Expert: Chrys Meatyard - 1/1/2007

Question
We a have a lovebird (Bungie) who is approximately 5 years old (not sure of the sex) and has been displaying excessive mating behaviour for the past 3 months.  We have noticed this behaviour before but this appears to be an extensive period of time where Bungie is constantly squawking (all day long, even when given attention in and out of the cage).  He gets alot of flying time and lots of fresh fruit and veg as well as seeds.  Even when Bungie is out of the cage he does not settle down at all and is  constantly making a noise the only exception being when he performs his mating ritual on my girlfriends head!

The noise he makes is far in excess of his usual behaviour and it has created a very stressful environment to live in.  We have not changed any patterns of behaviour such as food or the amount of time he spends flying about the house.  He is not exhibiting any physical problems or signs of illness yet still continues to squawk incessantly.  Covering his cage with a blanket for short periods does not reduce his perceived stress either.

The only thing that has changed regarding behaviour is that he was bonded  with me but appears to have bonded with my girlfriend.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Answer
Hi, Scott.  Thanks for posting!

Could either of you be reinforcing this negative behavior by "rewarding" your lovie when he's acting badly?  In other words, when he's squawking, do you reward him by allowing him to come out of his cage, giving him attention, etc.?  If so, you are teaching him that it's OK to squawk (and mate on your heads, etc.)!  This excessive noise is most likely part of the mating behavior for your lovebird.  What you need to do is completely ignore your bird when he's exhibiting behavior you don't like.  Be aware, however, that your lovebird considers both of you part of his flock/family.  The bird considers your girlfriend his "mate," and is expressing his love for her by his actions.  If his behavior is not acceptable to you, do not reward him by allowing him time out of his cage when he starts squawking.  Don't even cover his cage when he starts squawking.  You are basically giving him what he wants when you do either of these things, thus, you are rewarding his negative behavior.  A reward can be something negative or positive...your bird wants your attention in any way, shape, or form he can get it.  However, when he doesn't squawk, you need to immediately reward him by letting him out of his cage, giving him his favorite treat, etc.  You don't state whether you and your girlfriend live together...if not, don't let him out of his cage when your girlfriend is over.  The mating is normal behavior for a parrot who has raging hormones.  There's nothing you can really do about this, but let it pass.  Keep his available light down to 8-10 hours per day to discourage raging hormones.  Don't allow him access to anything he likes to mate with.  You might want to consider changing the location of his cage or change the inside of his cage around....anything to get his mind off of mating.  

Come back if any of the above doesn't work or if you have additional details to provide.

Chrys