by Pajarita » Sun Jul 17, 2016 10:16 am
All my birds follow a strict solar schedule. I am not one to obsess over cleanliness and go around disinfecting everything the bird is exposed to but I am a real pain in the neck about their light schedule and diet. Why? Because I want my birds to be healthy and happy, something you can't get if the bird's endocrine system is screwed up! But, leaving aside their happiness and physical wellbeing, keeping them at a human light schedule will, eventually, mean aberrant behavior ranging from screams, aggression, plucking and even self-mutilating. It doesn't happen when they are young but as the years go by and the sexual frustration sets in (some call it sexual toxicity but I think that's a bit extreme), the bird can go from a beautiful and loving companion to a feathered mess that screams and bites.