A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

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InTheAir
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A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by InTheAir »

Hi guys,

I think it will benefit everyone greatly if AJ had his own thread to discuss his birds hormonal behaviour, it will be less confusing for it to all be in one place.

Please contribute what you know about looking after hormonal female birds in a house environment! I am sure links will be appreciated too.

I'm sure AJ will fill us in on his bird and the behaviour she is displaying in minute detail.

Regards,

Claire
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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by AJPeter »

Well thank you Claire that is a really very nice gesture.
Billie rubs her privarte part on my arm by moving forward and back nudgng my finger or ear, she wags her tail as well as soon l spot this behaviour l put her back the cage. I explained this behaviour in Parrot Speak and Mellisa told me that l should not let Billie do this as she was trying to mate. This led me try and find out more information.
She rips up the papper on the floor of the cage so I changed the paper to sawdust but she uses her feet just like a dog and scatters sawdust all over my carpet tomorrow l shall try a telephone directory so see what a happens.
Of a night time l put the grid back in and when it is time to go sleep she will signal from the top perch that she is ready but as l cloak her cage with a fleece blanket she either tries to push the pegs off or attempts to bite my fingers, she hides in the dark in the lower half of the cage, so l cover her with another fleece blanket. Recently l have had the temperature at 75 but think l might try it a little cooler Billie might think it is still winter and not time to mate.
Diet is important and l am trying to redcue the protein. She only gets cooked chicken once a week, also carbs should be cut down the Link Claire gave me said that the female bird will lthink it is the time to breed with an abundance of food which leaves me wondering about Bilie's four food bowls, one for seeds (2 tablespoonfulls is hardly enough) in the morning there is very little left in her seed bowl. There is an oatmeal bowl . She gets a fruit bowl in the morning, a veg bowl late afternoons and a cooked food bowl in the evenings mostly this is off my plate but l bought her some curry noodles (3 mins on high) I also bought some Feather up.
You would laugh inside the canister is a teaspoon so l sprinkled a spoonful on her seeds and then read the instruction! I quickly poured her seeds away, Billie was annoyed as she was tucking in, and l put fresh seeds for her and gave a small pinch Feather up on her vegs.
sanjays mummi
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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by sanjays mummi »

I thought "Feather Up" was for moulters?, it is brilliant stuff though.
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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by AJPeter »

After the mating season comes the breeding season and this is followed by a moult. I thought l would be ready in advance and there are minerals in Feather up which seeds do not give.
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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by ellieelectrons »

AJPeter wrote:Diet is important and l am trying to redcue the protein. She only gets cooked chicken once a week, also carbs should be cut down the Link Claire gave me said that the female bird will lthink it is the time to breed with an abundance of food which leaves me wondering about Bilie's four food bowls, one for seeds (2 tablespoonfulls is hardly enough) in the morning there is very little left in her seed bowl. There is an oatmeal bowl . She gets a fruit bowl in the morning, a veg bowl late afternoons and a cooked food bowl in the evenings mostly this is off my plate but l bought her some curry noodles (3 mins on high) I also bought some Feather up.
Hi AJPeter

Advice that I was given relating to diet to discourage breeding behaviours by my avian vet was about reducing fatty foods and sugary foods. Reducing fatty foods for me has meant no seed in their cage (I still use the occasional sunflower seed as rewards) - I feed pellets and non sugary vegetables and seldom have fruit in their cage.

Ellie.
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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by MissK »

Regarding cooked and warm foods ~

My bird is male, and some things might get lost in translation, but I discovered this Fall that Rocky went into feeding mode only when I gave him warm mush food. I've never caught him trying to mate with anything, but he was very dedicated to feeding anything last Midwinter. When I withdrew the warm food (this Fall) he curtailed all feeding behaviour.

Perhaps it might do to withdraw cooked or hot food, anything mushy, and see if Billie responds.
-MissK
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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by ellieelectrons »

MissK, thanks for adding that. Our vet suggested that warm, mushy foods are similar to regurgitated foods they would receive from their mate.

Ellie.
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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by AJPeter »

Thank you Missk and Ellie for your comments. It does look as if warm mushy food is a culprit because it is high on our agenda, Billie had tonight cooked swede, parsnip, turnip, potato, sweet peas, cabbage and egg noodles. I bought some curry flavoured noodles from Northern parrots and they stink, The noodles not Northen Parrots LOL, and l bought a lot more on my weekly shop.
I seem to remember MissK you have hens so you will be able to give me a heads up on this mating thing and l think Eillie you said you put wood chips in the cage or it might have been Skyes-crew. but l bought some from the pet shop last week and tipped a whole bale in. Billie dived in but it was not long before she kicking it out and of course it went all over the carpet. Soon there was more on my carpet then in the cage :shock:
Tomorrow is a big clean up day and l shall take most of it out and save it for a rainy day l might go back to news papers. Billie was ripping those up and the Avian web article said l should discourage her from making nests.
Now if l go out l put her into her cage. When l got back from the shops l did not get the welcome she usually gives me she looked depressed so l let her ride around on my shoulder as l put the groceries away. I went to make a coffee and she came down my arm and had a dip under the running tap. The water started to run hot and as l tried to move the faucet away she got an earful, becasue of the mess she makes with the wood chips l had to put the grid in early, and tonight she was sitting on her perch looking sad so slipped in an old telephone directory she swooped on it and tore a big hole in it she giving off delighted squeals.
I have managed to stop her flying to my as l play the organ she sits on the cage looking down the street , or boring holes in my back! But when l sit in the arm chair she flies to me and wants to sit on my shoulder and soon she is rubbing her self on me and of course l have to get up an put her back. She tries to sidle down the side of the cage and flies to the back of my chair and then slides down onto my shoulder and starts her thing again. So no more mushy warm food!
Also the fresh fruit bowl will have to go, pity becasue l have just bought a a whole load of fruits if l do not give her the sweet ones? Maybe that will be all right? We will wait and see.
In the pet shop today l bought some pellets and gave them to her she loved crunching them and might take to pellets.
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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by AJPeter »

Well things are a lot better today, Billie only tried to mate twice and she even sat on my shoulder without trying to mate. But the down side is l could not resist giving her two cooked sweet pea pods the first she dropped pretty quickly and then she managed to get on my arm from the cage and came down my arm pretty smartly as l got to the end of my dinner. I had to resort to hostilities as she grabbed some corned beef off my plate and the only to way to keep her quiet was to give in and let her have the last sweet pea pod, which she took back to her cage. She knew it was the last one so she ate it very slowly, she has such a sweet temperment that when l tried do take it away from her she just turned her head.
She wanted to be covered up at 6.30 pm but l told her it was too early but at 7 l covered her, and then for over an hour she was pulling the paper roll and ripping it up. So no cooked food tomorrow! Fingers crossed.
If she is about to lay an egg will she swell up? I thought tonight she is looking very fat.
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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by AJPeter »

Should have said that l think Billie is trying to regurgiate food. Does this mean the mating cycle is ending?
I told her "If you sick on me missy, l will sick on you."
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ellieelectrons
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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by ellieelectrons »

They do swell up before laying. I noticed it in the vent region. You should provide her with extra calcium at this time (e.g. Cuttlefish fish, calcium perch). What do breeders use Claire? Was it plaster-a-Paris?

Also, stay away from peas. When Janey was nesting she couldn't get enough of them. I hadn't realised they were sugary until then. Use less sugary veges. However if you think she is creating eggs you don't want to hold back anything, you want to give her everything to choose from so she gets the nutrients she needs.

Ellie.
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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by ellieelectrons »

Is she trying to regurgitate to you? If so, this is part of the mating behaviours. Unfortunately, not a sign it is ending.

Ellie.
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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by ellieelectrons »

After breeding season your bird will moult.

Ellie.
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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by sanjays mummi »

Well!, all I can say is, "Coo!"
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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by AJPeter »

Thank you Ellie, no Billie is fat all over not just in the vent, and another good thing that happened today is that l made her a foot toy with Avi cakes and she loved it this is the first one she has had in 6 weeks.
Sweet peas are off the menu which is bad news as l have a fridge full of them. She has been nibbling the cuttkle fish bone l put up for her and for this reason l have taken the water based calcium out of her drinking water.
I offered her a shower under the kitchen tap again today but she declined, later she stood in her swimming pool she has not worked out yet how to use her wings to lift up the water like wild birds do.

Should l discourage her from regurguitation on me, Eliie?

