Hormonal Phases

[JJsHoney]

OK, Rene has been displaying for about a month and a half, I tried looking on line but cannot find anything that gives an estimate for how long this lasts.. I feel dumb, I feel like this is something I should know...

 

I have been trying to give him as much sleep as I can, he has been in a sleep cage upstairs in the bird room but in the morning I have a sky light in there and besides a blanket cannot block the light (and would be blocking air at the same time) so my dark hours are from 9pm until 6ish.. which is NOT ENOUGH!!

Edited July 11, 2010 by JJsHoney

[Dave007]

"""""which is NOT ENOUGH!!""""

 

Enough of what? Something is scaring you? All parrots go through a natural process of increased hormones and that bodily function shouldn't be messed with. If it's a bird's behavior towards you that's bothering you, well, nothing you can do will stop that behavior towards you. It's part of nature's process. You can make the days shorter but that won't slow down or eliminate the hormonal change that's going on. Only time that passes curtails seasonal hormonal actions. For some reason or another, people get upset when hormonal changes kick in. A bird's general reactions to many things changes slightly. With some it's moodiness. With some it's being more aggressive. With some it's a lack of interest in everyday things like playing or talking. With some it's non interest in coming out of a cage.

A person has to live with this. A person needs to know that they're dealing with a wild animal. As far as domestic animals, can a female dog have it's period of mating desires shortened or can that female's personality during this time be altered? It's a very simple thing to ignore all of the temporary things going on with a bird that's hormonal. As far as how long, a male can be hormonal from 3 weeks to 1 1/2 months. A female can be hormonal from 2 to 3 mts and it's the female that shows more overt negative reactions when in a hormonal state.

It's not a good idea to interfere with a wild animal's survival instincts.

[JJsHoney]

Thanks Dave for giving me a guess on how long Rene will be hormonal, and to clear up a few things absolutely nothing that Rene is doing right now is bothering me, as you know I got Rene in April, we had a rough month or so, where I couldn't handle him at all he was very quiet (I also understand that this was just him getting used to being in my home) But one day when I let him out of the cage he instantly drooped his wings and started panting, and actually stepped up and rubbed his head on my hands, no biting no hisses.. and that was the turning point in our relationship, Rene now follows me around the house, calls for me when I go outside etc. So basically I am just worried that once his "time" is over, will we go back to the relationship we had before or will we continue with the one we have now.. and was just trying to get a guesstimate.

I also know that 10/12 hours of sleep is preferred, and really didn't want to try to mess with natures perfection.. but just wanted to make sure that I am not prolonging anything with his short sleep schedule...

[Dave007]

Your bird's sleep schedule is totally up to you. The schedule should be one that makes you comfortable. I only said that changing hours won't shorten the time that a bird remains hormonal. That applies to both males and females. A female bird has duties which extend way beyond what a male has to do. That's why they're more ornery, leery, more aggressive, more moody, may not wanna be petted and act like you're the last thing they wanna bother with. With both males and females, whatever relationship you had with your bird before will still remain the same afterward.

The big mistake people make is intentionally getting a bird excited sexually and it doesn't matter how old the bird is as long as it's reached adolescence. Constant touching in the wrong areas. Doing that for prolonged amounts of time. Thinking that it's wonderful to watch how cuddly the bird reacts etc. That will lead to one thing though---at one point, a person is gonna get tired of doing this one evening and that bird will hold onto the finger that's exciting him/her sexually. So, the person continues. A few days later the person does it again and the finger holding repeats except that the bird is holding on more tightly but the person stops anyway. A few days later the persons starts all over again and wants to stop and instead of holding on to the finger, it delivers a very nasty bite. That can cause a relationship change with the owner and bird. The bird doesn't like having the stimulation stopped and the person becomes fearful of holding the bird because the person isn't sure about why the bird bit him/her. AFTER ALL, THE PERSON WAS ONLY BEING AFFECTIONATE TO THE BIRD!!. Well, I've told people not to do that but they don't like that response yet have no idea about learning what happened. So, the relationship becomes estranged. In your case, your bird is doing all the cuddly cuddly and you're not giving in so you should have no problems in the future.

Males don't even have to be hormonal so the cuddling rubbing on you can happen once in a while. Even the simple act of stepping up can cause a male to lower the wings. It lasts for about 30 seconds or until you walk away with the bird on your finger.

With us males, it's simple the nature of the beast. Be happy that we're interested.

Edited July 11, 2010 by Dave007

[JJsHoney]

With us males, it's simple the nature of the beast. Be happy that we're interested.

LoL Thanks Dave!