage, I would expect some uneasiness. And the fact that they've shared little contact with humans doesn't make the progression any easier either. .. I do know that given plenty of patience and understanding, breeders or "wild caught" birds can be tamed down much like any other bird simply because they've at least had some contact, although maybe not physical, with those that managed their care. .. I also understand that birds kept primarily for breeding aren't always the easiest to tame, and many often prefer to stay a distance no matter what course is followed.

That Gully and Fern are uneasy around two or more people, isn't all that unusual. Neither are the little spats they share provided it doesn't reach a point of drawing blood, or become a little too consistant. Really, these are behaviors your just going to have to watch more closely. .. What we don't know here, is how long have you had Gully and Fern? . What are their ages? . And are you absolutely sure they are a bonded pair?

[Tallyollyopia]

I have no idea if they're a bonded pair, and I've had them since late September. Like I mentioned, they were getting better. Basically what the breeder did was get about twenty lovebirds, stick them in an outdoor aviary, and was surprised at how well and quickly they bred. Since they couldn't all go in the house he went into the aviary (prior to this the only time he went into the aviary was to leave food and water. Basically, he caught every bird that appeared wild, and gave them away in twos. I have no idea what gender either bird is, and I can't afford to take them to the vet to find out, even supposing that there IS a vet around here that could tell--this is horse country and the vets around here are uncomfortable with anything that doesn't have four legs and fur. Sorry, didn't mean to rant. I know that Fern had a little spot of black on her beak when they came into my possession.

[michael]

Obviously, this particular breeder cared little in regards to the aftercare of his stock. >: .. Guessing Fern is only about 9 months old, it won't help much if Gully is an older female and Ferns a male. Or worse yet, both are females. .. My best advice, is to get them DNA sexed. Avianbiotech offers very reasonable test kits that cost about $20-25 each. Vets, on the other hand, almost always charge a huge overhead. .. At any rate, I would use extreme caution in keeping these two housed together. Not saying that they'll never get along, but should either decide the others a threat to their environment, things could get very ugly in no time flat. Certainly not something you want to deal with.

Link to Avianbiotech> http://www.avianbiotech.com/

Anyone else have suggestions please chime in. .....:)

[Tallyollyopia]

Thank you. Do you have any advice on the wetting the paper and laying on the bottom of the cage? That's also a relatively recent behavior for them.

[longobongo]

Hello! To me, it just sounds like they've found something fun and interesting to do. My bird Boco will often pick up wooden pieces from his toys and put them in his water dish. He likes to make soup out of his water bowl, haha!

[michael]

Thank you. Do you have any advice on the wetting the paper and laying on the bottom of the cage? That's also a relatively recent behavior for them.

From your description, it doesn't sound as though their building a nest, so i'm kinda leaning towards longobongo's reply in that its just something they like to do. Put it this way... lovebirds are known to keep an endless supply of soup recipe's. Some in fact, are quite colourful. .........:)

[Tallyollyopia]

Thank you! I was getting slightly worried there. Does this mean they're starting to relax around me?

[michael]

Thank you! I was getting slightly worried there. Does this mean they're starting to relax around me?

Could very well be. Keep in mind though, some lovies need more time than others, especially if their not used to humans. Chances are good though, that once they acclimate to their new environment, their curiosity will get the best of them whereas one or the other will likely begin to show more interest in you. ......:)

[Tallyollyopia]

That's great! :happy: