| help with lovebird - CLICK HERE for the Pet Manual Forum Home Page |
| Mary |
Hello,
I made an unresearched impulse purchase of a Lovebird back in April. Fiona is a
Fischer's, I don't know what the birds sex is, but I call her a she. I know
that impulse buying at a pet shop is a BIG no no. I do want the best for this
bird though.
She has a large cage, 4 perches of varying width and some natural branch
perches in her cage. A variety of toys, spinning toys, chewy toys, rope toys,
links, and ladders. She has a mineral block she chews, a pellet diet that I
supplement with eggs , fruits, and veggies. She had a little cup that she
bathes in every morning. She has daily flying time in a closed off room with
the window blinds drawn, enjoys perching on the shelves and window curtain rods
and watching everyone and everything. She is not tame, but has recentley
started to nibble at a millet spray that I hold in front of her. She is in our
family room, and I interact with her often.
The thing is, she is very loud, and her chatter and shrill screeches are almost
contant. I live in an apartment building, and the neighbors have complained. I
realize if I had researched the bird first, I would have known this. I feel
terrible and I do not want to give her up, and I don't want to surrender her to
a shelter. But if it comes down to losing my apartment(not an option) she will
have to go.
Any suggestions of interventions I could implement to possibly lower the noise
level so she doesn't disturb my neighbors as much? I do cover her cage at
night, and wait until mid-morning to uncover her. I don't want the poor bird to
have to live under a sheet all day. ANY suggestions would be appreciated. Fiona
is special to us.
Again, I realize that I made a mistake by making an uneducated impulse buy at
the petshop. I have definately learned a lesson, and I don't want Fiona to pay
for my mistake.
Regards,
Mary
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| Gloria Carr |
"Mary" <flicka1059@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20040825115349.22984.00004337@mb-m07.aol.com...
> Hello,
>
> I made an unresearched impulse purchase of a Lovebird back in April. Fiona
is a
> Fischer's, I don't know what the birds sex is, but I call her a she. I
know
> that impulse buying at a pet shop is a BIG no no. I do want the best for
this
> bird though.
>
> She has a large cage, 4 perches of varying width and some natural branch
> perches in her cage. A variety of toys, spinning toys, chewy toys, rope
toys,
> links, and ladders. She has a mineral block she chews, a pellet diet that
I
> supplement with eggs , fruits, and veggies. She had a little cup that she
> bathes in every morning. She has daily flying time in a closed off room
with
> the window blinds drawn, enjoys perching on the shelves and window curtain
rods
> and watching everyone and everything. She is not tame, but has recentley
> started to nibble at a millet spray that I hold in front of her. She is in
our
> family room, and I interact with her often.
>
> The thing is, she is very loud, and her chatter and shrill screeches are
almost
> contant. I live in an apartment building, and the neighbors have
complained. I
> realize if I had researched the bird first, I would have known this. I
feel
> terrible and I do not want to give her up, and I don't want to surrender
her to
> a shelter. But if it comes down to losing my apartment(not an option) she
will
> have to go.
>
> Any suggestions of interventions I could implement to possibly lower the
noise
> level so she doesn't disturb my neighbors as much? I do cover her cage at
> night, and wait until mid-morning to uncover her. I don't want the poor
bird to
> have to live under a sheet all day. ANY suggestions would be appreciated.
Fiona
> is special to us.
>
> Again, I realize that I made a mistake by making an uneducated impulse buy
at
> the petshop. I have definately learned a lesson, and I don't want Fiona to
pay
> for my mistake.
Hey, we all make mistakes.
Check the placement of your cage, and if possible move it so that it is the
furthest from the neighbor that complains the most. You might want to try
placing it against a wall that faces the outside rather then against one of
the interior walls. See if you can muffle the noise, you might try hanging
carpet against the wall (not very attractive, I know) or getting some fake
trees. Also, you can sometimes get cheap palm trees (the kind used as
decoration at Easter) at places like HomeDepo or Fred Myers (make sure to
get enough to line the wall). Heavy furniture such as book cases, the sofa,
etc might also help.
Find out what times of the day she is particularly noisy and try timing your
feeding times to coincide with it
If you can, try talking to your neighbor as well. Keep the conversation nice
and polite ("I understand that my lovebird has been bothering you. I love
her a great deal, but I know now that birds are naturally noisy. I know how
nice it is to have peace and quiet, and I think we can work together to fix
this problem. What times of day does she disturb you the most? Does it help
if I move her cage to another room? ETC) It might help to sweeten up your
neighbor by bringing over a batch of cookies or something when you go talk
to them.
