A Rant on Hormones

[chris-md]

I AM NOT MADE TO HANDLE THE EMOTIONAL STRAIN HORMONES CREATE

Parker’s having a MINOR hormonal bout that primarily is manifesting in heat seeking behavior - see dad? Jump from wherever I is to get to him. Dark space? Must get there - and I have to chase him with a towel because he won’t step up, and will possibly bite me.

I’m chasing him so much I’m afraid of damaging our relationship. He’s already attacking towels and hoodies with a force he never has before. He’s never minded being toweled until now.

It could be so much worse, and I’m trying to change our routine up so he doesn’t have the chance to behave like this. But our situation is very limited right now.

sorry, weak moment. We’ll be ok; this really is relatively minor and will pass soon. But since I’m the disfavored person, this take an emotional toll on me every time.

God I can’t wait until we get our own place. Coping will be so much easier when I have mor avenues available to me to adjust.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Wellllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll... maybe in another 30-40 years things will calm down a bit.
I can say with confidence that the ol' satyr himself has finally chilled out noticeably in the last year or two. The usual terror-months of (roughly) June through October shrank to July-ish through September-ish last year, and it seems the same this time around. Too, the overall frenzy is really dramatically less. I ALMOST miss the old craziness, because it's all accompanied by an overall decline in stamina and interest, but hey... that's life.
Enjoy that youthful craziness as much as possible. Easy for me to say!

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

Chris so sorry to read that the 'ol Parkerdoodles is being such a putz! This too shall pass my friend,but prolly not as fast as you'd like


Jim

 

[chris-md]

thanks guys. It was a rant I needed. I’m in a more rational headspace now. I think I’m noticing that before I can look at it clinically I need to have a little emotional breakdown over the inconvenience and routine-breaking. Not the first time I’ve found myself here.

 

[kme3388]

I'm sorry to hear about your ekkie. Did things get better for him? You commented on a thread I started. I am beginning to deal with ekkie hormones myself. I honestly thought it was just in the female ekkies that became aggressive when it came to hormones.

 

[SailBoat]

Aaaa, the early breaks into the World of Hormonal Response, driven by odd changing weather and the loss of daylight. Add a change in lifestyle and home, its a wonder that serious pain has been greater.

Note: The dancing towel is a tool to momentary distract /redirect an attack. On-going use will loose its abilities, commonly seen with their run arounds.

With hope, your life will stabilize with permanent living quarters found and made your own. Remember they quickly pick-up on our emotional state and act-out. Get yourself emotionally comfortable and with luck, he will be more comfortable as well.

Prays your way, good friend!!

 

[imouse1]

Aaaa, the early breaks into the World of Hormonal Response, driven by odd changing weather and the loss of daylight. Add a change in lifestyle and home, its a wonder that serious pain has been greater.

Note: The dancing towel is a tool to momentary distract /redirect an attack. On-going use will loose its abilities, commonly seen with their run arounds.

With hope, your life will stabilize with permanent living quarters found and made your own. Remember they quickly pick-up on our emotional state and act-out. Get yourself emotionally comfortable and with luck, he will be more comfortable as well.

Prays your way, good friend!!

Wait do they get hormonal when fhe light reduces? Sir Birb was put in the back for almost 3 weeks because of an "injury" and when he finly was exposed to suh again, 2 hours had been shaved off the day where we are.

 

[chris-md]

We’re still at this. But it’s not every night, thankfully. We’re on a down slide.

it’s gotten intense enough that he skips meals sometimes - he’s fed on a t stand he has no hesitation jumping down from. I’ve gotten to where I confine him to his smaller cage in the living room for dinner while we watch tv. Every half hour I’ll pull him from the cage to see if he’ll sit nicely in his stand. If not, back to the cage.

he’s also going through an intense molt right now which I’m sure is not helping things at all.

 

[chris-md]

I'm sorry to hear about your ekkie. Did things get better for him? You commented on a thread I started. I am beginning to deal with ekkie hormones myself. I honestly thought it was just in the female ekkies that became aggressive when it came to hormones.

aggression in hormonal males is possible, but not THAT common. Far more likely to get regurgitation, masturbation, and barbering - or some combination of the three. Not to mention shifts in appetite. Parker is a hardcore barberer and masturbator, and a mildly moderate biter. He won’t bite my partner, but will bite me on a dime if the mood hits, about 2-4x per year.

still trying to decide if I would prefer the biting or have regurgitation in its place

 

[chris-md]

Wait do they get hormonal when fhe light reduces? Sir Birb was put in the back for almost 3 weeks because of an "injury" and when he finly was exposed to suh again, 2 hours had been shaved off the day where we are.

as this is an Ekkie thread, the wiles of hormones are very different from green cheeks. Ekkies can get hormonal at any time fo year, basically.

