That time of the... Year?

Birdman666

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Sep 18, 2013
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San Antonio, TX
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Presently have six Greenwing Macaw (17 yo), Red Fronted Macaw (12 yo), Red Lored Amazon (17 y.o.), Lilac Crowned Amazon (about 43 y.o.) and a Congo African Grey (11 y.o.)
Panama Amazon (1 Y.O.)
Sally, as most of you know is my female Red Lored Amazon.

As you probably also know she lives outside her cage on a large manzanita tree that I bolted to a small table and placed in the window. Not that cage doors ever actually close around here, but she literally goes back in her cage for an hour or two on cleaning days (to keep her safe from my mop bucket.)

Other than that, she hardly ever goes in her cage, for anything, ever. Her preferred spot is her swing in the window on the manzanita tree...

She is always the first and last bird to greet me. She's the first bird handled in the mornings and when I come home, and always has been. (Call it flock leader privilege.) But lately, as soon as I put her back on her playstand, she heads back to her cage on her own, and just wants to be left alone... as in NOBODY (NOT BIRD OR HUMAN) INTERACT WITH ME the rest of the night.

She has also suddenly started sleeping in her cage again, which is particularly odd for her...

Her weight hasn't changed in the 14 years I've had her. It's perfect. She was well birdied a month ago, and her labs are perfect. So she isn't sick.

I'm guessing it's a sign of the onset of her hormonal period, and they are running amuck at the moment?! Seems a little early in the season, but maybe...

My fear is that she's got some sort of depression issue going on?! Maybe I need to get her out more?!

Anyone else noticing the onset of hormonal behaviors in their zons right now?
 
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Dopey

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Well - I'm new to this hormone thing with my birds but I'm hoping that's what is going on with my Zon's. Nippy little suckers in the evenings and one of the SCREAMING.
 
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Birdman666

Birdman666

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Sep 18, 2013
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San Antonio, TX
Parrots
Presently have six Greenwing Macaw (17 yo), Red Fronted Macaw (12 yo), Red Lored Amazon (17 y.o.), Lilac Crowned Amazon (about 43 y.o.) and a Congo African Grey (11 y.o.)
Panama Amazon (1 Y.O.)
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It seems about a month early to me. And it's different from past behaviors. (Hunger strikes/begging to be fed. Moody but overly affectionate. More demanding of attention, not less.)

But maybe I'm just not remembering so good...
 

Dopey

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The white front seems to be constantly on his feeding bowl and crying/screaming for more. The sweet little guy has become the mean machine.

Do your birds get 12 hours of sleep? How do you do that when they are out of their cages all the time?
 
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Birdman666

Birdman666

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Sep 18, 2013
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San Antonio, TX
Parrots
Presently have six Greenwing Macaw (17 yo), Red Fronted Macaw (12 yo), Red Lored Amazon (17 y.o.), Lilac Crowned Amazon (about 43 y.o.) and a Congo African Grey (11 y.o.)
Panama Amazon (1 Y.O.)
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My downstairs living room is my bird room. We have a small downstairs people living room as well, and another main people living room upstairs. The upstairs one is where the TV is. We go upstairs for peace. Downstairs is generally for interaction.

No. They don't. My birds go down at 10:00 pm.

Funny thing is, at five minutes to ten, without fail, TUSK will call up to me, and remind me "Time for bed!" I don't know how he knows, but you can set your watch by it...

I get up at 5:30 am. They get up and fed at 6:00 am.

They sleep out on their playstands. Except Maggie who sleeps/lives on top of her cage. When I fill the food and water dishes, they each get handled, and they generally go back to their cages on their own when the food dishes go in. (With the exception of my red lored, who dines on the terrace. Her food, water and treat bowls are just placed on the table I attached the manzanita tree to.)

They all power nap during the day usually around 2-3:00.
 
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Dopey

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Ok - so you don't have the problem that I have...the tv and the birds in the same room. It's not really a problem for me...just wondering if it's a problem for them and from what you have told me...shouldn't be a problem. :D
 
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Birdman666

Birdman666

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Sep 18, 2013
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San Antonio, TX
Parrots
Presently have six Greenwing Macaw (17 yo), Red Fronted Macaw (12 yo), Red Lored Amazon (17 y.o.), Lilac Crowned Amazon (about 43 y.o.) and a Congo African Grey (11 y.o.)
Panama Amazon (1 Y.O.)
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Dopey

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I am so glad to hear that. He acts like he wants me to play with him and then when I get near the cage he starts attacking the bars. Lord knows that I don't want to try and have him step on a branch or anything. :p So how long do I have to wait before he calms down?

Also, he is like trying to eat his way through the bars to get to the other Zon. It's really quite funny to watch and sad at the same time.
 
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Birdman666

Birdman666

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Sep 18, 2013
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San Antonio, TX
Parrots
Presently have six Greenwing Macaw (17 yo), Red Fronted Macaw (12 yo), Red Lored Amazon (17 y.o.), Lilac Crowned Amazon (about 43 y.o.) and a Congo African Grey (11 y.o.)
Panama Amazon (1 Y.O.)
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The white front seems to be constantly on his feeding bowl and crying/screaming for more.

THAT sounds like a food oriented zon who has just eaten all of his favorite food items... "there's stuff in my bowl, but I'm out of the good stuff... MOM! MOOO-OOOM! MOM...!"
 

Dopey

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Well - he isn't going to get his "sunflower seeds" unless I'm giving them to him as a treat. He is the most spoiled bird I have right now.
 
