We could be rescuing a grey today

[SRSeedBurners]

Well, as you know, they say to discourage that behavior, but I'm not one to buy into the common advice that everyone 'parrots' mainly because they're simply repeating what they've heard over and over.  Since Sydney is so very much like our Huey, I'll relay what has happened for us.

 

Huey came to us heavily medicated, which kept him dopey most of the time.   When I tried weaning him cold turkey he would butcher his feet.  So we tried weaning him very very slowly, several times.  Three drops, to two drops, then one drop.  As he came off his meds, he really took a liking to my wife ( I'm now referred to as second husband).  She pets him like you're not supposed to do which makes him get down and do the dirty on her arm.  He's also tried mounting GreycieMae but can't figure out how (we're working on it  ❤️  ).    Wife debated, should she stop doing this?   She still does it but limited.   Huey eventually stopped on his own and he also weaned off his meds without butchering his feet.  We're over two months now.   It boiled down to the fact he had raging hormones.  Without his little outlet, he had to stay heavily medicated.   So next year around January, I'm going to be on high alert for his symptomatic psychosis (which is why they put him on Haliperidol).  Apparently Huey was just wanting some loving, awfully bad.   I'm also going to setup some solid perches in the aviary, he could never get a good balance on top of a GreyicMae swinging in the breeze on their rope perch.

 

So I guess what I'm saying is, I'd probably entertain the amorousness if it was leading to being able to handle them.   It's really brought our Huey out of his shell.  But I usually run afowl of the status quo...

[Greytness]

Thanks Steve. Sydney seems to have raging hormones, too, but at least he doesn't barber himself...yet.

Guess I'll continue doing what works. Still working on his out  of cage time. Have to set aside a good chunk of time each day in order to work slowly and patiently with him. With 12 fids, it's becoming very difficult to find the time. If I think I'll be rushed, then I don't bring him out. Don't want to do the 2 steps forward; 1 step backward dance. Getting him back into his cage slowly and without much stress has been my challenge thus far.

I'm extremely surprised that people actually dope their birds up in order to manage their amorous behaviors. But I guess that if the barbering behavior becomes health threatening it becomes an option, albeit the last option I'd actually consider. Glad to hear that he's now clean and doing great!

[SRSeedBurners]

1 hour ago, Greytness said:

I'm extremely surprised that people actually dope their birds up in order to manage their amorous behaviors. But I guess that if the barbering behavior becomes health threatening it becomes an option, albeit the last option I'd actually consider. Glad to hear that he's now clean and doing great!

In Huey's case, he's been doped by a vet for 10 years.  Supposedly he is bi-polar which is why they put him on haloperidol.   I don't fault his former owner as the guy wants the best for Huey, which is why he re-homed him to us.    I almost bought into the diagnosis as Huey does start to act very strange once off his meds.   What helped me to realize what was going on, our Caique started plucking over the same period that Huey went berzerk on us.   Then they both stopped their respective behaviors at nearly the same time.   I knew at that point I had two over-horney boys on my hands.    Now the vet not knowing this, is kind of inexcusable in my opinion.  They should know that raging hormones can cause this type of stuff and not just throw meds at a bird indefinitely.

 

Also, he doesn't barber, he literally will chew his feet until they bleed, removing the scales and skin.  It's terrible what he does.  So far he doesn't do anything to his feathers.

Edited August 17, 2018 by SRSeedBurners

[Greytness]

I thought I'd share a couple pics of Sydney taken today. He's come such a long way! I tried to take him out of his cage for his pics, but he became way too flirtatious so I had to let him decompress. 
 

[SRSeedBurners]

Ahhh...sweet happy boy!    Tell him Huey says Hi!   The look so similar.

[Greytness]

Will do!

[Greytness]

I noticed after taking his pic that he has a little divit in his beak. See that white spot? It's a little depression of sorts. I'm thinking that he may have caught his beak on something. He was messing with the dragonwood perch where it's attached to the side of the cage earlier today. Now I'm wondering if his beak somehow got pinched between it and the bars of the cage.

[SRSeedBurners]

Oh gosh.    Our conure went to battle with our Jardines and ended up with a nice hole through her beak in that exact spot.  It worried me when it first happened but never phased her and it grew right out after a few months.

[Greytness]

That's comforting to know. Initially I was wondering if he had bird poop stuck there, because he's been known to reach below the bars to grab and tear up the newsprint.