Ask Lafeber

Lovebird hen restless

Hello, my lovebird hen seems to be going crazy. She is obsessively scraping her beak along the bars of the cage, gnawing at them, trying to destroy the food dishes… She will be happy and busy if I give her paper to shred, but I know this should be avoided because it encourages nesting behavior. She isn’t interested in toys that don’t involve shredding–and most toys do involve shredding (paper, cardboard, grasses, etc.) I’m wondering what I can give her to keep her happy and occupied. Thanks!

Hi,

I would focus on non-shreddable toys. She may not be interested if she also has toys she can shred. But given no other choice, she will probably play with other toys. Lovebirds like different textures, softer woods they can chew on and things in general to keep them busy. I would recommend looking into some foraging options to give her something productive to do rather than shredding things.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda