lovebird screaming constantly

[papatoi]

Hi, does anyone have experience of how to stop a lovebird screaming constantly? One of my lovebirds is screaming for hours on end each morning, and it's really difficult to bear. I have two birds, one is 10 years old male, and the other is the screaming one, who is considerably younger (age and gender unknown, as I adopted him from a bird sanctuary). Could it be that the age difference is simply too great?

[linda040899]

I don't mean to answer your questions with more questions, but more information would be helpful. How long have you had the younger lovebird? If it's only a short period of time, he could be calling for his companions that are no longer in his life. Are these 2 in the same cage? Normally, when you have 2 living together, they may chirp, but it's not constant. Chirping is contact calling so he's looking for a response from something.

Tell me more about him and how you came to adopt him, please. Feel free to write a small book. I will read all you have to offer. :)

[papatoi]

I don't mean to answer your questions with more questions, but more information would be helpful. How long have you had the younger lovebird? If it's only a short period of time, he could be calling for his companions that are no longer in his life. Are these 2 in the same cage? Normally, when you have 2 living together, they may chirp, but it's not constant. Chirping is contact calling so he's looking for a response from something.

Tell me more about him and how you came to adopt him, please. Feel free to write a small book. I will read all you have to offer. :)

Hi, thank you for the quick reply. The younger bird is with us since about 2 months. He was found as a stray and the bird sanctuary people caught him. Both my birds are free in my flat, they're not in a cage, although a cage exists, which is the place where they go to eat and drink. My older bird often moves away when the younger bird comes to where he is, the younger one appears bossy and dominating (usually perching higher than the old bird). I could maybe also send you a video of them?

[linda040899]

A video would be nice to see. You can actually post it here, but you would have to upload it to an online storage site such as Imgur. Then copy/paste the URL link here and it should work.

I wonder if, perhaps both birds are the same gender.....female???? Two males get along very well but females can be aggressive with each other. There is such a thing as females that get along but that's the exception rather than the rule. Do they have toys that they can shred/destroy? I always say a busy beak is attached to a happy parrot!! When I buy shreddable toys, I go to My Safe Bird Store, as they have the nicest and safest selections. My lovebirds also LOVE swings of any kind!

Since you have only had the younger one for a short time, he/she is still adjusting to life with you. Hopefully, you will find that one quiets down once it's comfortable in your home.

[papatoi]

Hi Linda, the birds are definitely not both female, my older bird is DNA tested male. The new bird could be either, although the bird sanctuary people said it was likely a male. They have a lot of wood, cardboard and paper to chew, which they also do a lot, but that doesn't lessen the screaming of the new bird. My older bird is more passive and usually moves away when the new bird comes close to him, as if giving way to the younger and stronger... Maybe the new bird is simply bored with him...?
I made a number of videos that I uploaded on dropbox. I'm posting links here, so hopefully it works:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/rkh9k1b37182myb/WhatsApp%20Video%202020-11-23%20at%2013.09.47.mp4?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/joje2q384ia1emu/WhatsApp%20Video%202020-11-23%20at%2013.08.09.mp4?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/rxzafqyj8g1dukp/WhatsApp%20Video%202020-11-23%20at%2013.07.39.mp4?dl=0

The new bird can go on like he does in the videos for hours, and it's really exhausting for me... Let me know what you think, hopefully we find a solution...

[linda040899]

I looked at all 3 videos and the behavior seems pretty normal as far as lovebirds are concerned. The first video shows excitement. The wing flapping, the pitch of the chirping...sometimes that kind of chirping can be a bird's way of letting you know that something isn't right. Lovebirds can be excellent early warning systems! If I happen to get an occasional escapee in my lovebird room, everyone lets me know about it!!

The other 2 videos show contented behavior. The chirping is soft and he's relaxed. Some lovebirds are more vocal than others. Older ones tend to be quieter and more sedentary. I noticed that all of your perches are up high, like they would be in the wild. That might have something to do with the behavior. What would happen if you were to lower everything? Just a thought.....

[papatoi]

Ok, it seems then that the vocal and agitated behaviour of the new bird is just because he is young. I worry though that my older bird shows signs of being stressed - he preens himself excessively and always moves away when the young one comes towards him. They don't cuddle much at all and sometimes also sleep separately. I get the feeling they are not a good match for each other. What do you think?

[linda040899]

From what I can see in the videos, the younger lovebird appears to be a Blue Masked (Personata). Is the older bird the same species? If not, that could be part of the problem. Not all lovebirds of different species get along. The younger one perches higher with the intent of being dominant. The fact that they do cuddle at times is a good sign so it just may be too early to tell what the end result might be. If you want to even the score, so to speak, you can clip just the outside 2 flight feathers of the younger one's flight feathers so that one can't intimidate the older one. I had to do that with a pair of Abyssinian Lovebirds I was trying to pair. The female was aggressive so I clipped just enough of her flights so that she could not catch him if he flew away. The strategy worked because after a while, they were inseparable!

[papatoi]

Yes, my older lovebird is a Fischer's. Maybe that's the problem then?

[linda040899]

Possibly but the personality differences would be worse if the older lovebird were a Peachfaced. My lovebirds are always chattering, with the exception of the ones that are much older. Young ones see zest in life and they announce it to the world (or any part of the world that will listen.... :lol) The Masked species are usually more shy and flighty, but that can vary with individual birds. I think you are seeing the difference between an older bird and a much younger one.