Lovebird night honk? Why?

[Ellen Roycette]

I have had three lovebirds for six months. One is struggling. The other two are bonded and so he is self harming and though I spend most of the day with them, free flying in my room, they have yet to come to me. I am gentle and do not force them. The room is safe and has a long play shelf with toys over the window and several places to perch as well as being able to go in and out of their cage or perch in or on it. I have a vet appointment in August. I have to wait for my only Avian Vet option to return to the country. Then, last night, for the first time, one of them made a new noise. Like a mini-honk. I am worried it signifies a sinus issue or illness. Has anyone else heard this? What is it?

 

[Zara]

Hello Ellen,

Really the third, alone bird should be housed separately. Lovebirds do well in bonded pairs or alone in cages.

I´m not sure about the noise, hard to know without hearing it as we all interpret sounds differently.

What do you mean by ¨self harming¨? If your bird has bald spots and you hear a sort of yelpy soft seagull sort of sound, then He could be plucking at night.

 

[Leih]

It's hard to explain noises, but my lovebird will let out a random sound here and there when she's in "bed." Hers is like a single chirp... Hard to explain. But, lots of birds talk in their sleep. When my lovebird is napping she chatters away. My conure chatters constantly in his sleep, he sleeps in my bedroom so I get to hear him

Since you have three lovebirds, why not get a fourth so the unpaired one can have a friend? I know many people say to not have lovebirds in odd numbers. @Zara has six but two remain unbonded. If this third bird is self harming it would be advisable to try to stop it quickly. With that said, it could be an illness or it could be emotional, so seeing the AV is the right first step.

 

[JaclynBin]

My lovebirds only really “honk” when they’ve inhaled something wrong. Mostly if they’re too exuberant while eating millet and inhale a husk or something. Was yours eating at the time, or playing with a particularly crumbly/dusty toy?

 

[Ellen Roycette]

They were part of a larger clutch and so aside from a pecking order, there is only a small amount of aggression. If they had not been raised together, I would worry about Chandy, the odd one out, being killed. The self harming is a combination of plucking and some blood being drawn from picking. He may have had a difficult molt and it became a habit. As for adding another one, that is hit or miss from what I have heard. They do not always bond with the bird of your choice. I have made a separate smaller cage available to him if he wanted to go into it but he never does. They were rescued from an abandoned clutch of five left alone in an apartment. I was only going to take two, but the rescue staff asked me to take them all as they got along okay and they did not want one left out. I have been trying to bond more with Chandy, but so far, they are very skittish of hands. They may have been mistreated. I will listen again tonight and see if the sound is made again.

 

[Zara]

Did you get these birds as chicks?
Has the third bird ever seen a vet for the feather plucking? Or is this a recent thing?

 

[Leih]

Aww poor birds, but very kind of you to take them in. My lovebird Aoife was really skittish when I brought her home, although I am sure she wasn't mistreated, just not socialized. I really thought she'd never come around but after three incredibly patient months she finally would sit on my hand. I have heard, and experienced with my bonded pair of linnies, that it is very difficult to "tame" a bonded pair.

 

[Ellen Roycette]

I have a vet appointment in August. I have to wait for my only Avian Vet option to return to the country. I was told they were a year old but I think that is the best guess. I have had them for 6 months and their energy is good and they play and interact with me from a safe distance: Peekaboo, "fly", and their bedtime routines. They fly free most of the day and at bedtime I just do my bedtime routine and they have learned to go into their cage for the night. I had to "herd" them in the first week or so but now they do it on their own. They know my bedtime song and such and what it means. But Chandy's feather picking is getting worse instead of better. I figured by now they would have gotten acclimated enough that he would have stopped. Also, I wasn't sure if it was just a difficult molt. So I will take them into the Avian Vet asap and get some help and get their beaks and nails trimmed and advise about a wing clip also.

 

[Zara]

It is definitely wise to see the vet.
You may find that the bird would benefit from his own cage. S/he could be insecure about the space resulting in stress.
Alternatively he could be lusting after one of the paired birds, resulting in stress.
He could even have something physically wrong with him, which a vet will be able to tell you.

