Then & Now...what a difference!!

[birdhouse]

Kura just looked particularly lovely today. I kept thinking how great she looked compared to the way she looked when she went hormonal during mating season.

 

Since she's the only one who doesn't seem to mind, I took some pics. Then, I found a "before" pic I took this spring. Massive damage in a matter of days & it broke my heart to look at her for months. But you'd never know it to look at her now.

[Luvparrots]

What a cutie Kura is. She looks just smashing, my Solomon says!!!!

[chelseaB]

Wow! She is a beauty!! Will she be likely to do that again in the spring?? Thank goodness she came back to her natural beautiful self!!

[birdhouse]

Kura says thank you to all of you. I think Sully made her blush... but it's kind of hard to tell with her

 

I'm reading everything I can on parrot hormones & particularly eclectus females. I've found some things to try, but it's going to be trial & error over the long haul. Afraid we may be in for a bumpy ride were springs are concerned

 

I'm just hoping this spring was extreme... think what you'd get if you crossed a 3 yo w/an earache with a teenager with PMS :eek: I'll be very grateful if we can dial that down. We were both a mess at the end of a week!

[Tweedle]

What a beautiful bird

[GoDiego]

What a beautiful girly, she is again!

 

I'm just hoping this spring was extreme... think what you'd get if you crossed a 3 yo w/an earache with a teenager with PMS I'll be very grateful if we can dial that down. We were both a mess at the end of a week!

 

LOL, my husband has just said that this sounds like me, but you are lucky it is only in the Spring he gets it all year round monthly! How rude! LOL

[judygram]

The before and after pictures are startling in contrast, she has come full circle in color and is beautiful, no wonder you wanted to share some pics as I would have too, thanks for sharing them with us.

[birdhouse]

... my husband has just said that this sounds like me, but you are lucky it is only in the Spring ...

 

LOL I actually remember thinking this could be some kind of payback. I also remember thinking maybe I should keep more alcohol in the house... ?

 

That spring pic isn't even the worst of it. I couldn't bring myself to take another pic by the time she finished clobbering herself. I wish my camera was better because the pics don't actually do her justice, Judy. She's just shining!

 

My cockatiels used to breed in the fall. They were just gene encoded for the southern hemisphere. I think that's what made me start thinking all of this. I've been holding my breath because I was a little afraid Kura might start up again.

 

So far, so good. Hopefully, this will only be a concern in the spring. Meanwhile, Kura will stay her beautiful, happy self.

[Birdnut]

Birdhouse, thanks for sharing these photos. Kura is certainly a beautiful bird.

 

I found your story very interesting, as I have a blue-crowned conure female who has been doing a similar thing. She bites the green feathers off a small patch on her belly. It's not really like plucking, as the grey down feathers are still there. She also does this in the spring. This feather damage will suddenly appear. She just does a small area, and then she stops and doesn't do it any more. Then when she does her big molt in late summer, the feathers come back in and she is fine until spring. We have been through this cycle twice now with her. I was wracking my brain as to what was going on with her. First I quit caging her and her brother separately and let them roost together, as I thought she might be frustrated by the separation. Then I was afraid she had been bitten by an ant or something. Her vet examined her and found no problems. But now, after having seen this cycle happen more than once, and after reading about your experience with Kura, I am convinced that it is related to the breeding cycle. I hadn't noticed it associated with a change in behavior, but I will watch more closely for this.

 

You have certainly had a much greater problem with Kura. I hope some of your research will yield some helpful measures for you to take.

 

Also, thanks for your response to my inquiry about female ekkies. Kura certainly sounds like she is a very sweet bird when she's not being hormonal.

[birdhouse]

Very glad if this helped, Birdnut. But so far I've only identifed the problem, unfortunately.

 

Kura feather barbers to feather her nest, even though she hasn't got anything that qualifies. This may be triggered by light, temperature &/or diet. Dave said something in another post about some birds' reaction to any available nesting materials.

 

She's still my little sweetie, but I am seeing a difference in her behavior over the past week. She's less sedate, sort of twitchy (... no, really... I meant with a "t" !) more vocal & assertive. Last year I would have thought it was just the cooler weather. This year, I just don't know. So everyone feel free to post any hormonal parrot insights, please.