Butttaxi Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 The last 2 weeks Rorschach has been spending more time in his cage then not. I feel super bad about this but I am not sure what I can do. If I take him out the first thing he does is starts regurgitating then drops his wings and starts panting. If I tell him “no thank you” and walk away he just flies to me and decides it’s a good time to start biting. He is fine with David as long as I am not home, he will just chill on David’s arm and there is no aggression or mating rituals with him. Unfortunately David has been working a lot the past few weeks so he isn’t home 24/7 like usual so the only real time Rorschach can come out is in the morning before I go to work or when David gets off work, and most times he is way to tired and sore so it wouldn’t be safe to leave the baby out if there is a risk of David falling asleep leaving Rorschach unattended with cats lurking around. Yesterday was a good day though, I took him out he flew around the apartment a few times and then flew to me while I was laying on the couch. He would get a bit of snuggles and scratches then fly over to David, get a few kisses, chew on the chair then fly back to me. He did this for a while without getting testy or hormonal. I can’t continue to keep him caged up, does anyone know if this sounds like spring hormones? I started reading about spring behaviour a few months back and it seems that it typically starts around February and could go on for a few months. Also I have read that 2 years old may be a bit young for hormones, anyone else have any insight to on this or maybe some tips on how to address the issue? Am I being horrible? Is it best to have him in the cage more during this time rather then encourage mating behaviour? He still seems happy and talkative so he doesn’t seem to be offended by being locked in, I can’t help feel like a horrible parront. Cheers Theresa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray P Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 When mother nature speeks a parrot will listen because they are still wild at heart. I do not have this problem with Corky my CAG, but Cricket my BFA is in love with me and when she comes in season it brakes my heart to walk away from her, but I must do that for her own good. She will have a sad look on her face when I walk away, but then she will stop and I can go back to her. This to will pass and things will go back to normal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave007 Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 The last 2 weeks Rorschach has been spending more time in his cage then not. I feel super bad about this but I am not sure what I can do. If I take him out the first thing he does is starts regurgitating then drops his wings and starts panting. If I tell him “no thank you” and walk away he just flies to me and decides it’s a good time to start biting. He is fine with David as long as I am not home, he will just chill on David’s arm and there is no aggression or mating rituals with him. Unfortunately David has been working a lot the past few weeks so he isn’t home 24/7 like usual so the only real time Rorschach can come out is in the morning before I go to work or when David gets off work, and most times he is way to tired and sore so it wouldn’t be safe to leave the baby out if there is a risk of David falling asleep leaving Rorschach unattended with cats lurking around. Yesterday was a good day though, I took him out he flew around the apartment a few times and then flew to me while I was laying on the couch. He would get a bit of snuggles and scratches then fly over to David, get a few kisses, chew on the chair then fly back to me. He did this for a while without getting testy or hormonal. I can’t continue to keep him caged up, does anyone know if this sounds like spring hormones? I started reading about spring behaviour a few months back and it seems that it typically starts around February and could go on for a few months. Also I have read that 2 years old may be a bit young for hormones, anyone else have any insight to on this or maybe some tips on how to address the issue? Am I being horrible? Is it best to have him in the cage more during this time rather then encourage mating behaviour? He still seems happy and talkative so he doesn’t seem to be offended by being locked in, I can’t help feel like a horrible parront. Cheers Theresa A bird who is younger than 4 or 5 can go through extreme periods of affection but it doesn't mean that the bird is looking for another parrot to mate with. At such a young age, a bird is sexually *aware* and nature controls and causes that behavior. It's like a 11/13 yr old boy who has an erection but doesn't know or have the ability to do anything. A bird who is older than 5/6 yrs old is sexually *mature* which means that the bird is capable of actual mating. When their hormones kick in it's much more obvious that what you describe. At that age, a male can be very moody,sometimes wants to be alone, wants to have less contact. With a male that's about it. A mature female on the hand goes through all of these same things including biting for the smallest of reasons. They're extremely moody. They definitely don't wanna be touched and when a female bird is like that, a person needs to make sure that the bird is left alone. Bites can be serious. With males, all of this behavior usually stops within 1 mt but with a female it can go on for 2 mts and sometimes more. What you need to realize that thje 2 yr old bird that you have will be doing many more things as it matures--things you don't know about yet. A good example of this is the baby grey. A person gets one, the bird is cuddly, sweet, loves lots of attention, lots