Khushie has changed

[mfiguei]

we got khushie about 2.5 years ago. For the first 2 years she was very affectionate and always wanted to be with me. OVer the last 6 months she has slowly become more distanced and is now only concerned with shredding paper and going back to her cage. It is probably not a coincidence that she started to lay eggs a few months back. She laid two batches: 1 in the first and 2 in the second.

My question is....will i ever get the old khushie back?...the one that wanted to come out and was comfortable simply hiding in my shirt or falling asleep in my hands? It seems like she wants nothing to do with me anymore. :cry:

[kimsbirds]

Khushie will come back around to her old self eventually, but you need to remove any and all shreddable materials as well as any nestbox, cozy hut etc that she might see as a suitable nes spot. Change her perches/toys/ etc around weekly to see if that throws her off nest mode. You might even consider moving her cage to somewhere a bit more 'busy' so that there's more for her to hear, see and do. Just some thoughts...but yes, Khushie is still there ! Just hidden under some raging hormones... :)

[Elle]

THat reminds me of my old Sammy. She went through that as well. THe difference is I had offered her a nest box so she would leave my cupboards and kitchen drawers alone. She was very agressive when hiding in there. After I gave her the nest box she laid an egg. I removed the nest box right away and within 24 hours she wa back to her old cuddly self.
I've given her th next box back on many occasion, when she was in a nesty mood ( twice a year ) and remove it after she laid an egg. I've never really had any issues as long as I respected the fact taht her hormones were raging. She seemed to understand that once the nest box is gone, nesting is over.
I don't know if it would work for everyone. Sam and I were very bonded and each lovebirds has their own personality. What worked for me might not work for someone else.
Rest assured, your baby will go back to her cute cuddly self at some point.

Elle

[mfiguei]

Thank you both for your assistance. I will be patient take your advice.

One more thing. I noticed another behaviour of hers that has cropped up in the last six months. Before whenever I came to the cage she was anxious to come out and be with me. Now, whenever I call her name or approach her cage, she makes a funny sound and pretends to gnaw at one of her feet. It's really kind of weird. Is she just trying to protect her cage?
Thanks again!

[bellarains]

Hey,

If Khushie is not in egg laying condition at the moment you can take her out of her cage and to another room so that her cage is out of site. This will help take her attention off her cage so that you and she can interact better. Some hens will see their cage as their nesting place and thus be very protective of it.

I also wanted to ask if you have taken out Khushie's nestbox if she had one. If not, take that away and her chewing materials. That will also help with the nesty attitude.

If Khushie is in egg laying condition, sit by her cage and talk to her whenever you get a chance. You can also offer her a treat through the bars. This will in some ways keep her bond with you, and also show her that you are not invading her space, just sharing it :)