hormonal phase duration

Owlet

Well-known member
Oct 27, 2016
2,754
1,889
Colorado
Parrots
Lincoln (Eclectus), Apollo (Cockatiel), Aster (GCC)
Does anyone have a rough estimate on how long a hormonal phase will last? Specifically in an eclectus parrot. I am honestly tired of being bitten for pretty much no reason xD

Edit: I feel like I need to clarify I'm not gonna abandon him or anything over a little biting, sure it's irritating but I love him and will put up with it.
 
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eagle18

Banned
Banned
Jan 25, 2018
262
7
Missouri
Parrots
I have one Umbrella, a Bare Eye, and two budgies.
When my umbrella becomes hormonal I place him in a smaller cage in a dark room to sleep for 14 hours and feed him chickpeas. One or the other seems to really help.
 

chris-md

Well-known member
Feb 6, 2010
4,354
2,135
Maryland - USA
Parrots
Parker - male Eclectus

Aphrodite - red throated conure (RIP)
Boy do I get ya. Are we talking puberty here? How old is Lincoln again?
 

katie_fleming

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Oct 30, 2012
881
31
Montreal, Canada
Parrots
Jasper (6yr old Solomon Island Eclectus Parrot)
I too want to know how long this is supposed to last for lol. I heard it really flares up twice a year??
 

chris-md

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Feb 6, 2010
4,354
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Maryland - USA
Parrots
Parker - male Eclectus

Aphrodite - red throated conure (RIP)
If it’s standard adult hormones, Katie’s, then it can be at any time. Parker at one point was on an almost clockwork 6 week schedule both major and minor bouts. Each lasting few days to a week. Three or four weeks for the worst ones.

But these are adult hormones. If it’s puberty it’s a different matter.
 
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dhraiden

Member
Jul 14, 2015
603
23
Queens NY
Parrots
Green Cheek Conure (Mochi)
Gold Capped Conure (Mango)
Not an eclectus owner, but I've two conures going through what I believe to be puberty at the moment. The smaller female green-cheek won't stop trying to bite and attack - viciously - the larger gold-capped male. Non-stop. This has been going on since late December, or about roughly a bit more than a month at this point....
 

FlyBirdiesFly

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Not an eclectus owner, but I've two conures going through what I believe to be puberty at the moment. The smaller female green-cheek won't stop trying to bite and attack - viciously - the larger gold-capped male. Non-stop. This has been going on since late December, or about roughly a bit more than a month at this point....

I’m still SO SCARED about what will happen to Kermit when he starts puberty...
Everywhere I look it says that green cheeks really become vicious monsters.
 

GaleriaGila

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Parrot of the Month 🏆
May 14, 2016
15,067
8,803
Cleveland area
Parrots
The Rickeybird, 38-year-old Patagonian Conure
Well, I keep the Rickeybird on a natural light schedule... that way he's only a crazy rooster from roughly June through August. That may just be the Patagonian mating season schedule, but natural light is good for any parrot, if you can manage it.

Good luck.

Oh, and I like your attitude. You sound like a very loving parront.
 

dhraiden

Member
Jul 14, 2015
603
23
Queens NY
Parrots
Green Cheek Conure (Mochi)
Gold Capped Conure (Mango)
Very territorial, aggressive, and definitely something of a 180° personality switch, it feels like.

Literally a night and day difference between the night of 12/25 when they were last kept in the same cage together (like they had been pretty regularly for the last year..) for the night, and the next morning of 12/26, when while waiting on a perch on the bathroom counter during the SO's shower the GCC suddenly lunged at and kept trying to rip out the gold-capped's head-feathers...and hasn't really stopped trying when they are together in proxmity outside since, except when she's getting attention from one of us, or otherwise being kept occupied.

Gold-capped at first kept trying to be affectionate/cuddle-up to her...then started running away/screaming when she got near. Now he's gotten territorial too (though thankfully still not aggressive to the point of physically striking back), and of-course that behavior only serves to further elicit the same from the GCC.
 

FlyBirdiesFly

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The problem with a natural light schedule is that I spend a lot of time with my birds in the evening, when it’s dark. If I kept them on a natural light schedule they wouldn’t get as much interaction, and I would never want to take away that time from them.
 

FlyBirdiesFly

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Very territorial, aggressive, and definitely something of a 180° personality switch, it feels like.

Literally a night and day difference between the night of 12/25 when they were last kept in the same cage together (like they had been pretty regularly for the last year..) for the night, and the next morning of 12/26, when while waiting on a perch on the bathroom counter during the SO's shower the GCC suddenly lunged at and kept trying to rip out the gold-capped's head-feathers...and hasn't really stopped trying when they are together in proxmity outside since, except when she's getting attention from one of us, or otherwise being kept occupied.

Is your GCC also aggressive towards people or just other birds? If it’s only other birds I could manage taking Kermit out while the other birds are away in their cages.
 

dhraiden

Member
Jul 14, 2015
603
23
Queens NY
Parrots
Green Cheek Conure (Mochi)
Gold Capped Conure (Mango)
It depends. Of all the people she's come into regular contact with, it seems as if she's fairly friendly - but can bite without warning. Only me, really, is she persistently bite-y with. And the gold-capped.
 
OP
Owlet

Owlet

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Oct 27, 2016
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Colorado
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Lincoln (Eclectus), Apollo (Cockatiel), Aster (GCC)
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Lincoln is 14 so it's not puberty, just adult hormones :'c thank you for all the input!
 

katie_fleming

Active member
Oct 30, 2012
881
31
Montreal, Canada
Parrots
Jasper (6yr old Solomon Island Eclectus Parrot)
I think with Jasper it's puberty then?? He'll be 4 in April.

But he couldn't be any sweeter. He just turns into a huge puffy bird. He couldn't be any more gentle. But obviously I don't want him doing his birdie bum dance on me LOLLL
 

chris-md

Well-known member
Feb 6, 2010
4,354
2,135
Maryland - USA
Parrots
Parker - male Eclectus

Aphrodite - red throated conure (RIP)
Owlet, if it’s not puberty then I imagine it wouldn’t last more than a few weeks at most.

In the meantime, strap in, hold on, and get yourself a glove!
 
OP
Owlet

Owlet

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Oct 27, 2016
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Colorado
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Lincoln (Eclectus), Apollo (Cockatiel), Aster (GCC)
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It's been at least a month at this point. I don't remember exactly when it started but it's been a bit.
 
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Owlet

Owlet

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Oct 27, 2016
2,754
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Colorado
Parrots
Lincoln (Eclectus), Apollo (Cockatiel), Aster (GCC)
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Can the hormonal phase cause excess exhaustion? Lincoln is acting very tired today. He's reacting to treats/stimuli normally but hes just sitting on his perch doing nothing when normally he'd be trying to get attention when I am in the room. He hasn't touched his breakfast either.
 

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