Other birds are a bit different. There is of course spring hormones. However, for many, there does exist a small window for fall hormones, usually a couple weeks. its A much smaller event then in the spring, and passes more quickly.

 

[imouse1]

as this is an Ekkie thread, the wiles of hormones are very different from green cheeks. Ekkies can get hormonal at any time fo year, basically.

Other birds are a bit different. There is of course spring hormones. However, for many, there does exist a small window for fall hormones, usually a couple weeks. its A much smaller event then in the spring, and passes more quickly.

Thanks! Didn't see the Ekkie tag!

 

[chris-md]

No worries. There was no tag - it’s just I’ve been around so long there’s just an assumption on my part that most would know I’m talking about Parker, my male eclectus (and only bird). It’s easy to forget that newer forumites posting on the thread - quite welcomed, btw - may not know that, or overlook my avatar (these things are so small half the time it’s hard to make them out!).

 

[imouse1]

No worries. There was no tag - it’s just I’ve been around so long there’s just an assumption on my part that most would know I’m talking about Parker, my male eclectus (and only bird). It’s easy to forget that newer forumites posting on the thread - quite welcomed, btw - may not know that, or overlook my avatar (these things are so small half the time it’s hard to make them out!).

I try not to assume anyone here only has one kind of parrot lol

 

[kme3388]

You have described my ekkie perfectly. He try's to mate with me. He's is attacking my husband (who has no experience with parrots so he is scared, and no longer interacts with Nico). He is eating minimally. He's molting as well. I didn't know the ekkie's can get hormonal all year round. I know my vet told me not to give Nico anything soft for food. He makes his food soft anyway by putting it in his water. Nico also has became very aggressive when anyone gets near his cage. He will rip paper towels out of my hands and throw it on the floor. This is my first go at ekkie hormones. It's been an experience for sure. Do you know how long this will last?

 

[WingDing]

You have described my ekkie perfectly.......He try's to mate with me. He's is attacking my husband (who has no experience with parrots so he is scared, and no longer interacts with Nico). He is eating minimally. He's molting as well. I didn't know the ekkie's can get hormonal all year round. I know my vet told me not to give Nico anything soft for food. He makes his food soft anyway by putting it in his water. Nico also has became very aggressive when anyone gets near his cage. He will rip paper towels out of my hands and throw it on the floor. This is my first go at ekkie hormones. It's been an experience for sure. Do you know how long this will last?

And that describes what our 3yo male is doing as well, but this round of hormones is not as bad as we've experienced when he was out for blood. So, he has a greatly reduced appetite, is aggressive about his cage and play stand, and is constantly trying to mate with his toys. During this time I only give him fresh veg and fruit -- no pellets since like your bird, he makes mush out of it.

In our case, the extreme hormones last 3 or 4 weeks, but it is hard to say exactly because they ramp up and die back down. They take me by surprise every time. I tell my wife that he's not eating like normal and I'm concerned he's sick. She has to remind me that I say that every time hormones flair up.

Strength to all of us ekkie caretakers!

P.S. Although I've been browsing the forum for 4 years, I think this is actually my first post on this forum. I'm really enjoying the amount of eclectus discussion here.

 

[kme3388]

And that describes what our 3yo male is doing as well, but this round of hormones is not as bad as we've experienced when he was out for blood. So, he has a greatly reduced appetite, is aggressive about his cage and play stand, and is constantly trying to mate with his toys. During this time I only give him fresh veg and fruit -- no pellets since like your bird, he makes mush out of it.

In our case, the extreme hormones last 3 or 4 weeks, but it is hard to say exactly because they ramp up and die back down. They take me by surprise every time. I tell my wife that he's not eating like normal and I'm concerned he's sick. She has to remind me that I say that every time hormones flair up.

Strength to all of us ekkie caretakers!

P.S. Although I've been browsing the forum for 4 years, I think this is actually my first post on this forum. I'm really enjoying the amount of eclectus discussion here.

My ekkie Nico latches on to me. I have to pry him off once he starts his mating ritual. He will not let go :-(

 

[WingDing]

My ekkie Nico latches on to me. I have to pry him off once he starts his mating ritual. He will not let go :-(

Nico, Nico, Nico... just accept that it ain't gonna happen!
I wish I had something to help you. It sounds like you are doing the right things for not encouraging hormones.

During this hormonal time, our boy's enclosure is up in my office far away from where he can see my wife, whom he LOVES. He is normally pretty assertive about getting to her and a bit aggressive about it when he is hormonal. Although he was supposed to be her bird, she is actually afraid of him. Luckily, he and I are buddies so I get the honor of taking care of him. Upstairs, I can control the light better and there is no people traffic after 8pm.