Gloria
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| Alan R Williams |
flicka1059@aol.com (Mary) writes:
> Hello,
>
> I made an unresearched impulse purchase of a Lovebird back in April. Fiona is a
> Fischer's, I don't know what the birds sex is, but I call her a she. I know
> that impulse buying at a pet shop is a BIG no no. I do want the best for this
> bird though.
>
> She has a large cage, 4 perches of varying width and some natural branch
> perches in her cage. A variety of toys, spinning toys, chewy toys, rope toys,
> links, and ladders. She has a mineral block she chews, a pellet diet that I
> supplement with eggs , fruits, and veggies. She had a little cup that she
> bathes in every morning. She has daily flying time in a closed off room with
> the window blinds drawn, enjoys perching on the shelves and window curtain rods
> and watching everyone and everything. She is not tame, but has recentley
> started to nibble at a millet spray that I hold in front of her.
Kale is the answer. Put some kale on the palm of your hand and after
a few days you will have a hand-tame lovebird. She may not like the
rest of you but she will adore your hands :-)
Also, try not to grab her. If you need to pick her up then put your
hand gently round her and wait for her to move onto your hand (even if
it takes minutes). Don't try to pull her off whatever she's attached
herself to.
> She is in our
> family room, and I interact with her often.
>
> The thing is, she is very loud, and her chatter and shrill screeches are almost
> contant.
Lovebirds do make a lot of noise. If she is making the same call
again and again then it is probably the "is anyone there?" call. In
theory you could solve the problem by getting her a friend, but then
you'd have twice the volume of more varied calls :-( Alternatively,
when she makes a call, answer her. If she is reassured that she is
not all alone then it may quieten her down for a bit.
IME they will also quieten down if there is something that really
interests them. Is she as noisy when flying around or is it mainly
when she's in her cage? You mention lots of toys, but no shredding
ones. If she hasn't already got things to shred then look for things
like http://tinyurl.com/5ucjm You can get shredding strips but mine
much prefer something more solid they can tear to pieces.
Realistically though you could reduce the frequency of the calls,
there's nothing you can do to reduce the volume. All you can do is
try to reduce the impact as Gloria suggests.
[snip]
> Regards,
> Mary
Good luck,
Alan
--
Alan Williams, Room IT301, Department of Computer Science,
University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, U.K.
Tel: +44 161 275 6270 Fax: +44 161 275 6280
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| Mary |
Thank you for your replies!
I will try the Kale. I have never picked her up, I open the cage and she flies
in and out at will during her fly time.
Her calls are when she is in the cage, worst in the morning and mid afternoon.
Her calls are hard to discribe.. like PEEP PEEP PEEP PEEP click click click
PEEP PEEP PEEP, over and over, high pitched, and when she is out she squeaks
every now and again, but not as frequently or loudly as when she is in. I'd
leave her out all the time if I could, but, I also share my house with a CAT.
I do try to answer her when I am here, but it is when I am at work that the
neighbors say she is extremely loud. Should I leave her covered whilst I am at
work? Would that traumatize her? I have been leaving her covered in the
morning when I go in (7am) to work and on my break at 10 am I run home and
uncover her. Luckily I live close to work.
The neighbors whoo complained are on the floor above me, luckily I have no one
abutting the wall where her cage is.
I have thought about getting her a friend, but as you mentioned that runs the
risk of having TWO loud birds.
I will try the shredding toys. She really likes her rope toys, when she does
play with them she is totally consumed by them, fluffing and unravelling the
threads.
Thanks again for your suggestions and help. I do so appreciate it.
Mary & Fiona =)
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| Alan R Williams |
flicka1059@aol.com (Mary) writes:
> Thank you for your replies!
>
> I will try the Kale. I have never picked her up, I open the cage and she flies
> in and out at will during her fly time.
>
> Her calls are when she is in the cage, worst in the morning and mid afternoon.
