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moustached parakeet

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moustached parakeet

Postby skydancer » Wed Jan 30, 2019 3:46 am

Hello all
first off all, English is not my native language, so I'll try to explain as best as I can.
I have a moustached parakeet, around 18 months old, bought it when it was 6 months old (not hand feed), supposedly a male, but I think it's a female, since the beak is still black. Anyway, it took a while, but we became best friends now, she is really affectionate to me, cuddling and everything. But lately I think she is trying to mate or/and nest. In the morning when I let her of her cage, she starts to make this delicate noises and wants to cuddle all the time, she rises her tale and let me stroke her, or she flies to me and delicately bites my nose. Also, when I open my closet, she immediately flies in and hides in the dark behind the t-shirts in the dark and just sits there. I can't find any experts in my area, and since it is my first parakeet, I really need some advice. What should I do? I don't want to mislead her, but I do like the attentions I've been getting. She only lets me pet her, she bites my girlfriend or anybody else.
Please help
skydancer
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 4
Number of Birds Owned: 0
Types of Birds Owned: moustached parakeet
Flight: Yes

Re: moustached parakeet

Postby Pajarita » Wed Jan 30, 2019 11:04 am

Hi, Skydancer, welcome to the forum and don't worry, your English is GREAT!

Now, are you sure she was only 6 months old when you got her? Because she sounds very hormonal and that doesn't happen when they are only 18 months of age as they only reach sexual maturity when they are two to three years old. The behavior you describe is of a bird that is overly hormonal and that implies an older bird that has been kept at human light schedule and free-fed protein food so tell us what you feed her on a daily basis and what light schedule she is under.
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: moustached parakeet

Postby skydancer » Wed Jan 30, 2019 1:20 pm

Hello, thank you for a quick answer. I am pretty sure she was about 6 months old, as she only started to get colors when she was about 12 months old, and I think that's about right. She still hasn't developed full colors, I've been told it takes up to 3 years for that to happen. She mostly eats parrot food, some fruit and vegetable (apples, oranges, banana, walnuts, corn, goji berries...), some times she steals some cooked chicken or some other "human" food, but this is very low quantities.
She only seems to be this hormonal in the morning, when I come home from work, she behaves quite differently, as she doesn't cuddle anymore, she still like to be with me, but tends to avoid physical connection. And she was kept in a cage in natural light as far as I know.
She is out of her cage for most of the day (she spends some 6-7 hours alone at home 2-3 times per week), in natural light, but since it is winter the lights (LED) are on most of the day, as it's quite dark even during the day. She goes into her cage about 7-8 pm, and I cover her. I take her out around 7-8 am.

Hope this helps.
skydancer
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 4
Number of Birds Owned: 0
Types of Birds Owned: moustached parakeet
Flight: Yes

Re: moustached parakeet

Postby Pajarita » Thu Jan 31, 2019 11:12 am

Well, a solar schedule does not mean that the bird gets natural light, it means that it follows the sun, just like the birds in the wild - and that translates into exposure to dawn and dusk of, at least, 1.5 hours and no artificial lights on before the sun is all out in the sky or after it's halfway down to the horizon with complete darkness after. This is because they need the different light that happens at dawn and dusk to turn on or off their internal clock - without exposure to this different light, their bodies cannot get their endocrine system tuned up to the seasons which messes up both their circadian and circannual cycles which regulate appetite, mood, sleep cycles, breeding, molting, etc.

Moustaches are not touchy feely birds. They hardly ever liked to be touched and the most that they will accept (once they are adults, that is) is a head scratch (unless they are hormonal). They are not really companion parrots, they are aviary ones and are only truly happy when they have other birds around them... a human will never satisfy them. You might want to consider some type of arrangement for her because 7 hours alone every day of the week is terribly stressful and depressing to a companion parrot and much worse for an aviary one.

