How/why is mating ritual/dance physically unhealthy?

[DanaandPod]

He also likes to hid under chairs and in this little seperation under my desk...and when I walk by he jumps out and attacks. Sometimes its a game and i roll a ball and he will take it under the chair and send it back out to me. but, I have to wear special shoes (which he has torn the buckles off of) to protect my feet. I know this must be some sort of thing where he thinks its his nest? Its so darn cute but...I should probablly keep him from there? the thing is is when i alleviate one issue another and another pops up... so sometimes i am thrilled that he found entertainment with scooting in these small spaces while i try to do what i am doing and he is leaving me alone.
If he thinks of me as his mate...then it must drive him ultra crazy when I leave???? I want to do the best for him. Especially, I really need to calm him down with these hormones.
Let me ask one last time in a different way... for better understanding.
Why is it that not having a solar light would effect him negatively verses having a light put in? Especially if it is timed to the natural set and rise of the sun anyway??? I am having a hard time understanding why if I add another perfect element to the situation would it make him less hormonal instead of more?
And, is there anything else i can do to calm him so this doesnt become a huge medical condition????To worry about? meaning, the hormones?

[Wolf]

You live far enough south of the polar regions to not need the full spectrum light to help control Pod's hormones as long as he gets the twilight that occurs at dawn and again at dusk. The reason for the timer is so the full spectrum light comes on after sunrise and goes off before dusk as these two times are what adjust his internal clock and you don't want the light to interfere with these two periods. Other than that the full spectrum lights replace the UV light that is filtered out from the natural sunlight. This is important for the production of vitamin D-3 from beta carotene in his body and it allows him to see better because he sees into the ultra violet light ranges. If you want to see some of what he sees get or borrow a black light and turn it on and shine it on him.
The twilight periods that occur at dawn and dust sort of act like the start and stop button on a stopwatch and allow the bird to measure the length of the day.
Does this help?

[DanaandPod]

thanks... sort of... what you are saying is that it is helpful in setting the internal clock. I am not sure what the seasons and day lengths are like in Africa where his breed is from... but... so, how does he know that this setting is winter verses spring as far as the timing goes? lol, sorry if this is a dumb question but...I'm serious. Also, is there anything else I can do? He has gone nuts here. Right now,,,he is trying to copulate with his perch.... And, it was said on there that they can't relieve themselves... well... it sure seems like he is trying... Are u sure they can't at all? I am getting worried about this for two reasons... one, my own safety from being bit. And, two, I don't want him to be in pain or even worse... I tried to get his mind out of the gutter by doing tricks but he kept trying to do the mating dance for me. So, let me get this straight...if it was a female shed be laying eggs everywhere? oh no... I dont think i want a female bird then.

[DanaandPod]

So basically a couple hours before and a couple hours after sun set? What if you live where the windows don't let in full sun????? Is it still enough what ever they get???? This may be part of my problem i am having with him after all...? because I haven't been getting up real early and uncovering his cage so he hasn't been getting that sun rise light. But, why would this if it is so make his hormones go crazy?

[Wolf]

If Pod were in Africa, he would be in the middle of breeding season right now. His internal clock needs to reset to where you live, because if it doesn't he will remain hormonal most of the year.
The full spectrum light is turned on after the sun has risen above the horizon and then is turned off before dusk in the evening. Pod needs to be exposed to the entire twilight period of dawn and dusk without the interference of any artificial light source.
Does this help?
Other than controlling the intake of fat and protein and not petting him in the wrong places there is nothing else that you can do.

[DanaandPod]

I'll Do my best....thanks!

[Pajarita]

Ok, let's see....

- Wolf is correct, your parrot has been hormonal for a long time and it's now reacting more because these things will come to a head if not take care of opportunely.

- Again, Wolf is correct in that he regards you as his mate and your are right in that this is a completely unhealthy relationship - both for you and for him. For you because, as you have put it, you are a prisoner in your house and dependent on his reactions to do a normal life - and for him because, regardless of how much he might love you and how much you might love him, a human cannot fulfill the requirements as a parrot mate so it's a relationship that will never, ever work out for him or you.

- Light schedule is not two hours before and two hours after twilight. It's all a matter of light, not the clock. It's like this: he is sleeping in his covered (or not) cage, you uncover it when the sky begins to get a bit of light (this time of the year 6:45 am) and he starts waking up with it, when the sky is completely lit (8:00 am), you turn on the overhead artificial lights which should be full spectrum - the day proceeds with his routine and normal schedule (breakfast, bath, interaction, noon rest, more activity), once you see the sun halfway down the sky toward the horizon, you turn off the overhead artificial lights (3:00 pm -and this is actually a bit late but I do it at this time because there is still enough light for the system to work) and feed him his dinner, he eats, preens a bit, goes to his roosting perch and goes to sleep, cage gets covered (or not - I do it at 5:30 pm). I cover the cages I have in the livingroom and diningroom because although I keep the lights off in those rooms, there is still light that shines into them from the kitchen but I get up early and uncover them when there is the merest sliver of light in the sky and cover them again once they are almost asleep.

