Question for Natacha (or anybody with multiple male birds)

[pchela]

Okay, since I know you have multiple pois I'm wondering if you have any mating issues. Pippin and Nicholas have recently (within the last week) started feeding each other and displaying courtship behaviors. They are both clearly seeking out nest sights and do the droopy winged dance thing. So, have you had to deal with this? Do I let them be or should I try to discourage the behavior? I want them to get along and be friends but I wasn't counting on them getting that close!

I have already removed all access to the "nest sites" to try and calm the hormones down a bit but they keep finding new nooks and crannies.

Anyway, I don't want them to bond to each other so much that they deny me or other human companions. So, all thoughts and advice are welcome! Not just Natacha!

[Michael]

Isn't Nicholas the vicious one?

[Natacha]

I don't exactly have that problem.

Joey and Petey will very rarely do the whole skirt dance thing and who gets to be the chosen one is my boyfriend.

Zuri does it also very occasionally and when there is food involved Shade, who is a female, will go for it and the moment the foot stops coming and the randy noise goes up, she just leaves him behind and goes do other things - she is truly just in it for the food, little miss piggy.

Other than that...don't think I can be much help.

[kaylayuh]

Aside from removing access to nesting sites, I would limit their light time hours. My birds stopped displaying a lot of their hormonal tendencies once I started putting them to bed earlier and waking them up later. At the same time, I also dropped the temperature in my apartment.

[pchela]

Yes, Nicholas is the vicious one. Though, he isn't really. He did bite his owner and my husband quite badly and he has caused the other parrots to bleed on several occasions... well, crap. I'm not making much of a case for him am I?

Anyway, they are in their cages and covered for at least 12 hours each night. I can try to increase that. I keep the temp in the apartment at 70 so I don't think I can go much lower. The other thing I've heard is limiting their food but I don't know if I can bring myself to do that!

Hmm... I just can't find an answer as to whether this is a bad thing or not. I've tried doing a google search. My instinct is to stop them when they get started but I don't know what the right thing to do is. Maybe somebody else will chime in.

Thanks for the advice so far!