GCC sexual maturity problem.

Hello everyone!

I have had Pumpkin for ~6 months now and he is ~8 months old (born on Halloween '14).

He has been going through his first molt for about 2 1/2 months (poor thing, is it normal to take so long?) and has been realy irritable which i expected but hes sweet if you leave the pin feathers alone and still wants to be with me all the time.

He started head bobbing about 2 months ago which i heard is a sign he is becoming sexually mature.

Recently (about two or three weeks) he has started screaming. I got a conure knowing they are screamers, but before a few weeks ago he has always been a very quiet bird. I am thinking it may have to do with him maturing. Will this behavior continue? I have been ignoring him when he screams i dont look at him or talk to him or scold him. Then when he is quiet i will give him attention, is this the right thing to do? His screaming seems to mostly be triggered. He screams if I leave the room. And he screams at my dogs (it looks like hes watching them).

Any ideas why this may be happening and how I can make sure screaming doesnt become his favorite game? I dont mind the normal morning and night screaming or excited but i dont want it to be excessive. Also are there any other problems i should be watching for during this time in his life?

He is a very well behaved bird compared to other hand tame birds i have met and i would love for him to stay this way. He had a wonderful breeder who got him off to a great start and i have worked realy hard to socialize him and desensitize him to new experiences to avoid a fearful birdie. Thanks for any advice or similar experiences.

Kyo is 6 months old and also started regurgitating for me recently. I think that you are handling the screaming exactly how you are supposed to. Kyo screams for me when I'm downstairs cooking, but I don't find it hard to ignore. Sometimes I yell back to her to let her know I'm okay (like flock calling) and it will make her stop for a while. I usually give her a treat for going back in her cage when I have to leave the room, so that can keep her busy and prevent screaming. Hiding it in paper or in a toy is a good idea too.

I hope someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but don't GCC not mature until at least a year of age? I think head bobbing is just a natural behaviour that may or may not have sexual connotations to it, but not certain.

I read that the molt can take 2 months, and Kyo is going through the same. She is so itchy she doesn't know what to do with herself! But on the plus side, she didn't like my husband UNTIL she realized that he can scratch her head and now they are buddies :3 Once Pumpkin learns that you can help her with those itchy feathers (look for the ones that have open ends to help her) she will be happy to have you scratch her.

I have a snuggle hut that we do scratchy time with outside the cage. She lays on her back in it and pokes her head out for me to scratch. It's quite adorable <3

Hope some of this helps!

Thank you that was helpful. I'm glad I'm reacting correctly when he screams. And as for the head scratching I do only try to help with the ones that are already open. Sometimes he let's me and sometimes he cries if I touch them so it has to be pretty sensitive. I try to be gentle. Poor Lil guy...

Just need to vent. Pumpkin is being so mean to me. I know he is hormonal and is going through his first molt STILL. I understand, i realy do, but he really has started biting hard, and full on attacking my like twice now. I try to give him his space and respect his boundaries but im just so annoyed at his behavior and it hurts my feelings.... He just bit the crap out of my finger because i offered to let him out of the cage... HE LOVES COMING OUT OF THE CAGE.... grrr

Hang in there and remember, even human 2 year old boys bite! Just try to help him thru it! My daughter and JoJo have been bumping heads, JoJo feels he is above her in pecking order. They still do a lot together, except she is using a stick to move JoJo around 90% of the time! JoJo sees the stick as just BAU, and not a deterrent!

Also, right after a bath, he will most likely be cuddly and his old sweet self, stuff him under your shirt and hope for the best!

Im not realy sure how to help him through it. I just try to give him his space, but like today every time i try to let him out of the cage he bites me. So am i supposed to leave him in the cage all day? Im tired of being bit for today, my finger hurts....

Hey, Just a suggestion but maybe he's biting out of boredom or frustration. Either way it might be a good opportunity to start training him or giving him more enrichment. Check out some videos on youtube but especially check out Training Parrots | Parrot Training DVDS & Books.

If he's distracted by a task like learning how to target train etc he won't have time to bite. And you'll be the source of rewards (treats! yum!) so hopefully he'll start responding positively around you again.

We go through it sometimes with our little sunconure- Gremlin. He gets into moods where he just wants to play rough. Usually he's grumpy because he's hungry or is sick of his toys. Thats when we go grab fresh new branches off a tree. That keeps him occupied and stops him from biting. We try not to "punish" by putting him into his cage to avoid any negative association with his "home". If we do put him inside its usually on a bowl of fresh new pellet/veg/fruit so he's pretty content to go back in.

Hope things get better soon and you start seeing progress. Keep us posted!!

I just found Loki has pins all over his chest and under his chin. He was being a twit and I was distracting him by blowing air gently up his belly... And discovered half a million pins.
None of which he will let me anywhere near without biting with a vengeance.

So it appears we are all in the same boat here.

Oh Pumpkin started his first molt over two months ago so if your baby is just starting then good luck! Pumpkin didnt want me anywhere near his pin feathers either. But if you avoid those then he was a sweety, so just try to leave them alone.

EDIT: I just went to give Pumpkin his breakfast and he is in full on attack mode anytime I am close enough to his cage. I am not scared to get bit i am just trying to give him his space, but should i just reach in and make him come out? I was thinking of bringing him back to his sleeping cage to break up this territory behavior....