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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by AJPeter »

Does Sanjay's mummi want any sweet peas?
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InTheAir
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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by InTheAir »

I think the calcium supplements you can buy from a pet store are sufficient, a high quality pellet supplimented with vegetables (the low sugar ones! ). If you have only one bird buying these things won't send you broke. . If you have 50 it's a different story.

I am more interested in prevention, so that's what I have read more about.

Personally, I would go visit my avian vet if my bird was in this situation and I had not already done a lot of research! A good avian vet will be able to explain the best diet to be feeding, the signs to watch for if something is going wrong and what you can do to reduce this behaviour at this stage.
They can also assess your birds health and weight. Overweight hens are more prone to reproductive problems and a lot of pet birds tend to be overweight.

Or find a good local breeder to talk to about diet. I'd go to the vet though, as they should know more about reducing breeding behaviour and a health assessment is important anyway.
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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by Skyes_crew »

Hey Peter...sorry I've been absent. Busy time of year.

My alexandrine boy has just now started mating behavior. He is only 8 months old so it wasn't expected at all. Thankfully he's taken up with one of his toys to regurgitate on and not me. I've done a bunch of research on foods related to mating behavior. It is my understanding that in the warm summer months wild alexandrines practice abundance feeding. Their foods will consist of fruits like guava and grains. They will continue these eating habits through early fall, packing on extra weight. Then their food consumption drops off for the females while they hunt for nesting sites. The males will continue to feed for themselves and for the females. So yes, warm mushy foods will simulate this time period. Having four feeding bowls causes out of season abundance feeding and extra weight gain. It's this extra weight gain that could be triggering her breeding drive. When a bird has to work for their food through foraging, it helps to maintain a steady weight. For my breeding birds, I add soaked almonds, and fruit to encourage breeding. So it only makes sense that to discourage breeding, you would cut back on the fat and sugar. Try sprouting seeds. I feed mung sprouts and sprouted pigeon feed. I only feed a couple of tablespoons of seed and raw vegetables. Now that my boy started the behaviors I'm working quick to change them myself. I would also start keeping the grate in on the bottom of the cage all the time. If you don't mind a bit of extra work, leave the bottom tray bare and just wash out the tray once a day. You can try a bowl of shavings, but that would be a last resort. I would take away all things nesting related. No stuffed animals, soft squishy toys, stringy toys. Give plenty of wood to chew, and add a bunch of foraging stations in which she gets all of her meals. Breeding birds also only bathe in the winter once they have or are about to lay eggs. They use their wet feathers to raise humidity levels in the nest. Take out the big bird bath and fill one of the smaller feed bowls with a small amount of water for preening. Unless she's gotten into something and her feathers are dirty, there is no need for her to bathe in the winter months. And finally, covering her. I cover 12-14 hours at night all year round. These are all ideas to help with the worst of the breeding behaviors. None of it is guaranteed to work, especially if Billie has a strong breeding drive. Just do your best :)
I am owned by my birds...and I wouldn't have it any other way :D

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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by AJPeter »

Thanks Claire my avian vet is an hour by bus and a ten minute walk there and of course the same back. We have snow forcast in the next few days so the journey to the vet will have to wait , of course l could go by cab, but being a skinflint l would rather walk! She had me fooled becasue l looked again and she appeared sleek and not fat.
I wrote about Billie's beak but l see now from early photos she always had a thinning of the beak at the tip, then the beak was pink but now it is a plum colour. She has no difficulty picking out the seeds in a pomeganite. Or of drawing blood!
A visit to the vet will cost £55 plus fares, being on a pension makes one conscious of husbanding resources.
Prevention can save money in the long run and l am all for it, by the way is there anything on the forum about pet insurance?
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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by AJPeter »

Thanks Melisa
It is winter here, but l did put up the room temp when l realised they like 75f which far too hot for me LOL when she shivers at 73 l put the temp up! I think l triggered this mating behaviour earlier when you wrote before about discouraging her. Both Ellie and MissK say that soft cooked mushy food encourages this mating behaviour l think if l can get that under control then things will improve. She fluffed up her feathers tonight and that gave me the inpression she was fat but l was thinking of weighing her, does any one know what the ideal weight should be?
I have taken to keeping Billie in her cage if l go out as there are too many places in my flat she could make a nest, l think the mirror will be a close second for regurgitation, lf not the leading contender. I will certainly review the four bowls one for seeds one for pellets and oats one for fresh veg, cabbage, brocoili, carrots, the fresh fruit bowl is now suspect as there are too many sweet fruits. Already she is throwing me dirty looks because l cut out her cooked food bowl.
She has become a real sweetie, allowing me to examine her feet, or beak but l keep my fingers away from rump under wing chest and neck , she likes a head screatch and will sit on my arm swooning back and forth while I keep my hand still.
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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by ellieelectrons »

