Alexandrine contact call. hormones or anxiety?

[morepork]

I have a 5~6 year old alexandrine male (who i suspect to be a ringneck hybrid), who i got last year as a rehome. i know nothing about his previous owners/care other than that they have had many types of birds, and would frequently rehome/cycle through birds

when i first got him, it wasnt as bad a habit, but as he got more used to being at home, it picked up and accelerated fast, despite me trying to ignore it (my partner may have tried to 'calm' him down even when i asked them not too). he also calls for me at work (which i can bring him to once a week).

He has a moustache as a companion (not cagemate). his cage used to be in the lounge, but we moved the birds into the spare room to create a "mini-birdroom". his screaming was worse while he was kept in the lounge, i think. as he didnt throw in his normal chirps and would go on for much longer.

He will *now* occasionally chirp his normal birdsong in there, (which has taken months) but for most of the day he is persistent in screaming, and will maybe quiet down for about 30ish minutes to maybe an hour before he hears something (which is often, as i have other animals), and starts back up for a couple of hours.

It is also breeding season where i am (i think, as ive noticed many other ringneck species trying to get down and dirty) so he is also *extra* hormonal. ive always made sure to keep petting to just his head, which he allows (and asks for sometimes!), but ive ceased that as he seems to get way too heightened and hormonal the moment i try to interact. even training has become extremely difficult, i was midway through harness training, and had to completely stop, and now even target training can be too much for him too, and he goes into ultra-flirt mode and wont even step up. moving them to the end room allows me to control his daytime hours better, to try and lesser his hormones. he also doesnt get warm mushy food -just chop, greens and pellets.

tldr; my male 5~6 year old alex rehome has a screaming problem, i need advice to help lessen his screams, and figure out the source -separation anxiety, or hormones? something else entirely? (and to prevent it becoming a problem again!).

 

[zERo]

Welcome to the forums!

It sounds like you love him a lot and have made wonderful progress with him!

A few hormone minimizers:
1. Ensure he’s getting 12 hours of good quiet dark sleep.
2. Don’t feed excessive fruit or any food in over abundance especially seeds/sugary foods.
3. Don’t allow him access to any nest-like places so, not happy huts or playing under blankets.
4. You’ve already got the petting only the head! 😊

And, a few questions, does he have lots of toys to occupy him? I recommend hiding treats in them too, to motivate him to shred them more.
Also, what pellet brand do you use? When hormones are raging, soy filled pellets may be the culprit.

 

[morepork]

Welcome to the forums!

It sounds like you love him a lot and have made wonderful progress with him!

A few hormone minimizers:
1. Ensure he’s getting 12 hours of good quiet dark sleep.
2. Don’t feed excessive fruit or any food in over abundance especially seeds/sugary foods.
3. Don’t allow him access to any nest-like places so, not happy huts or playing under blankets.
4. You’ve already got the petting only the head! 😊

And, a few questions, does he have lots of toys to occupy him? I recommend hiding treats in them too, to motivate him to shred them more.
Also, what pellet brand do you use? When hormones are raging, soy filled pellets may be the culprit.

hi! thanks so much for your advice!!

i use vetafarm MD, as thats the best locally available one he likes! he was on a different brand prior to when i got him that was high in sugar, alongside a cheap parrot mix, so i switched him as quickly as a could. for his chop he mainly gets sprouts, vegetables/legumes and leafy greens, fruits are more for training or other special times, as he goes nuts on fruit! berries are his favourite c:

i never new soy could be a culprit! i'll have to check the ingredients and see how much there is!
He has Plenty of chew and foraging toys - the foraging ones he absolutely adores, and i change his chew toys around every week. for the chews though -he's only really interested in them when either i'm around or he has out of cage time (even with treats inside)! the foraging toys definitely dont have this issue though

for the nesting -i dont own any hammocks/bird hides, and i make sure his cage doesn't have any dark nesty places either, but the moment he is out of the cage in any room other than the bird room, hes on the search for a nest! he has the largest model cage i could find in nz, that *didnt* have a playpen on the roof (im short, those cages are tall, and dark!)