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Help my lovebird has a humping problem

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I have two lovebirds who both like to hump things and it hasn’t been a problem till recently. My one lovebird, Nibbler, has gotten so bad, the moment I let him out of his cage he will try and try to get away and start humping my couch, and the real issue is that he likes to regurgitate while doing this, leaving vomit everywhere. It takes all but 10 seconds for him to do this. I’ve tried giving him a small stuffed toy in his cage, and nothing seems to get him to stop, if anyone has some advice I would appreciate it.
 

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Noticed I messed up the title, how do I edit it
 

Shezbug

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Just the J in jumping to an H lol, thank you
 

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Welcome to the Avenue Lenore :)

start humping my couch,
I wonder if you could cover that area with something? Boxes. lots of towels. I´m not really sure. Difficult because it´s such a large thing.

Do you notice this happening at certain times of the day? Maybe keep him cages during those hours?

@TikiMyn
 

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Have you tried the usual things like increasing their dark hours to as much as 14 each night? Reducing the fat in their diet?
 

TikiMyn

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It is my nightmare that my two boys will start doing that :lol:
But honestly, they already kind of do. Due to circumstances they are in a bedroom/living room type and they humped the bed. Here are some tips that work for my birds;
- I only let them out when I felt they were calm, playful, not hormonal. So after dinner for example for my two. I often do some target training before letting them out to let them focus on something.
- I did multiple short times out of their cage, I would flight train, trick train, give them special foraging toy or treat etc. When they would go to the bed, I would say no and try to redirect them. If they did it three times I put them back, they don't know what they do wrong but I don't want to keep them in those bad habits. I never let them actually hump it, even if I have to gently shoe them away. For me it was a constant battle who could get to the bed first haha. It takes lots of persistence.
- My birds are very used to change and schedules that aren't very time based. At that moment it was pretty regular, my other half worked from that room so was with them all day. I shook up their schedule a bit, instead of veggies in the evening they got in in the morning, multiple little bits of seed on forging toys through the day, switching up the way their food was presented and where. They always have pellets available, they don't like it much but they won't go hungry:)
- Limit all dark places and do everything to make it easier for them to not go there. As I said my boyfriend works from home in their room. He would sometimes let them out, set up some activities and hide a few pieces of millet in their toys and play areas and would sit on the bed with his laptop. When they went there he would remove them, that worked pretty well. There also a lot of other places in our room they could 'nest' in. They key is to never let them have succes in going there, and try to make play areas as attractive as possible. Try to be involved with them when they are out, and when you get frustrated put them back. I preferred having them out succesfully 4x for 15 minutes, heck even 5, then a couple hours whith them being all hormonal an doing nothing but trying to hump. I love having my birds out the entire day, because that is usually possible. They used to not even have a cage. But if the situation makes it that they get a little less out time for a while, so be it. Offer them as much enrichment as you can and try to see what really interests them. It was a very long journey for me, but I have mostly come to and understanding with my boys, and they have ceased to be as hormonal as they once were. They still get themselves worked up from time to time, but it's manageable.
 

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I actually got my first Lovebird because he was like yours. The lady who raised him from an egg got tired of mounds of regurgitated bird seed on her furniture. At that point he didn't hump. Just regurgitated. I guess he thought of her as mom. But within 2 months he decided I was his mate and the humping started. The regurgitation continued. He progressed to saying "hello" to me by humping. EVERY. TIME. WE. WERE. PHYSICALLY. SEPARATED. Even for 10 minutes! I tried everything. First I just tried not letting him "abuse" me. He got really MEAN very quickly. His CAV even tried female hormone shots. They worked. For 3 weeks per shot. I couldn't afford that. He was known at the clinic as the bird with "the sexual problem". The vet told him one day that he was lucky he belonged to me because anyone else would have "freeze dried" him. We eventually settled on him happily humping my big toe. And feeding my shoulder. Since I wouldn't let him feed my nose, ear, or mouth. That was in 1989. I've had a lovebird ever since. They don't call them Lovebirds forcnothing.
 

TheBirds

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I actually got my first Lovebird because he was like yours. The lady who raised him from an egg got tired of mounds of regurgitated bird seed on her furniture. At that point he didn't hump. Just regurgitated. I guess he thought of her as mom. But within 2 months he decided I was his mate and the humping started. The regurgitation continued. He progressed to saying "hello" to me by humping. EVERY. TIME. WE. WERE. PHYSICALLY. SEPARATED. Even for 10 minutes! I tried everything. First I just tried not letting him "abuse" me. He got really MEAN very quickly. His CAV even tried female hormone shots. They worked. For 3 weeks per shot. I couldn't afford that. He was known at the clinic as the bird with "the sexual problem". The vet told him one day that he was lucky he belonged to me because anyone else would have "freeze dried" him. We eventually settled on him happily humping my big toe. And feeding my shoulder. Since I wouldn't let him feed my nose, ear, or mouth. That was in 1989. I've had a lovebird ever since. They don't call them Lovebirds forcnothing.
Oh gosh, your story made me laugh out loud! I thought MY guy was bad ... (and a second - slightly younger - male Lovebird who is watching the first "humper" very closely so I suspect I'll soon have TWO of them, oh joy). Have you found that your successive birds been as bad, hormonally speaking, or was he a special case?
 

