The dreaded hormone monster hath returned...

Kiwibird · Mar 5, 2018

Ugh... it's THAT time of year again:25: The time of year when my gentle friend turns into a snarling hormonal monster

Just had my first encounter a few minutes ago. Had brought :16: into hubby's office for a minute and sat :16: on the back of the office chair. Hubby left the room so I went to pick :16: up and :16: went into full on amazon attack mode. So I did the only logical thing to do when a bird aggressively refuses to step up- turned off the light and left the room without him. That corrected the bad attitude real quick! It took under 15 seconds before the "mommy come rescue me" contact calls began and a perfect gentlemen :green:

stepped up for me. I hope it was just a brief lapse in judgement and not a reflection of how his demeanor will be for the next few weeks.

SailBoat · Mar 5, 2018

Julio's was in late January this year and he was his normal Territory Control Freak! He had is favorite chair, the neighboring coffee table, his primary stash access and the area in front of the gas-fireplace (the pilot light keeps the glass front and floor tile warm) Corden-off and actively guarded.

The only one allow near /in the stronghold was his 'beloved' Sweetheart. Mr. Towel allow me minimal protection from the across the border, rapid response terror attaches.

He was a bit nuts for about 6 days total with his normal ramp-up and the I'm all better now, return to normal, from the couple of days of stomping back and forth along the well-defended border.

But every evening at 8:30 pm, the border was closed for the day as he came wandering over for his ride to his sleeping perch! Aaah, the duties of an Amazon Staff Person!

*** I Love your 'turn the lights-off and close the door.' What a great tool! The things we learn with the help of time! Those sweet little contact calls had to bring a smile to your face!

Never a dull moment in an Amazon household!!!

chris-md · Mar 5, 2018

I’m also struck with the turn the lights off. How clever, I’ll have to remember that!

Parkers been great the last couple months so I’m due myself soon, no doubt. I totally feel your pain! At least yours is once a year though!

Anita1250 · Mar 5, 2018

Does anyone notice that the Amazon scent changes subtly during the raging hormone season?

eagle18 · Mar 5, 2018

So that is why Fred is now screaming for about 15 minutes in his cage while flapping his wings.

chris-md · Mar 5, 2018

Anita1250 said:
Does anyone notice that the Amazon scent changes subtly during the raging hormone season?

Funny you say this because, while he’s not an amazon, my ekkie I’ve noticed on a couple occasions filled the house with a very tropical fruity scent when extremely hormonal.

Kiwibird · Mar 5, 2018

SailBoat said:
Julio's was in late January this year and he was his normal Territory Control Freak! He had is favorite chair, the neighboring coffee table, his primary stash access and the area in front of the gas-fireplace (the pilot light keeps the glass front and floor tile warm) Corden-off and actively guarded.

The only one allow near /in the stronghold was his 'beloved' Sweetheart. Mr. Towel allow me minimal protection from the across the border, rapid response terror attaches.

He was a bit nuts for about 6 days total with his normal ramp-up and the I'm all better now, return to normal, from the couple of days of stomping back and forth along the well-defended border.

But every evening at 8:30 pm, the border was closed for the day as he came wandering over for his ride to his sleeping perch! Aaah, the duties of an Amazon Staff Person!

*** I Love your 'turn the lights-off and close the door.' What a great tool! The things we learn with the help of time! Those sweet little contact calls had to bring a smile to your face!

Never a dull moment in an Amazon household!!!

Sorry, but I refuse to believe Julio is a mean enough bird to do any of those things

Not sure about "sweet little contact calls", more like "butt kissing little contact calls". The contact calls a bird makes when he realizes he's screwed up and must lure a human back to take him home!

Kiwibird · Mar 5, 2018

chris-md said:
I’m also struck with the turn the lights off. How clever, I’ll have to remember that!

Parkers been great the last couple months so I’m due myself soon, no doubt. I totally feel your pain! At least yours is once a year though!

Yup, we were leaving the room and he didn't seem to want to come so he got left behind to learn a little lesson about being a little @#$%. When he acts up, it isn't tolerated. When I talk about disciplining him in a way a parrot understands, this is the kind of stuff. Real time feedback not just on what constitutes good behavior but also what constitutes bad behavior with undesirable consequences! If you try something like that with Parker, you'll have to tell us how he reacts to his 'flock' moving on without him!

Kiwibird · Mar 5, 2018

eagle18 said:
So that is why Fred is now screaming for about 15 minutes in his cage while flapping his wings.

Yup, that sounds about right. They loose their minds in the spring and pet parrots act out in unusual ways because they have no concept of what's happening to them or what to do about it (nor do most have a mate, which is inadvisable for pet birds). Adult parrots become hormonal for a few weeks every year in the late winter/early spring. During puberty, the hormones and resulting hormonal behavior can be near-constant for several years until they are fully mature.

