Help - New bird issues!

[Mea]

Hi Everyone,

I am new to this forum. I just adopted a twenty-five year old Blue Crown Mealy Amazon Parrot. The owner gave 'her' to me free because of screaming issues. I have worked with screamers before and have broken this habit in other birds. I have only had 'her' for two weeks and already her screaming is becoming less of an issue. The issue that I am having is that I think 'she' is really a he. He is actively - please don't be offended, but to be frank - using me as his mate. Now, I have had other males that have tried this and I have just picked them up and placed them in their cage. They seemed to understand that the behavior would not be tolerated and they would stop. This bird is large and I am unable to stop him before he finishes. I am in a quandary. I want to be able to hold him because he is very friendly other than this behavior, however, I do not want to encourage this behavior. Any suggestions on how to stop the behavior, which begins and ends quickly, yet still be able to hold him would be greatly appreciated. Also, if I just leave him on his cage for the next week or so, will the hormones calm down enough that this behavior will stop on its own? Thank you in advance for your help.

Mea

[Casper's 2nd best friend]

Ah, so the issue is not about screaming but about him/her/unnamed being over amorous. When Casper gets a bit like that with Margaret she passes him over to me. When he does it to me, I put him on the floor so that he can see that I am higher in the pecking order.
Casper likes to scream along to music, especially Shania Twain (his favourite CD). He usually ends each song with a "woof". He may think he is a dog.

[PlaxMacaws]

Hello Mea... welcome to our community!

Hormonal behaviors can certainly vary from bird to bird of a single species. That's to say that some individuals just seem to have a stronger mating drive than others. Have you practiced the recommendations listed under the "What can you do to minimize reproductive behaviors in your pet bird" heading on the sticky post linked below?

[Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]

It can be very critical to avoid touching birds who are extra hormonally sensitive around areas such as their backs and beneath their wings. Cuddling may also trigger these unwanted responses to a significant extent. There are some other good suggestions to consider within the mentioned sticky post as well, such as the amount of awake time with daylight a bird receives during the day, and the presence of certain objects and structures in a bird's environment.

I think it may be difficult to predict whether your Amazon's hormonal behaviors will subside much in time. Again, it often really has a lot to do with the individual bird. Rather than leaving your bird in his cage for a week, can you arrange for allowing him to have some freedoms out of his cage, but simply avoid a great deal of touching, especially around the hormonally stimulative areas of his body?

I sympathize with you because the behaviors you've encountered can indeed be a difficult challenge to deal with.

Best of luck and thank you for joining us :)

[Mea]

Hello Mea... welcome to our community!

Hormonal behaviors can certainly vary from bird to bird of a single species. That's to say that some individuals just seem to have a stronger mating drive than others. Have you practiced the recommendations listed under the "What can you do to minimize reproductive behaviors in your pet bird" heading on the sticky post linked below?

[Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]

It can be very critical to avoid touching birds who are extra hormonally sensitive around areas such as their backs and beneath their wings. Cuddling may also trigger these unwanted responses to a significant extent. There are some other good suggestions to consider within the mentioned sticky post as well, such as the amount of awake time with daylight a bird receives during the day, and the presence of certain objects and structures in a bird's environment.

I think it may be difficult to predict whether your Amazon's hormonal behaviors will subside much in time. Again, it often really has a lot to do with the individual bird. Rather than leaving your bird in his cage for a week, can you arrange for allowing him to have some freedoms out of his cage, but simply avoid a great deal of touching, especially around his hormonally stimulative areas of his body?

I sympathize with you because the behaviors you've encountered can indeed be a difficult challenge to deal with.

Best of luck and thank you for joining us :)


Thank you for your quick response. I have registered, but I have not checked out the recommendations under "What can you do to minimize reproductive behaviors in your pet bird". I will definitely read that! Thank you again for that suggestion! I don't leave him 'in' his cage. He is out of his cage and free to roam about most of the day. Since he is fairly new to the household, I do put him up when I am not able to keep an eye on him. However, since I am a stay at home mom, that is rare. Therefore, he is out most of the day. I am glad I have found this forum! You have been most helpful!

Mea

[Mea]

I did try to get my husband to take him from me, but as I said, he is rather quick about his business - less than a minute and unfortunately, due to his size, it is difficult to grab him up once he gets started. However, I do appreciate your advice! The only time he really screams is if he can't see me and I am not responding to his calls. I am use to this because of an Umbrella Cockatoo that I had rescued for a time while finding him a suitable home. I have learned to make sure he does not feel abandoned and talk to him. This keeps him from screaming and I believe keeps him feeling secure. I find I don't have to talk as often now that he is getting use to his new home. I think it is hilarious that Casper likes to scream with Shania. That is just too cute! Thanks again for your help!

Mea

[PlaxMacaws]

Thank you for your quick response. I have registered, but I have not checked out the recommendations under "What can you do to minimize reproductive behaviors in your pet bird". I will definitely read that! Thank you again for that suggestion! I don't leave him 'in' his cage. He is out of his cage and free to roam about most of the day. Since he is fairly new to the household, I do put him up when I am not able to keep an eye on him. However, since I am a stay at home mom, that is rare. Therefore, he is out most of the day. I am glad I have found this forum! You have been most helpful!

MeaYou're very welcome. Please keep us updated about any progress (or lack thereof) with your new feathered family member :)

[spiritbird]

Welcome to the forum Mea. I know there are food changes and light changes for hormonal birds. I would not count on height dominance helping. You may want to stick train him so you will not be touching him during the hormonal rushes. Also as a distraction try to teach him to sing little jingles. Zons are good talkers and singers. Keep him distracted, if possible. All good things come to an end, we hope.