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Birdman666

Birdman666

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Sep 18, 2013
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San Antonio, TX
Parrots
Presently have six Greenwing Macaw (17 yo), Red Fronted Macaw (12 yo), Red Lored Amazon (17 y.o.), Lilac Crowned Amazon (about 43 y.o.) and a Congo African Grey (11 y.o.)
Panama Amazon (1 Y.O.)
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I am so glad to hear that. He acts like he wants me to play with him and then when I get near the cage he starts attacking the bars. Lord knows that I don't want to try and have him step on a branch or anything. :p So how long do I have to wait before he calms down?

Also, he is like trying to eat his way through the bars to get to the other Zon. It's really quite funny to watch and sad at the same time.

BFA?! Depends on the age, and how well they adjust. Older birds calm down quickly.

The younger ones with hormones running amuck? 4-6 MONTHS!!! :eek: But usually the worst will be over in 4-6 weeks. It's when it first hits that they are really moody...

I had Pecker from age 35-38. I never once had a problem with her and hormones - ever!

Bob was a 20 something nape, and other than doing mating dances with Sally, and being protective of her. (i.e. don't handle one without the other, and don't interrupt the mating dance. I had none with him either...)

Usually by age 18 - 20-ish they are pretty calm year round... you may get a few days here and there at the onset of "the season" but that's about it.

The young DYH was an absolute territorial b@$%#@* at the start of the season, but you take him out of his territory, and put him in a room away from his cage or the big playstand, and he turned into a completely different bird. (The bad behaviors are caused by the instinct to claim and defend a nesting territory. Outside their territory their is nothing to defend so they stop doing it.)

The older 60 yo DYH - NO CHANGE at all. (Of course he was set in his ways and a grumpy old perch potato year round!)

The mexican readheads were super active, and again, no problems that I can recall with them, OTHER THAN don't handle one without the other during breeding season... particularly if you picked up the female and tried to take her away from the male. (Just go ahead and issue a formal declaration of war while you are at it!)

Lila is like Sally, she begs (tusk) to feed her, and seeks out attention and preening, and runs around making nests with him but that's about it. (Unfortunately her favorite nesting material appears to be my flip-flops.)

Sally usually just does her hunger strike thing, wanting to be hand fed. Sitting at her food dish and whining, and making eyes at me... Females are supposed to be fed this time of year. Do I have to do it myself?!) And she gets super cuddly/velcro-ish for a few weeks, and jealous of the other birds.
 
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Birdman666

Birdman666

Well-known member
Sep 18, 2013
9,904
258
San Antonio, TX
Parrots
Presently have six Greenwing Macaw (17 yo), Red Fronted Macaw (12 yo), Red Lored Amazon (17 y.o.), Lilac Crowned Amazon (about 43 y.o.) and a Congo African Grey (11 y.o.)
Panama Amazon (1 Y.O.)
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Well, Lila took my best pair of flip flops, and turned them into nesting material, and she and Tusk bolstered that material by shredding two phone books. They built a nest under Sally's cage...

HELLO! DUH! LIGHT BULB JUST CAME ON...

TUSK AND LILA BUILT THEIR NEST UNDER SALLY'S CAGE...

So she's making sure they don't take over her nest!

I'm an idiot for not thinking of this sooner...
 
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Birdman666

Birdman666

Well-known member
Sep 18, 2013
9,904
258
San Antonio, TX
Parrots
Presently have six Greenwing Macaw (17 yo), Red Fronted Macaw (12 yo), Red Lored Amazon (17 y.o.), Lilac Crowned Amazon (about 43 y.o.) and a Congo African Grey (11 y.o.)
Panama Amazon (1 Y.O.)
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Well, Lila took my best pair of flip flops, and turned them into nesting material, ......


If my phone hadn't been stolen yesterday I'd take pictures and send them to you...

It was raining and I ran out to the car. Leaving my flip flops as targets of opportunity. They seem to be her favorite bird toys. And I give her my old worn out ones since she loves chewing them up so much...

Bad thing is I live in those things, and this time of year, no one carries them!

My old ones were already sacrificed...
 
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Birdman666

Birdman666

Well-known member
Sep 18, 2013
9,904
258
San Antonio, TX
Parrots
Presently have six Greenwing Macaw (17 yo), Red Fronted Macaw (12 yo), Red Lored Amazon (17 y.o.), Lilac Crowned Amazon (about 43 y.o.) and a Congo African Grey (11 y.o.)
Panama Amazon (1 Y.O.)
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They have a mountain of paper, lined with shredded flip flops...

TWO PHONE BOOKS SHREDDED AND THEN TRANSPORTED UNDER THE CAGE.

And she went and got my flip flops! Dragged those under there too!

I've pretty much just left it there. The minute I clean, they'll just make another one.
 

JerseyWendy

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I tried not to laugh...

Ya know, when I first discovered the 'mess', I actually thought we had a mouse in the house and I freaked out something fierce. WHAT kind of super mouse does THAT kind of damage literally overnight? :32: Much, MUCH later did I realize it was the 'caged' mouse next to the tree that someone forgot to lock into her cage properly the day before (no...it wasn't me). :54:
 

JerseyWendy

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Mark, my Hunter's 'got it so bad' at the moment, the minute she hears my voice she starts making the 'clucking' sounds, and finds a nearby perch to do you know what. :11: I re-arranged her cage, trying to make 'things' harder for her, but that didn't quite work out.

Bad thing is that my Sam has learnt to imitate "THE" noise, so now it sounds like I've got 2 uber broody Amazons. :32:
 

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