Hi AJPeter

Yes, try to stop her from regurgitating to you, EVER! By regurgitating I mean the whole process, putting their digested food on you. My birds very occasionally will do the regurgitating motion around me but not actually bring up the food. Admittedly it's rare that they do that but my birds seem to know it's not appropriate to feed me.

With the weight thing, it is really hard to tell unless you feel their body or weigh them. I found an Alexandrine last year and I thought he was quite fat but the get said he was extremely underweight. It was just how he had his feathers fluffed. Regarding ideal weight, your vet may be able to help but the best thing to do other than that is to keep records over time to see fluctuations.

I agree with all other advice given. It would be good if someone could give you a lift to the vet. Are their any community services you could use? In Australia we have some for retired people.

Ellie.
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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by sanjays mummi »

Hi AJ, I adore sweet pea flowers!, but I think you mean garden peas, I have tried Sanjay on garden peas, but he throws them overboard, he prefers broad beans.
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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by AJPeter »

Billie has not regurgitated anything on me yet, but she was lowering her head and appeared to be coughing but l think my warning hit home. As for her weight she likes to pretend she is cold and will fluff her feathers so she looks bigger than she is , as for a lift to the vet a friend said he would take me but Billie went into the cat box today with no problems, just walked in, there was some newspaper in there and she spent a happy 10 minutes ripping it up before l pulled it away from her. I closed the door of the box and took her out into the garden and down the path this is the first time she has been outside since August. I looked into the box and she quite unphased just sat there looking out.
A gentelman came this morning and she did not look too happy so l did not let her out and then a lady came this afternoon with some bead necklaces, and l let Bilie out, and she took the necklaces and when l held my hand under her beak she dropped them into my hand. This lady sat in my chair and l sat on the sofa Billie flew across the room to my shoulder and climbed down the back of the sofa and disappeared so l picked her up and she sat one of the cushons but soon started to look behind them , so she IS looking for a nest!
Billie had a bad day though, l took all the paper out of her cage and just left the bare boards of the plastic tray, she was scrabbling around in there all afternoon, at times she just sat on the plastic tray with her beak resting on the tray and her eyes closed. This is quite truamatic for her. As soon as a I put the grid in she calmed down considerably.
She was pretty upset there was no soft cooked mushy food, in fact no cooked food, and she got none from my plate either.
I have cut out the fruit bowl because most of that is sweet , MissK will be amused as l have been tasting all Billie's fruit and veg to make sure it is not sweet. She has a roll of paper hanging up and pulls at this even at night since the roll cost £3 it will not get replaced too quickly.
I shall glad when this is all over, and to think it will happen again next year gives me the creeps. LOL.
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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by AJPeter »

Do you mean uncooked broad beans for Sanjay? I have not tried those on Billie. I might buy some frozen ones or l could buy fresh in their pods and see how Billie copes with that.
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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by AJPeter »

We do have community services for old people but you have to one of the walking dead before they allow you on their buses.
It's called Ring and Ride but with the cut backs it might get axed and in any case l do not want to use it as their buses are full of old people. LOL
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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by sanjays mummi »

Frozen broad beans, defrosted and cooked, then cooled. Wots all this about old folk and buses?, do they all turn up at once?. :lol:
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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by InTheAir »

Aj,
Learning as much as you can from this season and about steps to reduce breeding behavior will probably help you learn to avoid such a strong season next year.

It will probably provide you with some strong incentive to learn too! Having a parrot redesigning your furniture into nesting spots is certainly a good motivation to avoid the nesting phase as much as you can!