I don't know what you mean by parrot food but I hope you don't mean a parrot seed mix because these birds are mainly fruit eaters and should never be free-fed protein food, they should only get a measured portion for dinner and very low protein at that (budgie seed mix). Feeding them high protein puts them in breeding condition (not good) and destroys their livers and kidneys.
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: moustached parakeet

Postby skydancer » Sat Mar 23, 2019 1:19 am

Hello again. So, I've made some changes with food and lightining and things were slowly but surely looking better. But all of a sudden a new problem accured. When I wake up she starts to make this delicate noises and she can go on foran hour. But she only does it when I am around. When I go to work she stops, I can even go for a 15min walk and when I come back she is her normal self, playful, exploring everything, she flies to me, but just to say hello and is soon of exploring again. This is going on for about 2 weeks. Can you help explain whar is going on? Thisis a link with recording of her sounds


https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GlgtZp ... p=drivesdk

Thank you
skydancer
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 4
Number of Birds Owned: 0
Types of Birds Owned: moustached parakeet
Flight: Yes

Re: moustached parakeet

Postby Pajarita » Sat Mar 23, 2019 9:09 am

Hmmm, it sounds as if she was asking for something but I don't know what it is. Neither of mine do that sound... they do one that sounds very similar but they do three or four one right after the other (yours makes a pause in between) and then stop (as a matter of fact, Peaches just did them). Mine have four different kinds of vocalizations (that I have been able to identify and, more or less, imitate, I am sure they have more but my ear has not caught the nuances to differentiate them), the one that sounds like that, the 'kissy' sound, another one that is a two note one that they do two three or four times in a row and stop and one that is more like a song with different notes going up and down and they do the whole thing only once and stop.

But, if I had to guess, I would say that she wants company... these birds don't do well all alone.
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: moustached parakeet

Postby skydancer » Tue Mar 26, 2019 7:25 am

The strange thing is, she only does it when I'm around. If I leave the room and another member of the family stays, she stops and after 2-3 minutes, she is fine. If I come back too soon, she starts again. I really don't know what she wants, I've tried playing, feeding, drinking, nothing works. But leave her alone or with another person for 15min or so, she won't do it again. It's like she doesn't want me to leave. It's heartbreaking actually :)
skydancer
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 4
Number of Birds Owned: 0
Types of Birds Owned: moustached parakeet
Flight: Yes

Re: moustached parakeet

Postby Pajarita » Tue Mar 26, 2019 8:19 am

Well, parrots are highly social animals and they are one-person (or one-bird) birds so, most likely, she has bonded with you and is very lonely when you are not around. This is the reason why I give all my birds companions or mates of their own or a similar species: because no human can give them the 24/7/365 company they need to feel safe and happy. Just a note to say that, sometimes, they choose their own companion, even when he/she does not belong to their own species or is even remotely similar to them - my African Redbelly male ignores the ARB female and loves a female blue quaker that also loves him - and my cockatoo loves my Congo grey! Go figure! But, as long as they are happy, I am happy. And I can very well imagine how awful you feel when she calls for you incessantly... poor thing!
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: moustached parakeet

Postby Tadlisa » Wed Jul 03, 2019 7:58 am

I have a male Quaker parrot who is a year old and I will be going back to work in a few months and only be home at lunch and in the evening. Does he need a companion of any sort to talk to (I know not in the same cage they are cage territorial) And if so, what breed, sex, etc please?
Tadlisa
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 1
Number of Birds Owned: 1
Types of Birds Owned: Quaker
Flight: No

Re: moustached parakeet

Postby Pajarita » Wed Jul 03, 2019 8:44 am

The best thing you can do for your bird is to get it a female quaker or more or less the same age and, once they are used to one another (and it won't take long because quakers love all other quakers), you can put them in the safe cage as long as it's large enough for them to be comfortable in it (a flight cage will do). My quaker gets along with all my other birds but she particularly likes the male redbelly and they are now sharing the same cage.
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes


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