hormonal or not?

Andreafoster

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Sep 19, 2021
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a male(i think) black-capped conure.
iā€™m probably being over worried, Mimi, my young conure, a male(i think!)young enough to be hormonal for the first time. the thing is heā€™s off his food( heā€™s never off his food), heā€™s calling for me all the time & following me around. biting my neck ( i donā€™t allow him on my neck). he just what me in the room, even if he doesnā€™ to socialise. his weight is normal(60 to 80 grams). this has been going on for a week, because he seems normal, well up to now. i havenā€™t gone to the vet.
 

wrench13

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Yeah that's my question too. Green cheek conures and hit puberty around a year, but that time frame is different for each individual. SOme hit it at 7 months, some 14 months. It depends on the individual.
 

chris-md

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Feb 6, 2010
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yeah, this is definitely puberty.

You canā€™t ā€œtrainā€ hormonal biting away, unfortunately. Itā€™s an innate behavior training cannot touch.

Your job now is to not make it worse: you canā€™t train it away, but you CAN reinforce it so that, once the hormones abate, you have a biting case on your hands.

if he bites, give a sharp ā€œNO!ā€ Though donā€™t make a scene (hooting and hollering over the pain - he can learn to see you as a fun squeak toy if you carry on) and birdie goes on time out. Not punishment, just a combination of shunning and chance to wind down a little bit. Preferably a bird safe place he doesnā€™t quit like to be, bathroom countertop or something. Leave him for 1 minute, then retrieve him and resume your day. Repeat as necessary.

you really just have to give it time. This too shall pass, in time (6-12 months typically). You will get some version of your sweet boy back on the other side of all this. Itā€™s a right of passage most of us have to endure.
 
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Andreafoster

Andreafoster

New member
Sep 19, 2021
4
6
Parrots
a male(i think) black-capped conure.
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yeah, this is definitely puberty.

You canā€™t ā€œtrainā€ hormonal biting away, unfortunately. Itā€™s an innate behavior training cannot touch.

Your job now is to not make it worse: you canā€™t train it away, but you CAN reinforce it so that, once the hormones abate, you have a biting case on your hands.

if he bites, give a sharp ā€œNO!ā€ Though donā€™t make a scene (hooting and hollering over the pain - he can learn to see you as a fun squeak toy if you carry on) and birdie goes on time out. Not punishment, just a combination of shunning and chance to wind down a little bit. Preferably a bird safe place he doesnā€™t quit like to be, bathroom countertop or something. Leave him for 1 minute, then retrieve him and resume your day. Repeat as necessary.

you really just have to give it time. This too shall pass, in time (6-12 months typically). You will get some version of your sweet boy back on the other side of all this. Itā€™s a right of passage most of us have to endure.
wasnā€™t expecting it so soon. heā€™s now beginning to see my shoulder as a treat!
 

chris-md

Well-known member
Feb 6, 2010
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Parker - male Eclectus

Aphrodite - red throated conure (RIP)
If anything heā€™s a LATE bloomer. As my good friend Wrench noted above, they typically hit around 12 months or so. 1.5 years isnā€™t too unusual (arbitrary number, but letā€™s call ā€œnot too unusualā€ maybe 20% of the time), but is on the late side.
 

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