Also be very aware that she does not know electrical cords are not safe to chew. I believe Ellies bird had a close call with one when she was trying to make a nest. Luckily for them, it only damaged the appliance involved and the bird was fine! :wink:
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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by ellieelectrons »

AJPeter - I'm pretty sure the reason she was happy to go in the cat box was because it is a potential nest. Mixing up her environment like you have been is good. I'm glad she hasn't actually regurgitated on you yet. My recommendation would be to put her down every time she looks like she wants to try it, wait a couple of minutes then pick her up again.

Ellie.
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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by AJPeter »

I think you are right Ellie it is dark in the cat box and she spent a happy few minuites ripping up paper but for me everytime she goes into the box with a favourable reaction is good for the future especially as l took her out of the house in it, she did not seem to be worried. She has not gone in the cat box today. She flew to the back of my chair and was eyeing up the sofa so l shall have to watch her, she does not seem to be prone to chew things other than my pullover and shirt.
She was trying to regurgitate in front of the mirror today and there were a couple of times she just sat on my shoulder with out trying to mate, once for ten minutes. But there were a couple of times when she did want to mate and l quickly put her back on her cage.
What l found very intersting tonight is that she has paper roll hanging up and she spent an hour last night after l covered her ripping paper up and spreading it evenly over the floor despite the grid stopping her getting down. Tonight an hour before l covered her up l gave her a Telephone directory and she had a ripping good time. Then l covered her up and she was banging arouind with the paper roll so much lt took it out and after a few minutes it all went quiet.
So the moral of all this is that if it is there she will make hay and it isn't it does not bother her.
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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by AJPeter »

I thought l would post a separate reply for Claire. I truly hope next year will be a doddle, it is about now we have the shortest day so spring is just round the corner but l think all this breeding season lark is a new to Billie as it is to me, she sits in the corner with her tail up the cage side and her beak on the floor and cries. I think it is frustration. Or egg laying
(hope not). She misses the cooked food and now l have stopped giving her sweet fruit, just apple. And she has vegeatbles, carrots, cabbage, brocoli.
LOL she eats like a horse l give her two tablespoonfuls of seed and pellets she eats all the seed and cries while standing at her bowl. l say to her "There is plenty left." But l give in and pour some more seeds in. She has a serparate bowl for pellets and as l thought the water bottle was not giving water on demand l put some water in one of her bowls. But l saw it was working tonight.
Parrots are not the only pets to have bad breeding seasons, l can remember a male cat that sprayed everywhere however back to the future, I am hoping the moult will begin soon and then the breeding season will be over. I had a surpise visitor today a gentleman l had not seen for 5 years and we had a lot to talk about but first l closed one side of the top of Billie's cage down and asked her to step and the as l put her on her perch l closed the front door. She was very good. I did try and show her off to my friend by opnning the door but she had a glint in her eye. I do not think she likes males.
I do think it is advisable to watch her closely when she is out of her cage as in trying to find a nesting spot she might be tempted to go somewhere a lot of electrical cables are hiding, they like dark places too.
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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by AJPeter »

No the buses are always late and the old people? Still l prefer shank's pony as transport. As for borad beans cooked cannot give Billie cooked food at the moemnt as it resembles regurgitated food.
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InTheAir
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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by InTheAir »

I'm not expert, but I think what was meant by cooked foods is anything warm or mashed. Basically anything that would be similar to regurgitated food a male bird would present.
I doubt broadbeans that are cooked properly would be a problem.

Did you read the article by Pamela Clark that I linked for you? It is quite a lot more in depth than the other one and very useful. Also if you search the Internet, you will find a lot more information. Apart from Ellie, I don't know that anyone who regularly posts on this forum have much experience on this behaviour in house pets.
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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by sanjays mummi »

Broad beans have a membrane, they dont go mushy, and if they are cold?
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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by AJPeter »

I have read the article by Pamela Clark Claire a few times but today l printed it for easy reference. I think l make msitakes which cause problems for Billie, like today she was on the upper perch swooning in front of the mirror and l reached across and scratched her head. She came down and flew to my shoulder and l gave her another neck scratch, it would seem to me that l should avoid contact if at all possible. She flew to me as a played the organ something she has not done for some time but l put her back on the cage. She climbed down onto the table and went into the cat box it is dark in there and paper inside she started to rip up. I closed the cat box and we went outside and we visited a neighbour who lives about 200 yards away. Billie was little woried but l think she enjoyed the trip. I then hid the cat box in another room.

