Hyperactive bird

Hi there,

I've got a boy lovebird who has a high-pitch chirp that just doesn't seem to stop. He has soooo much energy, chirps loudly in our ears (ringing!) hardly ever wants to be in his cage, and won't let us pet him - he just wiggles away.

He steps onto our fingers just fine - but doesn't settle down to be pet. Our girl lovie is much more calm when she isn't hormonal, and whenever we pet her, he gets all up in her space, but then doesn't let us pet him, too.

Any ideas of how to calm him down, or maybe what he needs??

(birds aren't paired up, btw)

Cut back on fruits and sugary stuff. jh

He doesn’t eat too much fruit or sugary stuff. He’s like a little kid who’s a picky eater. :/
I think it’s hormones. He is trying to get it on with my workout resistance band right now. He’s getting 10-12 hours of sleep a night. Idk what else to do...

Open and read, https://lafeber.com/pet-birds/species/lovebird/ is this the bird you have? Read that and look through forums here and search on youtube.com and see if "patience", observation and one to three months; doesn't improve the situation. jh

Hyperactive is good! Sounds like he isn't a cuddle bug - not all birds are.

The best way to work with his energy is to direct it somewhere. Have you tried starting target training? From target training, you can then teach him new tricks, especially if he is food-oriented. Our boy (not a lovebird) is happy to play recall training all day long (with variations of hide-and-seek and tag). It's a great way to work off their energy and get them healthy.

If it's hormones that you are worried about, remove anything that may seem like a nest. That includes time under furniture or inside clothes as well as remove any 'snuggle/happy huts' and other dark places. Consider his diet, hopefully not too many seeds (a bit too fatty) - focus more on veggies and/or pellets.

If you're worried about sound, consider whistling tunes to him. If he calls out, whistle something more pleasant back. Then rush over with treats if he uses the whistle you're establishing as a contact call. Sure, hormonal calls won't all be replaced by contact whistles, but you can try to reduce it and redirect it.

some birds are just born to be wild