Waiting patiently!

Lacey · Nov 14, 2011

Wow! I swear this "hormonal" time of year is going to last forever! Lol! It must be difficult for our babies this time of year. I feel bad for him, yet I know I can not let him do the behaviors he tries to do with me. With a great suggestion, I have given him a stuffed bear to take his frustrations out on. Which he does, but is there anything else I can do to make this time of year a bit less frustrating for him? He seems better today, but yesterday he was just all out of sorts. Wouldn't even kill his bear! Today his body gestures are back to normal, but I am always open for suggestions if anyone has any other advice to make it a little easier on him

Tammy · Nov 14, 2011

Join the club! Mr. Precious was able to draw blood on my mother's head before I could sprint across the room & grab him. I'm getting his wings clipped on Monday so I can at least make sure family members are safe. He even made a pretty convincing lunge at me but I just lightly put a finger on the top of his beak & tell them they're not for biting.

The only other suggestion I can make is what people told me the 1st time this happened & it was to put them to bed early so they get more rest. I'm sure some of the experts will give you many more. This is only the 2nd time my OWA has gotten like this & I've had him for 2 years.

Pedro · Nov 14, 2011

Your not serious about the stuffed bear? Truly I have never heard of it. LOL.

Sometimes a long warm shower does the trick. Preening their wet feathers keeps a hormonal bird occupied for awhile. Also less petting at that time also helps. I am so lucky my SC Too doesn't behave like that. I just don't encourage hormonal behavior in any of my companion parrots.

Maybe some Avicalm would help him.

melinda · Nov 14, 2011

Chloe has a pink and purple stuffed bunny she beats the tar out of. Works great when they just need to burn some energy off. Showers work great but only if your bird enjoys them enough to get wet. I know you are still working on this. Extra hour of sleep works wonders. Not sure about the Avicalm as i have never used it. I think you might want to speak with your vet to see if they think it would help and find out how much to give. I have seen many people with cockatoos use green tea (cut 50%) during this time of year and for pluckers.

Lacey · Nov 14, 2011

Thanks Tammy I think I may try having him get some more sleep. Reno is also lunging at people. Usually he would act like he would bite them if they were too close, but now he is lunging off of his perch and across chairs, or at least that was what he was doing yesterday. Today he is much better, but still his litttle hormonal self. Lol! He seems to calm down after fighting with his bear. I'd rather him bite and beat up on his bear then me! Lol!

Pedro~ Yes I am very serious about the bear and it was a fantastic suggestion! It really seems to help him calm down when he is in one of his moods!

andrea.faerie · Nov 14, 2011

I just purchased some avicalm last week for my overzealous conure... nothing noticeable yet but I'm confident in it's ability. Might just take a little bit to get in their system. Everyone I've asked SWEARS by it for all species of parrot. If you get some, it comes with a little scooper and a list of what each size of bird should get. Lucy gets an 1/8th of a TEASPOON. lol Bleu gets 1/4 teaspoon. It's got good stuff in it so even though Bleu doesn't really *need* it, Mama Jean (my birdie goddess, this lady is amazing) said it would help him with his molt and even make him a little less nervous around me (he's my rescue). ANYWAYS. It gets dissolved in 4 oz of water 2 times a day

It's a touch expensive... but when I saw the serving size... it totally pans out haha

Lacey · Nov 14, 2011

Thanks Melinda! I am still trying all your suggestion to try to get Reno to accept water. He is pretty stuborn! Lol! He reminds me of my grandma! Old school and will not accept new ideas or changes! Lol! I think as you and Tammy mentioned, Reno may not be getting enough sleep as well. I guess when you get anxious, you forget about the easier things that can be done, such as more sleep. Thank you both very much! If you think of anything else, I am all ears

Lacey · Nov 14, 2011

Hey thanks andrea! I will definately look into that. I get so nervous about medication, but everything is worth looking into! I am very appreciative of your response! Thanks!

andrea.faerie · Nov 14, 2011

No problem! Everything in avicalm is safe, it's more of a... supplement maybe? than a medication. It's mainly white tea

its high in some important ingredients that are calming to birds (I can't remember exactly what they are) I ordered mine from arcata in california. I just found out my favorite parrot store carries the entire line of avi- products!