This afternoon she constantly wanted to come to me as l watched TV and put her beak on my cheek or in my ear and l put her back each time l thought we were moving on from that. She flew around quite a bit and seemed to be looking for nesting spots. I took out the roll of paper hanging up in her cage and when she wanted to be covered up she banged around with some of her toys and then it went quiet. The grid was in. Tomorrow l hope to stick to my resolution not to touch her so often, to avoid mushy cooked foods, to discourage her from flying to me.

By the way l tried to weigh her yesterday and today while l gave her a head scratch l craftily wrapped a towel around her and picked her and put on the scales she just stood there and weighed in at 265 grams. She has big bones!

I think we are making perogress

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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by AJPeter »

Thank you Sanjays Mummi l will buy some broad bean the next vist to the supermarket, can you suggest any non sweet fruit l can buy? Are pomegranites sweet? Billie gets Brocoli carrots, cabbage, she likes it cut up small.
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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by sanjays mummi »

Fresh figs, passion fruit, and pomegranates are not really sweet, then there are the citrus fruits, lemon and lime, as oranges Can be. Sanjay likes kiwi fruit they're a bit on the sharp side if they're not over ripe.
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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by AJPeter »

sanjays mummi wrote:Fresh figs, passion fruit, and pomegranates are not really sweet, then there are the citrus fruits, lemon and lime, as oranges Can be. Sanjay likes kiwi fruit they're a bit on the sharp side if they're not over ripe.
Thank you Sanjay's mummi for that info l have already found Biile does not like Kiwi fruit but her taste changes all the time,

We have had 3 power cuts tonight the first time in living memory at least 20 years ago,

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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by AJPeter »

Just a quick up date I put Billie was in when, l went to church but she was quiclky up to her old tricks trying to mate with me after l got home each time l put her back on the cage but the last time l was so annoyed l lost my temper and swept my hand across my shoulder and she was forced to fly back to her cage.
About 15 minutes later she flew back to my shoulder and was as good as gold, later she flew to the back of my chair and did not want to be lifted down but made gupling noises behind my head, but no regurgitatin thank goodness. I left her out when l made dinner and went back to check she was alright quite often but after l had put her to bed l noticed that an ornamental butterfly clipped to a lamp above the sofa had been knock out of position so she is still looking for a nesting site, but without my knowing.
No paper in her cage and no cat box, but l did put some wood chips on the cage floor. Can the moult be any worse than this?
We shall have to wait and see.
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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by AJPeter »

She likes cooked broad beans.

Today has been different and better only once did she try the mating ploy but l took her into the office and she dived for a cubby hole l was a bit worried she would fall down the hole at the back and so l put my hand in and she was quite happy to come out, lets hope the mating thing is behind us and now we have to discourage nesting.

Billie and I wish you all a Happy Christmas and may all your troubles not have feathers/

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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by ellieelectrons »

sanjays mummi wrote:Fresh figs, passion fruit, and pomegranates are not really sweet, then there are the citrus fruits, lemon and lime, as oranges Can be. Sanjay likes kiwi fruit they're a bit on the sharp side if they're not over ripe.
I'm pretty certain that passion fruit is high in sugar. I train some Alexandrines and they LOVE passion fruit. I'd be really surprised if they weren't high in sugar? I think all/most fruits would be high in sugar. I wonder if there is a reference site for sugar content of fruit and veg?

Ellie.
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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by AJPeter »

If there is Ellie please let me know. Billie has been the same today over sexed and over here, if l pulled some of her feathers out would that stat a moult? I put too much wood sawdust in and she scarttered it all over the floor. She had a good spray this morning but turned her nose up at a bath/
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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by InTheAir »

I have been unable to find such a site, but I am looking from my phone which is never the best device to search on. I have found nutritional breakdowns for human foods, that may be useful but are very time consuming to go through.
I have read that berries are fairly low on sugar.
If she is eating a good brand of maintance pellets, she will be able to stay healthy with out the addition ofmuch fruit over breeding season. Keep offering her lots of vegetables though, as life on a pellet only diet would be far too boring to contemplate!
Peas and corn are best avoided too.

All the advice I have read on the subject discorages adding nesting material, but it is your choice.