> Her calls are hard to discribe.. like PEEP PEEP PEEP PEEP click click click
> PEEP PEEP PEEP,
That sounds (well reads) more like a distress call that mine make if
they see, for example, a magpie or cat, than the "is anyone there"
call mine make. That is a two-tone "be beep" with the "be" lower than
the "beep". I probably spend too much time with them but it actually
sounds questioning to me :-) There's also a noticeable gap after each
"be beep" as they wait for an answer.
> over and over, high pitched, and when she is out she squeaks
> every now and again, but not as frequently or loudly as when she is in. I'd
> leave her out all the time if I could, but, I also share my house
> with a CAT.
Does the cat have access to the room that her cage is in? Perhaps she
is making distress calls because she can see the cat, or even just
knows she is alone in the house with the "evil bird eating predator".
> I do try to answer her when I am here, but it is when I am at work that the
> neighbors say she is extremely loud. Should I leave her covered whilst I am at
> work?
If it's a distress call, then that could make things worse as she
would then be trapped in the dark with the evil predator.
> Would that traumatize her? I have been leaving her covered in the
> morning when I go in (7am) to work and on my break at 10 am I run home and
> uncover her. Luckily I live close to work.
>
> The neighbors whoo complained are on the floor above me, luckily I have no one
> abutting the wall where her cage is.
I really don't blame the neighbors. I'm lucky as I've only got one,
and she's a rather deaf old lady.
> I have thought about getting her a friend, but as you mentioned that runs the
> risk of having TWO loud birds.
>
> I will try the shredding toys. She really likes her rope toys, when she does
> play with them she is totally consumed by them, fluffing and unravelling the
> threads.
>
> Thanks again for your suggestions and help. I do so appreciate it.
One thing you could try, which is done for barking dogs, is to pretend
to leave the house. Then when she starts calling, after a while
return to reassure her that all is well. With luck, she will learn to
go for longer and longer periods without getting upset.
> Mary & Fiona =)
Alan
--
Alan Williams, Room IT301, Department of Computer Science,
University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, U.K.
Tel: +44 161 275 6270 Fax: +44 161 275 6280
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| GOOD GOLLY MISS mOLLY |
"Mary" <flicka1059@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20040826205941.10848.00002864@mb-m25.aol.com...
> Thank you for your replies!
>
> I will try the Kale. I have never picked her up, I open the cage and she
flies
> in and out at will during her fly time.
>
> Her calls are when she is in the cage, worst in the morning and mid
afternoon.
> Her calls are hard to discribe.. like PEEP PEEP PEEP PEEP click click
click
> PEEP PEEP PEEP, over and over, high pitched, and when she is out she
squeaks
> every now and again, but not as frequently or loudly as when she is in.
I'd
> leave her out all the time if I could, but, I also share my house with a
CAT.
> I do try to answer her when I am here, but it is when I am at work that
the
> neighbors say she is extremely loud. Should I leave her covered whilst I
am at
> work? Would that traumatize her? I have been leaving her covered in the
> morning when I go in (7am) to work and on my break at 10 am I run home and
> uncover her. Luckily I live close to work.
>
> The neighbors whoo complained are on the floor above me, luckily I have no
one
> abutting the wall where her cage is.
>
> I have thought about getting her a friend, but as you mentioned that runs
the
> risk of having TWO loud birds.
>
> I will try the shredding toys. She really likes her rope toys, when she
does
> play with them she is totally consumed by them, fluffing and unravelling
the
> threads.
>
> Thanks again for your suggestions and help. I do so appreciate it.
>
It sounds like the poor love is desperately lonely and making loud contact
calls in the hope of hearing another bird respond to her. Or the cat is
terrorising her and she is shouting in terror.I hate birds being made to
endure solitary confinement as I believe them to be made thoroughly
miserable by it.
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| GOOD GOLLY MISS mOLLY |
"Alan R Williams" <alanrw@cs.man.ac.uk> wrote in message
news:uwn7jrkrhfc.fsf@cs.man.ac.uk...
> I really don't blame the neighbors. I'm lucky as I've only got one,
> and she's a rather deaf old lady.
Hello neighbour :0)
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| Mary |
Hi Alan:
As odd as it is, the cat rarely even aknowledges the bird. When I am not home I
don't know what he does though. I have been thinking about setting up a video
camera to see if he is terrorizing her. The cat has the run or the house, and
he can open the doors, we have those 'accordion' type doors in the apartment.
I do know what you mean about the calls, when she is out flying she does that
little "be-boop" call, a 2 sylable call i guess you'd call it.