Why would you want to clip your birds? Especially a fragile bird who is plucking?
Please have a read of these articles, I´m sure they will help you; Should I clip my birds wings? | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum


Having a bird that plucks, yet there is nothing physically wrong with them, is one of the worst things.
It´s so heartbreaking to have to witness so helplessly.
I´m really sorry

 

[Ellen Roycette]

 

[Ellen Roycette]

The above is Chandy. You can clearly see the damage he is doing to himself. I am sorry for the rambling nature of this thread. I am not used to this messaging system and I haven't figured out how to just add a small pic with the text. Or how to change my avatar. Getting there.

 

[Leih]

Poor Chandy he's so adorable.

 

[Zara]

The pictures are a little blurry but looks like he´s missing some blue from his rump, and is that a bald patch under his wing?

I am sorry for the rambling nature of this thread. I am not used to this messaging system and I haven't figured out how to just add a small pic with the text.

Don´t worry about that, you will figure it out quickly

What size cage do they have? and what is their diet?
A very large cage would be a good investment regardless of how much they are in it. But like I said before, you would be better to house the pair in one cage and Chandy in his own cage next to them.
As for diet, lots of vegetables and the inclusion of pellets are recommended. I´m sure the vet will set Chandy a diet plan once he has been seen .

 

[Ellen Roycette]

Their cage is adequate though not overlarge. The wing clip would likely only be this once, if at all, so as to be able to bond more easily on the floor and recliner with them until they are not afraid of my hands. Right now they just fly off. Also, I do not want to be cornering them in the cage with my hands to get them to be comfortable with hands. I just imagine this giant hand coming toward me as a bird and I have nowhere to go and it is a terrifying thought so I do not do that.

 

[Leih]

Some extra toys for Chandy may help, my lovebird is a chewing machine, particularly while hormonal, so I think some extra outlet for him would be helpful. There are toys designed for overpreeners, or anything with fibers they can shred. Those yucca "bird kabobs" are always a hit. Definitely can't hurt.

 

[Zara]

The wing clip would likely only be this once, if at all, so as to be able to bond more easily on the floor and recliner with them until they are not afraid of my hands.

Unfortunately that is not how it works.
To bond or ¨tame¨ a bird takes a long time. Especially an adult bird. By forcing them to be with you will not create a tame bird, just a timid one.
You have a bonded pair of birds who don´t need you because they have each other so to bond with them is quite a task, but wing clipping is not the answer.
And as for Chandy, a wing clip could destroy him. If he loses confidence, that could cause enough stress for him to pluck at a much faster rate.

To clip ¨just once¨ is not worth it. The cons outweigh the pros. And once those wings are back, you will be worse off than you are now.
The psychological effects of wing clipping will last longer than the clipped wings.

You would be better investing time into the birds, sitting by their cage, talking to them, feeding them some treats through the bars. You could do this for an hour or so everyday before letting the birds out.

I just imagine this giant hand coming toward me as a bird and I have nowhere to go and it is a terrifying thought so I do not do that.

Yes exactly. This is another reason why you may find it easier to interact with them while they are in their cage to start with because they will feel safe enough to come and get the treat.

I found a lovebird hen at my back door. For a month I quarantined her and searched for her owners. We got to the stage where, she would come to me, but wasn´t 100% trusting me and unfortunately we never got her ok with hands. After a month she joined my flock and almost immediately hit it off with my ¨tame¨bird Jaime. Now she doesn´t need me, she has her mate. So our relationship has developed ever so slowly, but when she comes and lands on my hands or sits on my shoulder, it really warms my heart. She comes to me because she trusts me. She chooses to come to me, she has never been forced into anything. I have written a few threads about her
Pictures - Today the bird gives the human a reward. | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum
Video - Aldora is happy again | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum



@Leih Great idea, special toys could help

 

[Ellen Roycette]

Zara, thank you for your advice. I am in the same room with them all day long while they fly free. I have tried to find a food that they love to use for bonding and as a reward but they have a very limited seed pallet tho I do offer fruits and veg daily. It has been 7 months, so I guess this is the best I can expect for bonding. Still, I enjoy them.