He's kicking food everywhere, help!

[pdp76]

Diddy has always been our most well behaved lovie. For the past week or two, he's been acting up. Everyday, he sits inside his food tray and splashes all the food until there is almost none left! I'm afraid that him and his cage-mate might be getting hngry because of this. My fiance and I work all day so we cannot monitor his behavior. We usually just end up giving them some extra seeds in the evening just in case. We have not changed their diet or anything, still the same old seeds, vitamin water, and usually a veggie or fruit snack at night when we come home. Is there any common explaination for a lovie to all of a sudden start kicking his food everywhere and wasting it? I read someone about "seed baths", does this have anything to do with it? Thanks!

[kimsbirds]

My neighbor's lovebird is doing that exact same thing for the past few weeks. Their bird is a hen, and I suspect she's about to go into nestmode again. Yes, it could be just for fun, but generally speaking, there's more to the madness than meets the eye. You can try filling that particular bowl with water and use a new dish up higher for food. Never know, it might work. Alternately, you can buy one of those tube style feeders where they can't sit in the bowl. Good Luck
K

[mangotiki]

I am wondering...is "he" a "she"? about 8 or 9 months of age perhaps?

All my hens do this when they are getting nesty. Swapping water/food dishes as was suggested might work...but I ended up getting some food dishes that sit outside the cage and just have a little trough that fits through the bars. Careful, though...seeds seem to work ok but pellets wont always filter through. Also, I got some nice big ones but the trough was too deep and the food trickled only to the very bottom of the dish...they couldnt reach it.
My other solution was a very shallow dish and I put it on the bottom of the cage. Seems to work for the most part. But Im thinking even that might start looking attractive if the hen was desperate enough.

Traci

[peppero1]

maybe the bird just wants to take a bath,,,, try misting it with water and see what happens.

[pdp76]

I'm pretty sure it's a "he". 2.5 years old and no eggs yet. I've tried those seed tubes with a small opening bug this guy is too smart, end up just picking and picking and throwing the seeds until he finds one he likes. I've also thought about putting a flat food tray at the bottom of the cage, but I'm always afraid they'll end up pooing in it. I'll look around for some other shaped trays, maybe I'll find one that can stump this smart guy. Thanks for the comments.

But yes, our hens, when getting to nesting mode always tend to sit in the food... that's when we bring out a nest box for them to stay in :)

[butterfly1061]

Have you ever tried these? I hear they are pretty good.

http://birdbuffetnthings.com/store/large/ytrj/Feeders_Waters/Water_or_Feed_Ceramic_Hooded_Dish_10_2_oz.html

Good Luck!

[mangotiki]

Aha...when I mix seed and pellets they will kick everything out of those dishes to see what is underneath...maybe he is just looking for his favorite seeds. lol.

[zuma1978]

I was "sure" I had a male for two years and last week I came home to find an egg in her food dish. She had been driving me crazy kicking the seed everywhere for about a month. Apparently she was in nest mode and just trying to get comfy because she's laid four more in her dish since then.

[Buy A Paper Doll]

Ah, my darling hen is doing this too. Nesty Hen Syndrome. My pair have 2 food dishes; she only does this in the one that she has declared "hers" while my male sits on the top perch looking bewildered. Meanwhile, the floor is a total mess and anyone who sits in the recliner is at risk of being sprayed with flying seed.

[butterfly1061]

My Olivia does this too. When I get home from work, she's the only one with an empty dish and everything that was in it on the carpet below. I've been vacuuming everyday (afraid of bugs). :rolleyes: And nesty!:eek: I won't give her anything to shred. If I do, she's shredded it in no time and then tucked in her rump. She's not even a year old yet! My other hen, Daisy, just watches and follows Olivia around taking her strips. Poor Daisy, but she's learning.

[BarbieH]

It's just foraging, looking for something better underneath. Birds do it a lot in the wild. I've even heard it recommended as a way to distract birds from feather plucking; I'd take foraging over plucking any day!