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Question about Parrot behavior

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Question about Parrot behavior

Postby Wukku » Mon Nov 12, 2018 12:46 am

Hi all,

First time post and I just wanted to get some help on this behavior. Iris is our first bird and while she is 8 years old, we have only had her for roughly 4 months.

This is a new behavior she has exhibited and my wife and I want to make sure she is okay.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnZQ0WR ... e=youtu.be

Her peeping is very quiet and you will need to turn up the sound.

In the video, she is crouched on my chest as we were laying in bed and began that head up cheeping before doing the head bob. I have read that crouching, head bobbing and cheeping could all be signs of contentment but could also be signs she is sick. She only does this occasionally and has only done it around us.

Thank you all for your responses!
Last edited by Wukku on Mon Nov 12, 2018 12:51 am, edited 2 times in total.
Wukku
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
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Types of Birds Owned: Alexandrine Parakeet
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Re: Question about Parrot behavior

Postby Wukku » Mon Nov 12, 2018 12:49 am

In case the video does not work properly, here is the direct youtube link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnZQ0WR ... e=youtu.be
Wukku
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Gender: This parrot forum member is male
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Re: Question about Parrot behavior

Postby Zahia » Mon Nov 12, 2018 12:57 am

Other owner here! A couple quick notes: I do have a vet but she's 2 hours away, so I want to be sure I'm taking my bird for a legitimate reason. If she's just happy or hormonal, it seems like an excessive trip to make! I've owned two other birds in the past, both male and female, but have never seen this behavior before. She is definitely female. I'm guessing it's either hormonal, instinctual, or a remnant of being handfed and/or weaned too early. It's just odd because she only started displaying this behavior in the past week - so either those hormones are kicking into gear, she's finally getting comfortable enough to show off some quirky behavior, or something else is happening here. I know it's breeding season for Alexandrines but would that make her exhibit this behavior as a pet? Any comments would be well appreciated though! We want to make sure we do right by her because, as we understand, her past hasn't been the best. :irn:
Zahia
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Gender: This parrot forum member is female
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Re: Question about Parrot behavior

Postby liz » Mon Nov 12, 2018 7:31 am

Welcome to the forum.

Her butt is in the air but her tail is not up so I don't know about hormonal.

You nodded your head so she may be copying you.
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Re: Question about Parrot behavior

Postby Zahia » Mon Nov 12, 2018 10:52 am

liz wrote:Welcome to the forum.

Her butt is in the air but her tail is not up so I don't know about hormonal.

You nodded your head so she may be copying you.


My husband only nodded his head because this behavior typically ends in head bobbing. He was mimicking her - not the other way around. She seems to be completely zoned out during this behavior. She doesn't quite trust us enough to let us pet her back but, during this, my husband was able to touch her back and she didn't even react - she just kept peeping. It's bizarre.
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Gender: This parrot forum member is female
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Re: Question about Parrot behavior

Postby Pajarita » Mon Nov 12, 2018 11:04 am

Welcome to the forum! She is not sick. What you see [the throwing the head back, exposing the neck, and soft chirping] is a breeding behavior in females but, unless you are in the Southern Hemisphere, she shouldn't be having breeding behaviors now because this is not their breeding season -they breed in the spring and, here in the Northern Hemisphere, we are fast going into winter. So, if you are in the Northern Hemisphere, make sure you are not free-feeding any protein food and that she is kept at a strict solar schedule with full exposure to dawn and dusk so her endocrine system gets tuned back to the seasons.

I just took in two psittacula females myself and they are both doing the same thing BUT these birds were not kept right, they were under a human light schedule and a free-fed protein diet for the last 6 to 8 years. They are now getting the right kind of diet for them [as well as supplementes to clean up their most likely damaged liver and kidneys] and kept at a solar schedule but it might take up to a year for their endocrine system to get back on track.
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Re: Question about Parrot behavior

Postby Pajarita » Mon Nov 12, 2018 11:09 am

Zahia wrote:
liz wrote:Welcome to the forum.

Her butt is in the air but her tail is not up so I don't know about hormonal.

You nodded your head so she may be copying you.


My husband only nodded his head because this behavior typically ends in head bobbing. He was mimicking her - not the other way around. She seems to be completely zoned out during this behavior. She doesn't quite trust us enough to let us pet her back but, during this, my husband was able to touch her back and she didn't even react - she just kept peeping. It's bizarre.


:lol: No, it's not bizarre at all. She liked being touched there because she is hormonal and their backs are an erogenous zone - and that's why birds should NEVER be touched there [only the head, neck and cheeks and nowhere else].
Pajarita
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Gender: This parrot forum member is female
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Flight: Yes

Re: Question about Parrot behavior

Postby Zahia » Mon Nov 12, 2018 11:13 am

Pajarita wrote:Welcome to the forum! She is not sick. What you see [the throwing the head back, exposing the neck, and soft chirping] is a breeding behavior in females but, unless you are in the Southern Hemisphere, she shouldn't be having breeding behaviors now because this is not their breeding season -they breed in the spring and, here in the Northern Hemisphere, we are fast going into winter. So, if you are in the Northern Hemisphere, make sure you are not free-feeding any protein food and that she is kept at a strict solar schedule with full exposure to dawn and dusk so her endocrine system gets tuned back to the seasons.

I just took in two psittacula females myself and they are both doing the same thing BUT these birds were not kept right, they were under a human light schedule and a free-fed protein diet for the last 6 to 8 years. They are now getting the right kind of diet for them [as well as supplementes to clean up their most likely damaged liver and kidneys] and kept at a solar schedule but it might take up to a year for their endocrine system to get back on track.


Oh thank goodness, I thought that's what it might be! I realize it's not great, but it's also fixable. Thank you!
Zahia
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Gender: This parrot forum member is female
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