I'll try the leave-and-return thing. Thanks for the tip.
Mary
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| Guido |
You're a ******* nut - cats and birds don't mix.
What town are you in ?? I'm calling the cops !!!
"Mary" <flicka1059@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20040827192829.10848.00002905@mb-m25.aol.com...
> Hi Alan:
>
> As odd as it is, the cat rarely even aknowledges the bird. When I am not
> home I
> don't know what he does though. I have been thinking about setting up a
> video
> camera to see if he is terrorizing her. The cat has the run or the house,
> and
> he can open the doors, we have those 'accordion' type doors in the
> apartment.
>
> I do know what you mean about the calls, when she is out flying she does
> that
> little "be-boop" call, a 2 sylable call i guess you'd call it.
>
> I'll try the leave-and-return thing. Thanks for the tip.
>
> Mary
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| Guido |
Seriously "mary" .... When was the last time you got LAID really well
?
"Mary" <flicka1059@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20040825115349.22984.00004337@mb-m07.aol.com...
> Hello,
>
> I made an unresearched impulse purchase of a Lovebird back in April. Fiona
> is a
> Fischer's, I don't know what the birds sex is, but I call her a she. I
> know
> that impulse buying at a pet shop is a BIG no no. I do want the best for
> this
> bird though.
>
> She has a large cage, 4 perches of varying width and some natural branch
> perches in her cage. A variety of toys, spinning toys, chewy toys, rope
> toys,
> links, and ladders. She has a mineral block she chews, a pellet diet that
> I
> supplement with eggs , fruits, and veggies. She had a little cup that she
> bathes in every morning. She has daily flying time in a closed off room
> with
> the window blinds drawn, enjoys perching on the shelves and window curtain
> rods
> and watching everyone and everything. She is not tame, but has recentley
> started to nibble at a millet spray that I hold in front of her. She is in
> our
> family room, and I interact with her often.
>
> The thing is, she is very loud, and her chatter and shrill screeches are
> almost
> contant. I live in an apartment building, and the neighbors have
> complained. I
> realize if I had researched the bird first, I would have known this. I
> feel
> terrible and I do not want to give her up, and I don't want to surrender
> her to
> a shelter. But if it comes down to losing my apartment(not an option) she
> will
> have to go.
>
> Any suggestions of interventions I could implement to possibly lower the
> noise
> level so she doesn't disturb my neighbors as much? I do cover her cage at
> night, and wait until mid-morning to uncover her. I don't want the poor
> bird to
> have to live under a sheet all day. ANY suggestions would be appreciated.
> Fiona
> is special to us.
>
> Again, I realize that I made a mistake by making an uneducated impulse buy
> at
> the petshop. I have definately learned a lesson, and I don't want Fiona to
> pay
> for my mistake.
>
> Regards,
> Mary
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| Cinbad |
My single lovebird called a lot, but I knew I didn't want to get another
lovebird for all the obvious reasons-
A friend had a single parakeet who seemed bored and lonely so I asked if I
could adopt her. I house her in a separate cage, of course, but Chickie
lovebird is so intrigued by watching her that he seems happier and more
quiet. He also seems to be mimicking (sp?) the parakeet's quieter chatter.
After a long "get-acquainted" stage, I let them have "out" time together and
they chase each other a bit, but don't fight. I watch them closely, though.
I also play the radio softly most of the day, and that also seems to cut
down the amount of calling. Evenings are the worst, as that seems to be
"flock-calling" time. You might want to spend more time with your bird in
the evening, as you are the whole flock (if you can).
Good luck!
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| Dave the Wave |
"Mary" <flicka1059@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20040827192829.10848.00002905@mb-m25.aol.com...
> Hi Alan:
>
> As odd as it is, the cat rarely even aknowledges the bird. When I am not
home I
> don't know what he does though. I have been thinking about setting up a
video
> camera to see if he is terrorizing her. The cat has the run or the house,
and
> he can open the doors, we have those 'accordion' type doors in the
apartment.
>
> I do know what you mean about the calls, when she is out flying she does
that
> little "be-boop" call, a 2 sylable call i guess you'd call it.
>
> I'll try the leave-and-return thing. Thanks for the tip.
>
> Mary
Don't forget to leave music, maybe nature (without predator) sounds on. My
canary loves it and my lovebird used to.
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