# Mood swings...



## WhiskeyBird (Apr 6, 2013)

Whiskey is usually very sweet and cuddly. Lately, though, he's wanted to be a little more independent and will fly off to his cage to climb and play, which is fine. He obviously still wants me there, because he flock calls like crazy if I put him in his cage, shut the door, and leave the room. 

What's less fine is when he gets nippy. He's taken to randomly attacking my face occasionally, and I really don't understand since he can fly to his cage now. When he bites he goes in his cage for a short time out, and he yells and yells for a couple minutes and when he finally calms down, I'll let him back out. 

I suppose he might be a little hormonal. He's probably about 10 months now. I already put him to bed with time to get 12 hours of sleep (he usually wakes me up). He gets about half an hour out in the morning and usually two or more hours out at night, and that's pretty consistent with what he's gotten the whole time I've had him. He has toys, cuddle bones, etc. and I tried to give him a new toy yesterday, but he's still scared of it and I'm still introducing it. The whole Jekyll and Hyde routine is just really strange and I'm not sure what else to do for him (other than get him a lady friend and that's not happening). Any suggestions?


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## LaurulCat (Jan 4, 2014)

*"This, too, shall pass..."*

You are correct; he is being hormonal. Since this is his first surge of adult hormones, his little brain is being scrambled as little with his instincts telling him he is a big, bad cock bird and his heart telling him he loves you. His aggressive behavior could last for two or three months. It is a very common syndrome seen in pet birds; suddenly your loving baby becomes an aggressive monster or wants nothing to do with you. This is the first stressor parronts who get their parrots as babies have to deal with; and unfortunately, some parronts don't understand or can't deal with with the aggression and 'get rid' of the suddenly bitey bird.

One way of dealing with his little hormonal brain storm is to shake up his environment. Try taking him to a safe 'neutral' room to help reset his brain back to the loving bird you love so much. The strange environment initially freaks them out and they go to the highest, safest place they find. But after looking around and deciding there are no bird-eating monsters hiding in the neutral room, the bird goes to the only familiar thing in the room; you. Their instinct to be safe and spend time with their caregiver overrides the hormonal aggression and the bird returns to their previous behavior. Well, at least for a few hours to an entire day. When the aggression starts again, take him back to the neutral room and do it all again.

You may want to just put him down and walk away from him when he gets aggressive instead of caging him. You don't want him to get the idea his cage is a punishment. The thing he wants most in the entire world is to spend time with you, and even just putting him off you and walking away and ignoring him for five minutes is a major correction.

Hang in there; hormonal season only last a few months. Plus, next year he should not be so aggressive when he has is hormonal storm. He will be a lot more mature next year, plus his brain will be more adapted to the level of adult hormones. Just think of Whiskey as currently acting like a hormonal teenage human!


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## WhiskeyBird (Apr 6, 2013)

Well, he's definitely doing hormonal things like ...pleasing himself (while repeatedly saying, "Whatcha doin'?"), so I suspect that's the root of the problem. I don't put him in his cage for little nips, but when he goes into attack mode, I can't sit there while he bites my face. He's still my baby most of the time, but he certainly thinks he's becoming a man. I think he's about 10 months now, so that'd be around the right age I guess. 

I've heard it helps to put them to bed earlier and give them longer nights, but is there anything else I can do? 


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## eduardo (Jan 27, 2012)

Both of mine went through a very "loud" and obnoxious phase when they turned about one year old. They did calm down later.


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## LaurulCat (Jan 4, 2014)

I am currently dealing with two very aggressive GCCs I took from a friend who had to downsize her small bird flock. The cock, Boca, is extremely aggressive and I never know when he is going to go from being a nice bird sitting on my shoulder to a bird attacking my ears and face. As a result, I keep a small towel around my shoulders when I am in the birdroom, and when he attacks I wrap him in the towel to stop the attack and remove him from my person. I then sit the towel inside his open cage and allow him to find his own way out of the towel. This is usually enough time for him to settle down and short circuit his aggression. It is one way to deal with attacks while not using the cage as a punishment.

Increasing the number of dark hours at this point in time will not help; he is already in his first hormone storm; and his reactions to the hormonal surge should never be as extreme as this first surge is. Myself, I keep my birds at twelve hours dark/light all year round. It really seems to short circuit breeding and extremes in behavior. There are still enough cues from the normal light patterns to trigger their breeding season, but the light/dark schedule does seem to help deter egg laying.

You have two more months at most for his aggression and then you will have your baby back again. Just hang in there and remember he is as confused about what is happening as you are.


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## WhiskeyBird (Apr 6, 2013)

I have noticed he's a lot louder than usual, pretty much flock calling at the top of his lungs all day if I'm not in the room. Good to hear that the loudness stage will die down... Hopefully before they kick me out of my apartment. 

Most of the time he's still very sweet, if more independent than normal. Guess we'll just have to ride it out, and hopefully he won't go back to his cage to "satisfy urges" while anyone is over! 


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## WhiskeyBird (Apr 6, 2013)

This last week or so he just does NOT want to sit with me. He'll fly back to his cage and gets angry when I pick him up. Is this some kind of hormonal behavior, or should I be worried about him not feeling well? 


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