New Behaviour... what is it?

[Mandolin]

Hi Everyone,
Ok i am still a learning Lovie mommy and am completely stumped. Computer time is mine and Kameko's big time of the day. She shreds paper and plays with the mouse, and i try and get some work done. But recently she has been getting more and more aggressive, she runs up to me out of no where and bites my hand holding the mouse then runs away. Very frustrating. But the new thing that i am wondering about it after she bites me and i get her to step up or sometimes if i am just getting her to step up because she is in the way of something i am doing, she makes herself low, starts this low almost clicking noise (Not beak grinding or anything), and sometime when my hand is there she spreads her wings while doing this. What is this behaviour? I am thinking she isn't happy, but why would she start this? Am I doing something wrong? Thanks for the advice.

[Keltoth]

Sounds like mating behavior, for sure! They do that low, clicky noises when they are trying to solicit the target of their affection for some romance.

I've got to ask; are you sure you have a female? When I've heard the clicky-clicky-clicky going on, it has always been my male birds that do it. I'm told that females can do it also, but I haven't heard it in my birds thus far. It is confusing, because the wing-spread thing is definately a trait that I have only seen my females do. They wingspread when they want the male to climb up on them to ...er, "do the deed", as it were...

I believe your bird is getting hormonal, in any case. Perfectly normal behavior, especially for a one-lovie household.

-Eric

[Mandolin]

I am fairly sure she is female. She sticks paper in her feathers, and has learned to speak a few words which is from what i have heard here a more female trait. I didn't get her officially sexed but thats what we are going on.
She only does the low clicking and wing speak when i put my hand there to get her to step up, usually after she has bit me and i am moving her away. I have never seen her do it anywhere else other than when she is hanging out with me on the computer.

[BarbieH]

Um, you might want to not give Kameko any more paper. Paper is nesting material, and having plenty of it can actually trigger nesting behavior.

None of my birds like the computer mouse. :roll: I think it has to do with the clicky sound it makes. They also don't like my fingers when they use the keyboard -- again, clicking. Who knows what goes through those little birdie brains...

[Buy A Paper Doll]

Agree with Barb. Neither one of my birds (male and female) much like it when I type on my computer.

The worst is Milo, primarily because he tries to hump my hand the minute I grab the mouse. Then I'm stuck typing one-handed, until he gets angry and runs over to bite my free hand. Then he glares at me for a second before returning to his post at the mouse.

Crazy little bird.

[Mandolin]

Well I think she thinks the mouse and the phone are HER toys and i shouldn't be touching them because she gets possessive everytime i use either.
Does her behaviour really sound like mating behaviour and not "leave me alone" behaviour? My baby is growing up if she is getting all hormonal, I don't think i am ready for that ;) .

[acardz]

This is for sure her mating behaviour. My female peachface does the same exact thing. With the phone and the mouse. If i hold the phone over her she spreads her wings with the prrrrrr(clicking noise). If i use the mouse with her near by she will lunge at my hand(jealous i believe). If she is stripping paper she will be getting ready to lay. How is her stool?(solid/watery). Light will trigger this behaviour from the lovebird(too much light).

[Mandolin]

Too much light? I have never heard that one. She hasn't had paper in a while and we are really discouraging any nesting behaviour at leats for a while at least until she matures. Her stool is normal. She seems pretty healthy. Are there any signs i should watch for when she has an egg on the way? I have heard of torpido butt but i am not quite sure what that looks like.

[Buy A Paper Doll]

I think what acardz means by too much light is that some people are able to put off nesting by making their bird's day shorter by putting them to bed sooner (turning off lights earlier, etc.)

What does "torpedo butt" look like? Shy has posted photos of a hen in laying condition on in the breeder forum. It's attached in a sticky to the top of the forum. I also took some photos of my hen when she was nesty, you can take a look at this and see if it helps. Photos 5, 6, & 8 show her getting progressively closer to laying. http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2116766186

If your hen has stopped trying to shred and tuck everything in sight, you may be out of the woods for now.

[Mandolin]

I was concerned about the light because she has a blacklight heatlamp that is on wih her all night. It is like her nightlight and i would never think to take it away from her.
My boyfriend made me wonder about torpedo butt because he was looking at her belly and he thought it looked to be sticking out a bit more. I didn't notice a change but i needed some confirmation. Now i know what to watch for.
She isn't shredding anymore becaus ehse has nothing to shred. We made very sure that there is no paper for her to get her little beak on.
She is still pretty hormonal because she is always trying to get me or especially my boyfriend's hands to mate with her. It makes us laugh, we call her "Superbird" when she does it.

[Mummieeva]

If you want to post a picture we can guess. I have had other here help me decide if my bird was torpedo butt(she was lol.).


Steph

[Z28Taxman]

Um, you might want to not give Kameko any more paper. Paper is nesting material, and having plenty of it can actually trigger nesting behavior.

None of my birds like the computer mouse. :roll: I think it has to do with the clicky sound it makes. They also don't like my fingers when they use the keyboard -- again, clicking. Who knows what goes through those little birdie brains...

Ditto used to attack my fingers when I typed too. But now he's decided it;s more fun to perch on my hand/wrist/thumb and watch. Then after I move my hands away he'll jump on the keyboard and try and type too. He's trying to learn so lookout, one of these days he just might really be typing messages in here.

[BarbieH]

He's trying to learn so lookout, one of these days he just might really be typing messages in here.

I used to think so too. But when chasing my fingers didn't work, all any of them ever did was nonchalantly poop on the keys :whistle: so I would slide, get grossed out, and stop typing.