- Their breeding season in their natural habitat is determined by the specific needs of the species and evolution set a certain number of daylight hours for their glands to start producing sexual hormones as well as other triggers (in their case, it's weather and food availability because although the breeding season varies from subspecies to subspecies, it's only because of their geographical location and the time of the year when they get the rainy season -they breed when it's finished) but this works in their place of origin the same way it works anywhere else in the world so it doesn't really matter whether the conditions are right in December or in July or whether they are in Africa or in America because, as far as their bodies go, it's all about conditions. I believe your Pod is a Massaicus (mine is a Fantiensis) which comes from Kenya, their breeding season starts in June (rainy season is March, April and May) and the babies will be born starting late July and August (28 day incubation and they usually have one clutch of 2 to 4 eggs per year because the babies stay with the parents until the next breeding season) and, mid June, there are 12 hours of light and 12 of dark (this is pretty much the same all year round because Kenya is smack on the Equator) so, in order for the 'control' to work, he needs to have lower daylight hours than 12 to stop producing sexual hormones but, because the number is only set through the 'stop watch' of twilight, which cannot be reproduced with artificial light, you (and all of us) have no choice but to expose them to dawn and dusk.

Does this explain things better for you?

[DanaandPod]

Yes, this is all well put. And, actually, he seems to be calmer today... I am not sure of the reason...But, I am definitely still under his control and command and have been for almost a year now that I have had him. I don't imagine it any other way since I have never had parrots before... Is there a way for this relationship to not be this way after it has already been so? And, If he thinks i am his mate... Which is sort of helpful because now I look at the situation differently and understand better why he doesn't leave my side and will follow and boss me around. But,,,, If he thinks i am his mate and lets say I got another bird... Like a Meyer's for added company when I am not home... would he be prone to think of it as his child? Or would another parrot entirely cause a horror show due to the fact that he thinks I'm his mate? I mean, when he sees birds outside...he screams!!!! I thought it was because he wanted them to come join him or rescue him from captivity... But, could it be that he is protecting "Our" relationship?

[Wolf]

Yes, this is all well put. And, actually, he seems to be calmer today... I am not sure of the reason...But, I am definitely still under his control and command and have been for almost a year now that I have had him. I don't imagine it any other way since I have never had parrots before... Is there a way for this relationship to not be this way after it has already been so? And, If he thinks i am his mate... Which is sort of helpful because now I look at the situation differently and understand better why he doesn't leave my side and will follow and boss me around. But,,,, If he thinks i am his mate and lets say I got another bird... Like a Meyer's for added company when I am not home... would he be prone to think of it as his child? Or would another parrot entirely cause a horror show due to the fact that he thinks I'm his mate? I mean, when he sees birds outside...he screams!!!! I thought it was because he wanted them to come join him or rescue him from captivity... But, could it be that he is protecting "Our" relationship?

I would guess that he is announcing his territory and telling the to keep their distance, but I also think that it is because he has actually been hormonal since before you got him. The two are pretty much hand in hand.
Thankfully my birds are mostly only a little hormonal because being a total novice and having never having had a bird when Kiki arrived I went looking for information and continue with that to this day. Anyway, I learned about hormonal birds right from the start as Kiki after the first week had chosen my Lady for her special person and attacked me relentlessly, later after a couple of months she suddenly switched her alleigence and I became and remain her favorite. So I immediately put her on a solar light schedule and low fat and protein diet. I learned about the touching a few months after that.

[DanaandPod]

So another bird is probablly a very bad idea at this point then???? I am thinking about a Meyers since there is no guarantee that he will mate/bond and be in the same cage anyway... Oh, I don't know what to do about this animal...and I am going to be picking up hours soon away from home...
Also, so the relationship we are in...diet/light/touching would also curb this? He luckily doesn't get aggressive with other people. He really likes people. He especially likes my ex boyfriend ((I don't know why))) But, we are friends and once in a blue moon Pod gets to see him and acts as if he is the best thing ever and wants to be right next to him. He has every respect for him too. Infact, he is not potty trained. And, he took a poop next to him and you should have seen the way he kept looking at it and back at him as if to say, sorry... He was totally consciencious about the ordeal.