[Mea]

Welcome to the forum Mea. I know there are food changes and light changes for hormonal birds. I would not count on height dominance helping. You may want to stick train him so you will not be touching him during the hormonal rushes. Also as a distraction try to teach him to sing little jingles. Zons are good talkers and singers. Keep him distracted, if possible. All good things come to an end, we hope.

The food change is a great idea! I will do more research into hormones and food. Romeo is the best eater that I have. He eats everything from sweet potatoes and honeydew melon to pasta and hard boiled eggs. I do work with him on speaking. Even at 25, he has already learned to say step up and it has only been two weeks! I also have an African Gray and although they are in different rooms, they can see each other, and they whistle to one another. Also my Gray, Eros, talks to Romeo continuously. I think that helps a great deal. I also talk to them all the time. As you can tell from this post - I am a rambler :)

One other question. I do worry about teaching him to step up on a stick because he seems to get scared easily. New things cause him to startle and shake. My other birds don't respond in this way when I introduce them to new items. They will shake for a moment, but when I show them that I am playing with the item, they want to play too. Romeo shakes and refuses to have anything to do with anything new. Even afterwards he shakes for quite a while. Is this the breed, or the way he was raised? He is very calm and wouldn't hurt a fly, but is extremely shy - I just don't know if it is the breed or the way he was raised. I have tried to introduce items very slowly - from many feet away from his cage and he is still jumpy and upset. Is that normal?

Thank you for your help and I will keep you all updated on Romeo!

Mea

[PlaxMacaws]

Hi Mea. In case you've not seen this yet, here's a fairly good article on dealing with hormonal behaviors in companion birds: [Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]

As for Romeo's proneness to shake and startle when presented with new objects... I think a fear of new objects is more often attributable to an individual bird's life experiences than it may be to its species proclivities. Genetic predisposition that is passed to a bird by its parents might be in the mix as well... but prior negative experiences are thought to be the big factor.

You might try leaving the objects Romeo is afraid of, one at a time, within his line of sight for extended periods. Start by leaving one such item across the room from him and progressively move it a few feet closer every few days or so. Continue moving the object closer to him until it's very near his perch or cage. This can be a rather slow process... but it's a way to desensitize him to one object at a time. And you should never attempt to rush the process. If he becomes too uncomfortable with where you've placed an object, simply back it away for a time until he calms... then try moving it somewhat nearer in a day or two.

[Mea]

Hi Mea. In case you've not seen this yet, here's a fairly good article on dealing with hormonal behaviors in companion birds: [Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]

As for Romeo's proneness to shake and startle when presented with new objects... I think a fear of new objects is more often attributable to an individual bird's life experiences than it may be to its species proclivities. Genetic predisposition that is passed to a bird by its parents might be in the mix as well... but prior negative experiences are thought to be the big factor.

You might try leaving the objects Romeo is afraid of, one at a time, within his line of sight for extended periods. Start by leaving one such item across the room from him and progressively move it a few feet closer every few days or so. Continue moving the object closer to him until it's very near his perch or cage. This can be a rather slow process... but it's a way to desensitize him to one object at a time. And you should never attempt to rush the process. If he becomes too uncomfortable with where you've placed an object, simply back it away for a time until he calms... then try moving it somewhat nearer in a day or two.


Thank you again for your quick response. I am just not use to my birds being so sensitive. I will make sure to be extra careful with Romeo. I want him to acclimate to our home comfortably. As I said, he really is so sweet and gentle. I have looked up the Blue Crown Mealy, and there just doesn't seem to be a wealth of information on the breed. This is why I was wondering if it was the breed or his experiences. This forum has been so helpful! I really do appreciate all of your kindness and information!

Mea

[PlaxMacaws]

Thank you again for your quick response. I am just not use to my birds being so sensitive. I will make sure to be extra careful with Romeo. I want him to acclimate to our home comfortably. As I said, he really is so sweet and gentle. I have looked up the Blue Crown Mealy, and there just doesn't seem to be a wealth of information on the breed. This is why I was wondering if it was the breed or his experiences. This forum has been so helpful! I really do appreciate all of your kindness and information!

MeaYou're certainly welcome. We're glad to help when we can :)

[spiritbird]

As for the diet:

Adjust the Diet: Avoid feeding foods that are high calorie or high fat when your companion bird is hormonal. They trigger the "abundance" cue that say it is a good time to provide for babies. Limit a bird's access to starchy / sugary and high-protein foods during its cycle.

Do not feed: breads, corn, sweet potatoes, beans, nuts, cheese, meats or grapes. If you feed a high potency, pelleted diet with a high protein content, cut back a bit on the amount.Do feed less stimulating food substances, like wheat germ and hemp seed. Offer instead more fresh vegetables, and some fruits.

[Casper's 2nd best friend]

I sometimes wonder how good parrot hearing is. Casper is most vocal after breakfast as if there is some sort of jungle telegraph going on. We don't know if there are other parrots in our village that he can hear but sometimes we say things to him like "Crikey, Casper they can hear that in the Amazon" if he gets really loud.
Fortunately our next-door neighbours are getting on a bit and don't hear very well.
Casper does not get involved when the jackdaws are arguing over who's turn it is to sit on the chimney pot. He just gives them an "old-fashioned" look. He thinks they are the neighbours from hell, having all their friend around for a party that always ends in a fight.