Kiwibird · Mar 5, 2018

Anita1250 said:
Does anyone notice that the Amazon scent changes subtly during the raging hormone season?

Yes! To my understanding the musky scent amazons make contains pheromones. It would naturally make sense the composition of those pheromones would change during the breeding season!

Personally, I notice a stronger odor to my amazon during the breeding season but not perceptibly "different" to my nose.

AmyMyBlueFront · Mar 5, 2018

At least I'm not the only one dealing with a monster...Amy has been doing the "lunge" thing at me for a few weeks now..sighhh

Jim

Kiwibird · Mar 5, 2018

AmyMyBlueFront said:
At least I'm not the only one dealing with a monster...Amy has been doing the "lunge" thing at me for a few weeks now..sighhh

Jim

Does Amy's aggression come on suddenly or is it a fairly constant foul mood while s(he)'s hormonal? As a mature bird, Kiwi's "moods" tend to come out of nowhere and pass as quickly as they come. He'll be totally fine one second and the next he is ready to kill and then he's back to fine. Typically with absolutely no discernible provocation beyond the evil switch in his brain flipped on at random.

AmyMyBlueFront · Mar 6, 2018

Kiwibird said:
AmyMyBlueFront said:

At least I'm not the only one dealing with a monster...Amy has been doing the "lunge" thing at me for a few weeks now..sighhh

Jim

Click to expand...

Does Amy's aggression come on suddenly or is it a fairly constant foul mood while s(he)'s hormonal? As a mature bird, Kiwi's "moods" tend to come out of nowhere and pass as quickly as they come. He'll be totally fine one second and the next he is ready to kill and then he's back to fine. Typically with absolutely no discernible provocation beyond the evil switch in his brain flipped on at random.

All of a sudden!

SailBoat · Mar 6, 2018

Although Julio does have his fast switch moments. He clearly floats into his 'mood' thing. The first couple of days are the most likely for the fast switch moments as he begins to check-out 'his' area.

When he is defending his area, it is very clear that most of the time he is chemically effected, As he just seems mad at the World, WITH the exceptions of his Beloved Sweetheart.

As he is in the waning effects, he sleeps more and is less interested in defending his area.

We have him on a Sun Defined Day Schedule and that maybe affecting his hormone schedule and their results. Also, remembering that he is a Free Roamer and the combination may also be joining /effecting a more defined time schedule?

He is the first Amazon we have had on a Sun defined day sleep schedule.

Anansi · Mar 6, 2018

Gah! The dreaded hormone monster! But you're obviously a seasoned veteran of such hormonal rage campaigns at this point. Loved your method of modified timeout.

I've been fortunate with my birds. Neither my cockatiel nor any of the three ekkies I've had have been too bad on the rage side of things. Maya had a bad instance the very first time hormones hit. Kind of a WTH?!? kind of situation. Poor thing obviously had no idea what was going on. It's the one time she's ever bitten me. (Still sporting the scar from that one! That beak is wicked!) But since then? She's been a perfect lady.

And Jolly just tries to mate with everyone for a week or two... and releases his rage in one exasperated scream after each failed attempt.

So 'nuff respect to y'all who deal with the rage regularly.

Anita1250 · Mar 6, 2018

We get more of the crazies than the rage. The strutting, flinging, bell ringing, fanning, eye pinning crazies. Sam walks around in that posture for a couple of minutes, then throws his head around like Linda Blair and calms down. Repeat every couple of hours until bedtime!

Scott · Mar 6, 2018

Gonzo is fairly stable year round, but some of my sweetest toos are subject to hormone rage.

Kiwibird · Mar 7, 2018

SailBoat said:
When he is defending his area, it is very clear that most of the time he is chemically effected, As he just seems mad at the World, WITH the exceptions of his Beloved Sweetheart.

As he is in the waning effects, he sleeps more and is less interested in defending his area.

It really does seem like they're on drugs when they are in that trance like state or flip into an unprovoked and excessively vicious rage, huh? It is truly an unbecoming trait for such intelligent creatures to display if you ask me. To be irritable would be understandable but the nastiness from an otherwise nice bird is what gets me. When he's in one of those moods, he would bite to maim and injure if the opportunity arose.

Anita1250 · Mar 8, 2018

Kind of like those teenage girl PMS symptoms. I remember at 13 wanting to bite to maim and injure too!

Kiwibird · Mar 8, 2018

Anita1250 said:
Kind of like those teenage girl PMS symptoms. I remember at 13 wanting to bite to maim and injure too!

True, but I'm not sure if I would have classed my 13 year old self as a particularly "intelligent creature" either

More like "feral, unpredictable and prone to aggression". I also remember all the boys at that age getting into fist fights with each other over the stupidest crap too.

Fortunately for us humans, we grow out of it and learn to control ourselves. Parrots never do, they just loose the year round bad hormone trip.

The dreaded hormone monster hath returned...

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