| Get him a friend? If I am remembering correctly, you have three birds?
Two in one cage? If this is right, then who could blame the little guy
;') I know someone whose lovebird did this routine with a curtain
rod, and we have a blue-front Amazon who became enamored of a cardboard
tube, believe it or not. I'm guessing that the bird lets off excess
energy when you let him out to fly. He also seems to have you trained
well to pay attention to him in some way when he behaves in this way,
so consider ignoring the behavior. Your actions could be reinforcing
and encouraging the behavior. Lack of attention on your part probably
won't stop him completely, since the energy is still there, but you
might be able to establish a free-fly routine that suits *your*
schedule, not his, and gives him the opportunity to exercise each day.
Let him out on a regular schedule that is convenient for you. Also
try adding toys in the cage to amuse him, but be ready for him to
transfer his 'affection' to one of these other inanimate objects!!
The bottom line is still that he is behaving normally for a sexually
mature bird.
Linda
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| This is normal behavior believe it or not. I have a budgie (Hans
VonKeet) and he performas the same ritual. He has a set of colored
rings with a bell at the end of it. Hans will grasp the bell in
his left foot, hold on to the the perch with his right foot and
swing his tail under the perch and drive side to side until he
achieves the end result. I don't think that you will stop him from
doing this. I tried to put Hans in with a female but he wasn't
interested. So enjoy the show, just try not to react to it when
it happens.
Jim Buccieri
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| It took a long time to realize that "normal" for Squeaky is not the
same "normal" as for our other two birds, and I have since quit
comparing. That small realization has since freed both myself and my
son from a lot of anxiety over whether or not Squeaky was going to make
it. We now are able to enjoy our other two birds and turn an occasional
blind eye when Squeaky starts his dance.
Most of the time Squeaky looks as if he is about to fall off his perch.
This used to worry me, and I would roam the local pet stores reading
books and bottle labels trying to find a cure. Through the course of
time, while watching and getting to know the individual birds, it finally
dawned on me that Squeaky isn't sick (a little off mentally maybe, no
really) this is just who he is.
His appearance changes, he is sleek and smooth when he preens, eats,
comes out of the cage, and when he thinks no one (human) is around to
see him. It's either his self defense, he had a pretty hard life two
owners ago, or his sympathy act. He gets a lot of sympathy from the
other two birds. When all three are feeding at the same time the
other two will pick and shove on each other but not on Squeaky.
Squeaky is always the first to eat and last to leave. He also insists
on Boo Boo's company and will follow him from perch to perch, which
works out great now that Boo Boo has quit slobbering all over him.
Thelma is the 'intelligent' one and doesn't mind because his friend
lives in the mirror. Thelma is also male.
Squeakys' previous owner told me he never sang but he does now. :-)
The first time I heard him, June 27th, I almost fell out of my chair.
His voice has a funny hoarse sound to it and he doesn't sing very loud
or often. Every now and again at odd hours of the day you might hear
a croaky little song. Odd hours for an odd bird.
He still does his naughty dance but we've, me, Kevin, Boo Boo, &
Thelma, have become conditioned to seeing it and we ignore him.
Friends, relatives, etc. now that is another matter.....
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