of affection. By the time that bird is 1 1/2 years to 2 1/2 old, the bird isn't the same anymore. That's when the true * grey* personality kicks in. Some people are actually sad when it happens because the grey isn't the same warm cuddly bird they purchased. Greys go through times of wanting to be alone because they're naturally aloof. There's other times that a bird will bite when it wants affection but doesn't get it. Example--a bird is perched on the hand/arm and the person wants to put the bird in the cage or on the cage or on a playstand, A person tries to but the bird digs in and won't let go. What can start some aggressive behavior is when a bird goes to someone and bites them if not enough attention was given. In your case, there's been a change--the bird is in the cage much more than it's used to and he/she will let you know. A bird can't talk to complain but he can bite to get your attention. As far as ***He would get a bit of snuggles and scratches**** what can cause a bird to react in an aggressive way is where you touch the bird---under the wings, on lower breast area, near vent area are all a no no. That's stimulating a bird sexually and when you wanna stop and take the bird off you, it may bite. Why not? "Hell, why not? It feels real good so don't stop or else". So, you'll need to see the different things a grey does as it gets older. Their permanent personality isn't really developed until they about 5 to 6 yrs old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butttaxi Posted May 1, 2011 Author Share Posted May 1, 2011 Dave, I think you may have nailed it about needing more attention, he loves human contact and wants to be with us all of the time. If he wants to be alone he will usually fly to the water cooler. I think what I am concerned about is what appears to be a mating dance, I don't have to touch him to get this behavior all I need to do is talk to him and when I walk away he will fly to me which results in me placing him in the cage because I do not want to encourage anything sexual and then later have a monster on my hands that I created. I want to have him out of the cage as often as possible so what I wanna know is what would you do about the panting and dropped wings at this point in age when walking away does not work? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave007 Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 (edited) ****what I wanna know is what would you do about the panting and dropped wings at this point in age when walking away does not work? ***** It will work though. With some birds they continue doing it for a while after a person walks away. With other birds, it may take longer. With other birds it may be shorter. More than likely, it's bothering you more than the bird because of what yiou're seeing and hearing. Understand that what he's doing all has to do with nature because your bird is a wild animal. Eventually, they stop. In the wild, very young greys do this within the flock. Others in the flock ignore the bird be it male or female. Eventually, the bird simply stops doing that. In your house, the bird is in a flock situation and will do the same things and eventually stop. As I've already said, the most important thing here is not sexually stimulate him by touching areas that should be left alone. There's times when you're holding him or he's on your lap and you're watching TV and he'll do that to you without you touching him. Leave him alone and he'll eventually stop. What you need to do is stop worrying about what you're hearing and seeing. Remember, nature is making him act the same way as if he was in the wild. Understand that your bird is a wild animal and will remain so even if he lives with you. Edited May 1, 2011 by Dave007 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butttaxi Posted May 1, 2011 Author Share Posted May 1, 2011 Thanks so much Dave, It worries me more because it is natural and I don't want to be the cause of frustrating him later when he does hit sexual maturity and I am not the right partner lol So basically keep calm, ignore unwanted behaviour and do not touch any no-no spots! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave007 Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 ***So basically keep calm, ignore unwanted behaviour and do not touch any no-no spots! "" You got it in a nutshell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butttaxi Posted May 1, 2011 Author Share Posted May 1, 2011 Thanks again Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelseaB Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 I am glad you posted this question Buttaxi, Biscotti ( will be 2 on June 1st ), does exactly the same thing. I have been pretty much doing as Dave said & it seems to work out fine. It is funny how nature kicks in so early on some behaviors that will be used when they are more mature. I see my baby bull calves out in the field humping their herd mates ( male & female ). These guys are only 1-2 months old! And puppies also do this, even though they are not sexually mature they seem to like to "try out" these behaviors they will need in the future. I have never raised a parrot through these growth stages, so it is all very new & interesting to learn about. I really appreciate Dave sharing his knowledge with us newbies. It will be interesting to see what our babies are like when they actually reach sexual maturity! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 So basically keep calm, ignore unwanted behaviour and do not touch any no-no spots! Thats basically what I have to do as my grey is going on 5 years of age, Dave gives the best advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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