Jasper has...ugh...matured

[katie_fleming]

I knew this was inevitable lol. Last night when Jasper was sitting on my shoulder playing around he suddenly started doing a very interesting dance on my back....preeeeetty sure he was trying to get it on with my shoulder lol (He'll be 3 next month, he's kind of a late bloomer I think?)

I took him off and put him on my dresser with some toys and he was totally fine.

Is this how you're supposed to handle these situations? lol What else do I need to know?

Thanks!

 

[SailBoat]

Aaaaa, the joys of the great transition in life!

Three years is not out of normal. But if this is the first you have noted his transition, you are one lucky lady!

Yup, you are handling this correctly. When they (boys or girls) get 'in the mood' moving them to a neutral area is the best way to handle it. During this period, it maybe wise to limit shoulder time and be far more observant of their 'status' while they are on your shoulder! Things could /can spin out of control fairly quickly. As a general warning, be more observant when you are interacting with Jasper.

Just remember that this to shall pass! But, it will also return!

Welcome to Adulthood!

 

[coopedup]

Happy spring...birds and bees...just wait til he wants to share his food with you

 

[chris-md]

Aw Katie! Let's hope he takes it easy on you, and his puberty won't be too bad.

 

[katie_fleming]

Haha thanks guys. I have to laugh though, it was coming eventually no matter what LOL

Last night when I got home from work I said, "Hi! How's my hormonal birdie doing?!" he didn't try anything last night thankfully LOLLL

Hopefully things won't be too bad, I've certainly read plenty of horror stories!

 

[coopedup]

FYI, now is the PERFECT time to get a sacrificial hump bunny for Jasper...better the bunny than your back/shoulder/wrist, etc...Lots of cheap bunnies abound at the dollar store, stock up now. Just sayin' LOL

 

[Teddscau]

Oh my gosh, coopedup just reminded me of what I've had to put up with Ziggy (I guess my brain had blocked these memories until now to try to protect me)! For over a year, he was constantly masturbating and trying to force himself on the other budgies (males and females). Honestly, a third of the time I'd walk in on him humping his Planet Pleasures toy. During this time, he was an absolute nightmare with Pollo, constantly trying to beat the snot out of him. He also kept assaulting my girls, so I had to stick him in his own cage for a couple of weeks before letting him back in with the others. After a few weeks I'd have to separate him again. Luckily, things are under control now. I don't know if he'd just hit puberty when I adopted him or what, but he was a green hypersexual menace.

 

[katie_fleming]

Oh man, this is going to be interesting lol.

@coopedup That's HILARIOUS. I actually have a toy hippo for him that he never cared about. Where exactly ugh, do I leave this hippo for him......LOL

 

[coopedup]

SHB literally got worn out so I replaced it with a snowman. The bunny ears made it perfect for tying on top of the cage but the snowman is earless so I use one of those big plastic hooking links for kids. I put it around the snowmans neck and around a bar at the top of the cage to hold it in place. Some days Wrangler feels more amorous than others...but his tail feathers are an absolute wreck from all the "scrubbing" he does on the bunny/snowman. I think I have a pic on here in my albums...remember, you cant unsee it LOL

 

[katie_fleming]

LOLLLL I'm dying!! Jasper hasn't done it again so might be off the hook for awhile if I'm lucky LOL

 

[Anansi]

Hahaha! It's that time, eh Katie? At just about 3 years old Jasper's actually right on target. It was more or less the same for Maya and Jolly.

Some ekkies handle the transition more smoothly than others. I've been fortunate so far. Maya had one bad day. One. Last year. It's the one time she ever drew blood from me. And it was a doozy. Still have the telltale crescent-shaped scar to mark the occasion. Lol! As for Jolly, though I'm his favorite person it turns out Aida (my wife) is the more frequent object of his desires. (When he tries to come my way with his Romeo routine, I just remind the little Lothario that I literally just watched him put the moves on my wife 5 minutes earlier! Hahaha!) Anyhow, in his case he makes his moves and then merely gives one loud, exasperated scream when his advances are turned down. To this day, though, Aida still laughs whenever he whispers, "Gimme kissssssss!" The innocence of the phrase is forever lost with her. Lol!

As Steven mentioned, you'll have to pay closer attention to his body language and then put him down to head things off before he starts getting too amorous. Aside from the obvious signs to look out for, I've noticed 2 signs in Jolly that may prove helpful for you. For one, his beak flushes and the candy corn colors get more pronounced and striking. And second, his beak gets really hot. The minute we see either of those signs, he goes straight to the tree stand to cool off. Lol!

 

[davefv92c]

signs in Jolly that may prove helpful for you. For one, his beak flushes and the candy corn colors get more pronounced and striking. And second, his beak gets really hot. The minute we see either of those signs, he goes straight to the tree stand to cool off. Lol!

i think this answers a few questions i was wanting to ask pertaining to color
and mood. i have noticed when the wife is handling maxx the orange on his beak does seem to get brighter, lilly the amazon when im giving her a good
head and neck rub her colors seem to brighten also. makes me think it is a happy thing.
now the hot beak thing, ricky the sunny he rides around on my shirt while im feeding he is a cool little guy will only step up, everything else is on his terms.
he always makes it up to my shoulder he starts the normal picking and his beak is always hot.
that mean this dang birds horny all the time, and was there some damn message he was sending when he bit one of my nipples through my shirt yesterday. lol (hurt to)

katie i came across a vid of yours from 2 years back on youtube and
you guys did so good with the harness surprised you had to retrain him.

 

[coopedup]

hot beak? I never associated that with hormones! I used it as a temp gauge, along with his feet, thinking he was hot or cold since he is missing his body feathers. Since his beak is so vibrant in color anyway, I havent noticed a change in color intensity. Is hot beak always related to flushing?

 

[katie_fleming]

Hmm interesting. I've noticed Jasper with a "hot beak" tons of times but never any signs of anything else.

He's still absolutely determined to get on my shoulder, but never to ugh....dance (haha) anymore. He literally just wants up to play and run back and forth. So I don't see any harm in the meantime I guess.

@dave - The problem is I stopped putting him in it on a regular basis. He was going through a pretty heavy molt so I decided not to do it since he was a gigantic pin cushion. I think that's what ruined the whole thing. We're getting there.