melinda · Nov 14, 2011

I have heard many people very happy with Avicalm. From what i understand it can take 3 weeks before it kicks in. Not sure but if you feel you might need it just call your vet and speak with her about it. I am sure she will know if you might need it or not. Do you have to order that through a vet Andrea? I have never looked it up yet so i wasn't sure if you can get it over the counter or not.

andrea.faerie · Nov 14, 2011

it's all over the counter

Lacey · Nov 14, 2011

I just made some tea for Reno and he absolutely LOVED it! He drank about 1/3 of a cup! Now he is perched up on his perch sleeping like a baby!

Molcan2 · Nov 15, 2011

I feel your pain! I just went through one full week of non stop screaming :11:, I thought I was going to loose my mind. Hang in there it will pass, Rome is finally back to her normal easy self. I most definitely understand your frustration, unfortunately for me none of the tricks really worked with Rome this time. You can try everything possible but sometimes hormones are just hormones and you'll have to just ride it out. Good luck, hope you find something that works.

Lacey · Nov 15, 2011

Thank you! I'm pretty lucky with Reno( at least so far). He has never screamed since I have had him. He just gets really cranky, possessive, and tries to bite everyone and everything that is not me. He will grab my hand and bite down a little harder then normal, but nothing bad. It always seemed to work in the past that if he were to bite me too hard, I would drop him for 30 seconds and then pick him back up. Usually it was just enough time to get him out of his funk. Not now boy! I drop him and he takes off like a crazed maniac chasing anything and everything. It was funny because the first time he did it he reason after my border collie/blue healer. She looked at him like wow really. Then Reno put up his umbrella and she was like a streak of black!

Tammy · Nov 15, 2011

Pedro said:
Sometimes a long warm shower does the trick. Preening their wet feathers keeps a hormonal bird occupied for awhile.

Thank goodness Mr. Precious can't read yet! He's the biggest shower hog I've ever met & if he knew what you wrote I'd never get him out of the shower. LOL. I was late getting out the door today because he wouldn't get out of the shower. He actually hangs upside down by 1 foot to try to get in before I'm even undressed! :green2:

Lacey · Nov 15, 2011

I wonder what's wrong with Mr. Reno! He acts like the world is coming to an end when a feather gets wet. Sits there as the water is running off him with the funniest look on his face just sulking!

Molcan2 · Nov 16, 2011

Rome is the same way, she HATES getting a bath or being misted (her first owner would spray her with water as punishment - probably has something to do with it). What we did is set up a bird bath in her outdoor area and she'll bathe herself. I felt terrible forcing her to take a shower or be misted, when the entire time (no matter how much I tried to make it an enjoyable exp.) she was sulking an asking to step up continually.

Lacey · Nov 16, 2011

Aww! That is exactly what Reno does. He never tries to harm me but looks at me sadly and says step up, step up. Then when he tries to get on my head and when I won't let him, he says, but I love you, I just love you over and over. I'm going to try a bath tonight and see what his take is.

Tammy · Nov 16, 2011

Lacey said:
I wonder what's wrong with Mr. Reno! He acts like the world is coming to an end when a feather gets wet. Sits there as the water is running off him with the funniest look on his face just sulking!

Mr. Precious just flew in the bathroom one day while I was in the shower & did the hang upside down thing. The first time he actually fell into the shower & I caught him. I bring him in the bathroom every day when I shower & it's his choice whether he wants to come in or not. Sometimes he doesn't feel like getting wet so he sits on top of the shower door & enjoys the warm steam. It's nice to be whistled at in the shower!

melinda · Nov 16, 2011

My U2 and conure are water hogs and want a shower every morning. The amazon spent 14 years with out a bath or shower. When i got her the smell was so strong i rode home with the window open in a rain so hard it caused flooding. She LOVED her first shower the next morning. Then after about once a month she enjoys it. I tried letting her take a bath and she was so afraid i thought she might drown. Some enjoy water more than others but we can"t just let them never get wet. But i do hate that look she gives me when she is taking a shower. Makes me feel so bad.

Waiting patiently!

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Covering?

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