Merry Christmas everyone!
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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by AJPeter »

InTheAir wrote: I have read that berries are fairly low on sugar.
If she is eating a good brand of maintance pellets, she will be able to stay healthy with out the addition ofmuch fruit over breeding season. Keep offering her lots of vegetables though, as life on a pellet only diet would be far too boring to contemplate!
Peas and corn are best avoided too.

All the advice I have read on the subject discorages adding nesting material, but it is your choice.


Merry Christmas everyone!
Thanks Claire, any black or red friut is out. I offered her some blackberiies from the hedgerow in August and she refused to eat them also red and black grapes only white will she eat and of course now she only gets two a day. She won't eat strawbrerries picks them up catches my atttention and drops them. Melisa recommended that l put nothing in the bottom tray but l do not like a bare tray so add just a little sawdust where she poops.

Sanjay's mummi recomended broad beans and she eats them also runner beans, l bought a whole load of noodles but am holding off on those at the moment. she gets a sweet pea pod raw but no corn.

I need to finds some low sugar fruits. l give her apple and pear, pommeganite seeds, and two grapes. She won't eat pellets and would rather starve but l put them out for her in the hope she will like them. She gets two Tablespoons of seeds and eats the lot, she is there at the front of the queue when l open hte gate to put her seed bowl in and grabs the bar to close the gate door more quickly. Also some egg stuff and extra seeds as it is Christmas.

Is it alright to dig around in the back posts that did not receice much attention a year or two ago?

And wishing you a happy new year.

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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by ellieelectrons »

Pulling her feathers out will not bring on a moult. Moults are triggered by seasons. I believe you can try to trigger an end of season with UV lights but I've never done it.

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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by AJPeter »

Only kidding Ellie, but something happened today which makes me think Billie is moving towards a moult, she was standing in her bathing water up to her waist and the water had gone cold, l used one of the spray guns with cold water to gently spray her and she just stood there getting wet. I thought she was scratching before she got into the water.

She has been very good all day just sitting on my shoulder and made no attempt to mate although this did not last after the bath she did a bit of preening and then flew to my shoulder and l had to return her to the cage becasue she was trying to mate. Near bed time she was making quite a lot of noise l thought she wanted to be covered up but when l put the blanket on the cage she was pacing up and down so l took the hint and let her out and for twn minutes she sat on top of the cage preening but then went in and was quite happy to be covered.

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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by sanjays mummi »

Sanjay paced a lot when he had smaller cages, now he can actually fly inside his cage, the pacing has stopped. I thread all his fruit and veg on to bamboo skewers and keep them from dropping off with a clothes peg, then use another peg to clip them to his ceiling. This way, he can really forage for the seeds in his peppers etc, I also halve a small melon or papaya, and put half in his bowl, he likes to pick the seeds out and crack them. If you go to an Asian market stall, look for Bitter Melon, and prickly pear, also Dragon Fruit, they are not in season at the moment, but you can get bitter melon all the year round.
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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by ellieelectrons »

AJPeter wrote:Only kidding Ellie, but something happened today which makes me think Billie is moving towards a moult, she was standing in her bathing water up to her waist and the water had gone cold, l used one of the spray guns with cold water to gently spray her and she just stood there getting wet. I thought she was scratching before she got into the water.
Sorry about that. I did hope you were kidding :lol: It's always kinda hard to know on here when people are joking because you can't see facial expressions. :)

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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by AJPeter »

I am the great joker, hope to make poeple laugh always best to take a pinch of salt with anything l say hope not to cause a fence, could be a wall.

Unfortunately Billie is back to her old tricks water wings on the back burner, she head butts me but does not rub herself on me but never the less l stop her.

There are so many treat for her and for me it is difficult trying to work out what she is eating.

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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by AJPeter »

Thank you Sanjya's mummi for you posts, Billie's cage is too small for her but just the right size for my living room. It is all right if l take the grid out and open the top.

My supermarket has a big section for Asian foods l will have a look, but the best place to go are the markets in Birmingham town centre. Thanks for the tips l shall look out for Bitter melon.


Also for Claire Billie had a raspberry which she quite enjoyed but she does not like stawberries.

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Re: A thread for AJ and Billie about hormonal behaviour.

Post by AlphaWolf »

AJ, I think there are tons of asian supermarkets in small heath. In coventry road. They sell all kind of fruits/veggies. You probably will have more luck there.
"Live with parrots and you learn to panic"

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