Skeeter the Red Bellied Parrot

[Pajarita]

Yes, all of the above, especially if you are keeping him to a solar schedule because, by this time of they year they have no produced sexual hormones for a while and their gonads are small and dormant so aggression is at its lower level (I LOVE the winter!).

Isis is 5 years old and I've had her since early July but she is one of those birds I feel guilty about taking in because, aside from her diet and her light schedule (she did not molt this year because there wasn't enough time for her endocrine system to adjust but that's normal under the circumstances and it doesn't worry me one bit), she was a perfect pet bird.

She gets along fine with the other birds although she does like to bully poor Pablo (a handicapped peachfront conure which cannot fly and has balance issues) a bit -nothing major, she thinks it's great fun to make him get off the top of the flight cage where I keep the canary hens and where he likes to chill. But I haven't put her in the birdroom yet because she hasn't found 'her' spot (she goes to visit) yet and, if we finally get to buy this house, I am going to fit the attic rooms into two birdrooms and she will go in the one for the smaller species.

[Weka]

Hi all --

Well, we've had Skeeter for a year now, and what a year it's been!

He's doing really well, despite some remaining phobias (dishwasher, clothes dryer, garbage trucks, the dark, dogs, and particular kinds of paper). He seems quite happy and content, and still enjoys getting showers and is flying very well....almost TOO well. He's landed on Mr. Weka a couple of times without incident, and he doesn't lunge after him or do the puffed up hissing "Archangel of Death" behavior towards him anymore.

After about 6 months of no moulting, he's starting to lose some down feathers again, and I've noted several pin feathers coming in again on his head.

Over the last three weeks or so he's become decidedly even more lovey-dovey and has been trying to regurgitate his breakfast when we have our morning interaction sessions. (Ack!) I gently attempt to distract him from this behavior, however. Also, he's been flying into areas he's not explored before, especially closets and under beds. I'm guessing he senses spring is around the corner....?



--W

[Pajarita]

Well, I don't think birds 'sense' spring... At least, all the scientific evidence we have is that they go by the length of the daylight hours or whatever other triggers a particular species has. Now, sexual hormones and molting should not go hand so I would urge you to re-evaluate his light schedule and diet. My female Redbelly is not hormonal or molting, she is still in the resting season (I live in Northeast Jersey and we are only at a bit less than 10 hours of daylight right now). The only bird that is now molting is the sun conure I recently took in for fostering until his owner gets better but he had been kept at a human light schedule so it was not unexpected.

[Weka]

Hi Pajarita --

Yes, I thought it was a tad early, myself. Skeeter currently goes to bed with the sun, which is about 5PM, and gets up around 7AM, and eats fresh chop (veggies, lentils, etc) and TOPS organic pellets. When I first brought him home this time last year, he was already mid-molt, so perhaps his little clock is still adjusting -- but my avian vet said it's nothing to overly-worry about.

Today Skeets decided to investigate a bucket in the living room. If it's not nesting behavior, it's very interesting, nonetheless. Maybe he's just bored with his usual hang-out places...


--W

[Pajarita]

I am not sure if you mean free-feeding pellets or not when you mentioned Tops so, if you are, that might be the reason for his internal clock still been off.

[Weka]

No free-feeding for Skeeter -- he'd om-nom-nom all day, left to his own devices! Heh. He gets weighed every morning and he's a steady 135 to 140 grams.

The only thing I can think of besides subtle seasonal cues might be that I have been working more regularly on getting him used to having his wings handled so eventually we might be able to coax him into a harness. A year ago he wouldn't let my hands anywhere near him (he'd open his beak and lunge as if to say, "Back off!") and now, he's okay with occasionally letting me lightly touch his wings and back for brief sessions. It's slow going, but seeing as he's only 11, we've got all the time in the world...

[Pajarita]

Ah, well, that might very well be the reason why! Caressing their back is sexually arousing to them.

[Weka]

Another Skeeter update (for those who check in from time to time): His lovey-dovey behavior has toned down a bit, but he's definitely starting to moult. He's lost several contour feathers, as well as two matching primaries on either side and a LOT of down feathers. He's been surprising us with new vocalizations lately, namely a peppy whistled song that neither I nor my husband have whistled to him before, as well as him calling out his own name in a rather scandalized older woman's voice: "SKEEEE-ter!" Today he took a nap by tucking himself in the crook of my wooly sweater's arm and muttered happily to himself; it was adorable.

[Pajarita]

Thank you, Weka, for the updated. We always enjoy hearing about Skeeter... especially me as I have only one redbelly and she is a hen so hearing from other owners helps me get a clearer idea of the species behavior. Mine is not molting at all and I was noticing this morning how beautiful her plumage is, so silky and thick - and the wonderful iridescence on her abdomen... Isis does whistle but her more common vocalizations sound like this: "Weeeaaaaar - I'mriteheeeeer" so I've been answering her saying the same thing (although I am sure she thinks that I can't speak 'Redbelliesh' for nothing )

[Weka]

Yeah, Red-Belliesh (Or "Skeeterese" as I call it) is a very curious language. I'm currently putting together a video of the wide variety of sounds he makes; some of them are native to his species, but some I'm not so sure! My fave sound he makes is this "doo--de--doo--doo" that he makes when he's feeling happy. I've only managed to record him doing it once -- and it's near impossible to catch him talking. For some reason when I manage to get the camera and hit, "record" he immediately clams up. Fortunately, I've had several eye-witnesses to his English-speaking abilities, or else I'd feel like I was a bit crazy...

Edit: Oh, and I think he makes the "Wheeeearrr!" sound, as well. He says that one when something's got him excited. I'll try to get that one on the video.