Sudden Destructive Behavior - Ideas?

OrrinocosMom

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Hi Friends,
I have been away from the forum for a while simply because I have been very busy, but have a bit of a quandary I would love your thoughts on. About a week ago, Noco (my going-on 33 year old B&G Macaw) began doing an odd thing - he was spending a ton of time on the bottom of his cage (note that I had actually NEVER before seen him even venture down there) PLUCKING and PULLING UP on the bottom bars of the cage. I asked him what he was up to - he just puffed his feathers, gave me a sly eye and went back to work. By mid day, I decided to take the two large parrot chew toys that have hung untouched above and in his cage for two years, and I put them on the floor where he was pulling on the bars. He totally shredded the first one, then went back to the bars. The past three days he goes between a bit of toy-destruction and a bit of bar pulling. . . for example, he has been at this now for three hours - not even interested in his breakfast. (I tried making and hand offering him a bit of pasta - his illegal favorite as past owners fed it to him a lot - but he took it and tossed it on the floor and got right back to work. I dont know what is satisfying about pulling and biting the bars. . .

One thought was that it might be a sort of warped nesting behavior. He is in a molt right now. I also recently removed nuts from his snack world as he tends to get very over-nesty with me during molts. He definitely sees me as his mate - and has in the past week been pretty feisty about prying my hand open so he can vomit into it. Last night, while enjoying our usual hang out on the couch, he was insistent on sitting not just on my shoulder (usually sits on arm or leg or walks around on back of sofa), but wanted to grasp my neck and put one foot on my head. He then did a thing he has never done - he reached around with his beak - gently but firmly and not taking no for an answer - and attempted to pry my mouth open to deposit his gift or regurgitation where he wanted it to go. Noco has always been deliberately gentle with his beak - he uses it to tell me stuff but has never harmed me. This beak behavior was not skin-breaking, but it was definitely of the "time to leave this boyfriend" flavor. . . too controlling. SOOOOOoo.... that little interaction is one of the reasons I am pretty sure the cage biting is nesting/mating-related. But not for sure sure. It seems odd to me that he has more interest in pulling on the bars than chewing the chew toy.

Other bits:
Noco does not fly, due to an injury when he was around 4 years old (with previous owner). With that owner, he was stuck in his cage all the time - never came out, no training, no baths, and horrible food. He now enjoys good food, play and occasional training sessions, free come-and-go privileges - up until this odd behavior, he spent a lot of time on the perch above his cage. He likes to dance to music, "bark" with the dogs, visit the kitchen to nibble snacks, and he likes to toss things on the floor for fun. . . in warm weather we walk outside together and he watches while I garden. He watches bird TV, "barks" at deliveries (has a big window to look out) and we talk a lot as my desk is right near his cage. All this is to say that I do not think the reason for his cage biting is that he suddenly got bored.

Anyone else have a bird that bites the cage floor? Or any thoughts on sudden never-before-seen behavior? Or what I might offer as an alternative behavior?


Thanks so much,
Maya (Noco's Mom)
 

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saxguy64

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I don't have experience with macs, but it seems to me that we're all experiencing a really heavy hormonal season this year. I've noticed it in my little flock for sure. Tucker is much more grabby than usual, and Baxter tries to squat down and make "THOSE" noises if I even just touch her head right now. She's also been a little extra nesty these days too, shredding paper on the bottom of the cage, but oddly it pretty much only happens when I'm paying attention to the others. Sort of an attention grab... "Hey dad, lookie here, I'm gonna make a nice little nest for you!" Thank goodness no egg laying from her yet!

Fortunately, the season will pass, and things go back to normal. Well, as normal as things are for parrot people ;),🤣
 
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OrrinocosMom

OrrinocosMom

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Orrinoco The Pirate
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Is the cage door open when he is doing this? My 'zon bites the walls of his cage when he wants to come out.
Hi and thanks for replying! YES, Noco's door is pretty much ALWAYS open. I only close it if he chooses to have a night inside (on chilly nights he goes in, and I cover cage with a blanket. He says "thank you" and "I love you". . . :) but on warmer nights he prefers to stay out, on his perch above the cage. He is always welcome to come out - he climbs around sometimes, rarely chooses to go hang on the doggie sofa (with the three dogs), and only once tried getting on the floor but did not like it. so, yeah, he is free to roam. Never has, in the past.
 
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OrrinocosMom

OrrinocosMom

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Jul 29, 2021
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Orrinoco The Pirate
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I don't have experience with macs, but it seems to me that we're all experiencing a really heavy hormonal season this year. I've noticed it in my little flock for sure. Tucker is much more grabby than usual, and Baxter tries to squat down and make "THOSE" noises if I even just touch her head right now. She's also been a little extra nesty these days too, shredding paper on the bottom of the cage, but oddly it pretty much only happens when I'm paying attention to the others. Sort of an attention grab... "Hey dad, lookie here, I'm gonna make a nice little nest for you!" Thank goodness no egg laying from her yet!

Fortunately, the season will pass, and things go back to normal. Well, as normal as things are for parrot people ;),🤣
Thank you for this! I think its quite possible that this is all it is. Just don't want to miss something I might not be aware that he needs. If it is just "nestyness" I know it will pass and I wont worry. :)
 

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