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I have a different perspective than some of the advice that's been offered so far. That doesn't make them wrong, and me right, but it's an alternate option to consider.

For me, it's a guiding principle that, whenever possible, it's best for their long term wellbeing to let our birds be birds (give them choice, and freewill).

If I apply that to this situation, that means placing a towel on the sofa where he likes to go, and letting him do his thing.

Absolutely ensure his darkness hours are sufficient, but I don't consider it bad or wrong for a bird to hump an inanimate object.
 
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Zara

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t I don't consider it bad or wrong for a bird to hump an inanimate object.
I agree. But I just worry as it is the couch. The bird could easily be sat on.
Would be great if he could redirect his attention to something else...
 

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You could try covering the area he 'prefers' with a towel/blanket/similar so he doesn't recognise it. Hiding something is often just as good as removing it.
 

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I have a different perspective than some of the advice that's been offered so far. That doesn't make them wrong, and me right, but it's an alternate option to consider.

For me, it's a guiding principle that, whenever possible, it's best for their long term wellbeing to let our birds be birds (give them choice, and freewill).

If I apply that to this situation, that means placing a towel on the sofa where he likes to go, and letting him do his thing.

Absolutely ensure his darkness hours are sufficient, but I don't consider it bad or wrong for a bird to hump an inanimate object.
I would like to say something about this. If the bird just humps a few times a day, that is okay. My single lovie used to do that before they got so bad. Totally fine, but then they both got really bad and it consumed their entire day, they would not play, interact or do anything but be interested in being in a dark corner or humping. That is not right, so let your birds have their fun but be wary of when it is too much and starts to control them.
 

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I would like to say something about this. If the bird just humps a few times a day, that is okay. My single lovie used to do that before they got so bad. Totally fine, but then they both got really bad and it consumed their entire day, they would not play, interact or do anything but be interested in being in a dark corner or humping. That is not right, so let your birds have their fun but be wary of when it is too much and starts to control them.
Completely agree. There is a point when it becomes a serious health threat to the bird.
 

flyzipper

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let your birds have their fun but be wary of when it is too much and starts to control them.
Agree. Obsessive compulsive behaviour of any sort would need to be redirected or avoided with some of the enrichment and foraging tips you offered to ensure they're not bored.
 

bubblelady

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Oh gosh, your story made me laugh out loud! I thought MY guy was bad ... (and a second - slightly younger - male Lovebird who is watching the first "humper" very closely so I suspect I'll soon have TWO of them, oh joy). Have you found that your successive birds been as bad, hormonally speaking, or was he a special case?
He was my Olympic class humper. I also had a hen who was an Olympic class shredder. I had her at the vet one day and he picked her up to play with her. Then he started to put her down on the desk but all 3 girls in the office instantly screamed , "NO!NO! NO!. She'll shred the charts!" Oliver was a major humper, multiple times a day. Usually within 5 to 10 minutes after getting up. But he limited it to his boing. And no regurgitation. I have a great shot of Peep, trying to figure out what Oliver was doing. Peep neither humps nor CEA1DF25-A953-4042-9239-9CE57D641377.jpeg 35C8EEA9-FE02-4C5D-9ED6-1ADE41A812B2.jpeg r regurgitates. He just likes to snuggle.
Oh gosh, your story made me laugh out loud! I thought MY guy was bad ... (and a second - slightly younger - male Lovebird who is watching the first "humper" very closely so I suspect I'll soon have TWO of them, oh joy). Have you found that your successive birds been as bad, hormonally speaking, or was he a special case?
 
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lov_ly

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Welcome to the Avenue Lenore :)


I wonder if you could cover that area with something? Boxes. lots of towels. I´m not really sure. Difficult because it´s such a large thing.

Do you notice this happening at certain times of the day? Maybe keep him cages during those hours?

@TikiMyn
It’s pretty much any soft surface, in bedrooms and the living room. He does it’s immediately after I take him out of his cage in the mornings, and pretty much anytime I glance away he’s off of my shoulder and regurgitating on a pillow (gross ik). It’s pretty frustrating, I know birds are prone to humping which isn’t an issue since I give them a stuffed animal in their cage, I’ve never found anything about regurgitation though which is the part that’s really driving me crazy since I have to wash my pillowcases everything he gets away. I love him and I don’t wanna leave him in his cage but due to this he spends more time in then out.
 

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Have you tried the usual things like increasing their dark hours to as much as 14 each night? Reducing the fat in their diet?
They are on a pellet diet, they do eat vegetables, fruit, chicken, and they aren’t allowed any form of carbs, but millet is a given as a treat. Though I typically give them 11-12 hours at night, I’ll try doing 14 though
 

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EVERY. TIME. WE. WERE. PHYSICALLY. SEPARATED. Even for 10 minutes! I tried everything. First I just tried not letting him "abuse" me. He got really MEAN very quickly.
I’m glad someone else has dealt with the same issue lol. He also does get pretty mad at me when I stop him, he’s got a lively personality and gets pretty sassy. Lovebirds are definitely a handful compared to other bird owners I know with cockatiels and parkeets, but I wouldn’t trade my little crazies for anything.
 
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