Hormonal screaming

[cml]

Both birds are going through sexual maturity and the hormones surge through them atm, and its sometimes difficult to handle.

Usually we can get one day here or there with increased screaming or aggression which is easy to handle, but for the past 3 days Leroy has been screaming his head off.

Any suggestions as to what we can do to decrease their hormones?

We are currently keeping them on a winter schedule. Night 12.5 hours, DawnTwilight 1h, Day 10h, Dusk Twilight 0.5h.

Food is pellets for breakfast, lots of different veggies and fruit for dinner and we try to keep the protein and carbohydrates down.

They get plenty out of cage time everyday, at least a few hours and lots of dedicated one on one time with us such as training and showering.

All suggestions are welcome!

[GreenWing]

Try music. I'm serious -- relaxing music distracts and soothes. Music is healing. I am going to pick up the ocarina and play it myself because Chance loves it so much. She sings along to the sound of the ocarina. But I digress...

That said, what pellets are you feeding and how much do you give?

[Wayne361]

Sounds like you are tackling diet and light properly. What I do is fly the crap out of Oscar when he gets this way....calms him right down as his energy is expended in flight. Michael suggested this and it works like a champ....

Wayne

[Wolf]

Exercise is always a beneficial way to deal with an excess of energy, especially energy tied in to sexual behaviours. Music may be helpful particularly at the onset of the bouts of frustration and after exercise. Hope this helps.

[cml]

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Music is a no go, it worsens the screaming actually (but as I wrote in the other thread, they love music generally, its just not good when they get hormonal).

They get Tropican Pellets, which are quite good nutritionally, and they get around about 5g each in the morning (both birds are food managed, and I weigh them everyday and have weight data spanning a couple of years). In the evening they get veggies/fruit, different kinds everyday according to our weekly schedule. Through my food management I've got them at a stable weight for the past year or so which the vets think is close to ideal (or actually they said that they could go up a few grams each, but I trust 2 years of weight data over a quick visit at the vet even if they are very competent avian vets).

Regarding exercise, I might be able to open up our hallway for the parrots as well which will give them even greater room to fly (they already have access to half the appartment), but they do get a lot of exercise already. I will try to do more recalls as well Wayne!

[Pajarita]

Well, my bonded pair of zons are only now beginning to start canoodling (the others have not shown any signs of hormones, yet) and that's because they noticed the days getting longer but they are still getting only 9 hours of day (7:45 am to 4:45 pm) so I don't know how you are managing twilight with the schedule you mentioned because if what you do is lower the intensity of the light, I might as well tell you that it doesn't work all the time because what triggers the endocrine system is the change in spectrum which you simply cannot create artificially. Besides, 12L/12D does not really work to keep them from getting hormonal, you need a bigger difference because tropical and semi-tropical birds will breed on this schedule without a problem in captivity.

You also free-feed protein in the morning (they always eat more then) and do not mention if you adjust the protein intake for the resting season which is essential for keeping them from having hormonal surges. I know you said you have to feed the protein in the am because you work but what I do (I work, too) is prepare the gloop, fruit, veggie and leafy green the night before and serve it in the morning (I keep it in the fridge in a bowl already washed and cut/diced and covered with plastic and I just make the gloop room temperature by giving it a quick nuke) as the sky is beginning to get light and only turn on the light the second before I leave for work (at 7:45 am). In the middle of the winter, either my husband turns them on if he is going to be home or we set the timer for later.

[cml]

Thanks for your reply pajarita.

I do not free feed pellets in the morning, they get a serving based on their weight data 5g and adjusted accordingly to fluctuations in weight. Thats about as far from Free feeding you get.

They eat their breakfast at 1130am (when they wake up), dinner is around 8pm.

I can try tweaking their sleep and add another hour.

[KimberlyAnn]

I just want to say I'm sorry and I feel your pain. Last night we had a feral female cat outside...in heat. I don't know what's worse!

[Pajarita]

Thanks for your reply pajarita.

I do not free feed pellets in the morning, they get a serving based on their weight data 5g and adjusted accordingly to fluctuations in weight. Thats about as far from Free feeding you get.

They eat their breakfast at 1130am (when they wake up), dinner is around 8pm.

I can try tweaking their sleep and add another hour.

Well, there's your problem: they are not been exposed to twilight and their natural schedule is screwed up! My zons wake up when the sky is beginning to get a bit of light (I get up when it's still dark and can hear them in the birdroom right after the budgies wake up -they are always the first ones) and are fast asleep when night falls. Zons are quite hormonal, not as bad as cockatoos or lovebirds but way up there on the list, anyway, and need a solar schedule, especially the males.