My yellow crowned Amazon

[gypsy777]

Hi everyone! Alfy my yc Amazon is 4 and half years old. He has just started to quack like a duck! It began when my husband stroked his back but now he does it in or out his cage. He starts with a 'twitching' motion. It's very cute and he appears very happy but can anyone tell me why he does this? He is an extremely healthy bird, full feathers and good diet etc. Thankyou. Cate and Simon Smith, Nottingham, UK

 

[Spiritbird]

Could be harmonal. He is choosing your husband as a mate.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohObwGL_aDU[/ame]


http://www.birdchannel.com/bird-behavior-and-training/bird-behavior-issues/amazon-behavior.aspx

 

[Bobby34231]

It sounds as though your husband is setting off a sexual stimulation response by rubbing Alfy's back, this should be discouraged as it could lead to other problems such as aggression and sexual frustration, scratching or petting to the head would probably be ok, but you'll want to avoid all other areas especially the back, good luck

 

[wildheart]

Welcome to the forum Cate and Simon.

 

[gypsy777]

That video Spiritbird is exactly the sound Alfy makes! thankyou now we know and I'll let Simon know he wants him as a mate lol! We are just so glad it's nothing too wrong and it's fairly normal.

 

[gypsy777]

Thankyou Bobby we'll remember that and stick to the rubbing of his head!

 

[Bobby34231]

Hey Cate, if you have some pics of Alfy we'd love to see them, I just recently adopted a yellow crown myself, and another member (Lindsey) has one as well

 

[AndrewH]

Agree. When my cockatoo is in season, she gets frisking. We try out best to avoid her back! Even if your bird doesn't get nippy when stimulated (ours didn't), our vet told us to work hard to avoid any stimulation (she likes to cuddle, so some contact is hard to avoid) as this will keep her in season and increases the odds of her laying an egg.

 

[nofearengineer]

I don't mean this to sound dumb, so if it does, I apologize in advance.

I always hear this behavior should be avoided, discouraged, etc. I'm not sure if I agree with that. What I mean is...obviously, they are trying to satisfy some impulse. Does denying them that release harm them as well?

Other than being embarrassing to us (oddly enough, only after we know what it is...before, it was funny and cute), what harm can it do? I guess maybe a female might waste a lot of nutrition producing infertile eggs, or risk getting egg-bound. I figure if they're already bonded enough with you to want to try to mate with you, they've already made you their mate, despite them "sealing the deal" being impossible.

I can safely say, as a human male, I wouldn't want to "join a monastery" so to speak.

Just trying to see it from their point of view, and keeping an open mind.

 

[AndrewH]

The only danger I'm aware of is with females and chronic egg-laying, which can cause calcium deficiency. Also, my vet said that prolonged stimulation (keeping the bird in season) can result in internal organ problems due to the vent being enlarged (the vet mentioned that what should be kept inside can start to come out and surgery would be required). To prevent this, the vet gave my U2 a hormone shot to bring the hormones under control.

With male birds, is it the same? Don't know.

 

[bogo1]

Agreed ...some birds when stimulated can become nippy or worse with their non feathered and feathered family. But the danger for females is the laying of unfertilized eggs. Over time ...sometimes the first time ...this can be a problem. And engineer, the question was not at all dumb. There are lots of birds fixated on a single owner and no real problems. But where they become seriously one person inside larger family units, show aggression ..bite ...this often leads to a " bad bird " label and a bird at risk a starting a rehoming spiral that may not end well.So bird masturbating by self is likely to relieve sexual push and no harm done. Bird getting stimulation from parronts may do okay or....not.

 

[gypsy777]

Hi Bobby - I dont know how to post pics yet! However are you on facebook - Alfy has his own profile as have 1000s of other parrots all over the World - quite a community and also very informative - helped us enormously at the beginning. Cate