MissLarissa
Member
Some simple background. Rico is a 10y/o assumed male green-cheek. Normally wakes up between 5:30-6am everyday (when I get up for work). We have a routine where we him up, he gets fed, and after his breakfast he spends time with me while I get dressed for work. Weekends he gets up, gets fed, and goes back to his room until we get up for the day.
As of Monday this week, he's been waking up earlier than normal and is very hungry. It started out only being around 5:15 and getting earlier as the week progressed. Today he got up at 4:50am and would not let me go back to bed like I usually do on the weekends (read: screaming). Each morning he's much hungrier than normal. And (2) mornings this week he was so hungry that he wanted put in his cage to keep eating instead of being with me while I got dressed.
On top of the waking time and hunger level there have been 2 days this week that my partner has experienced him regurgitating. One instance he seemed to have a pellet stuck and was perfectly normal once he got it out and one instance he just had the slime on his head from when he did it (saw it when he got him out of his cage when he woke up), acting perfectly normal after. We have had several occasions of him regurgitating non-hormonally and has gone to the vet each time. Some times he has bad bacteria, but more often than not they say he isn't sick but his regurgitating isn't hormonal and they have no recommendations. After these instances he's usually lethargic acting before he perks up but he isn't lethargic after this week. So maybe hormonal? Just wanted to put that bit out there. The mornings he regurgitated were the mornings he wanted to eat instead of spend time with me.
Other changes have been a recent-ish cage rearranging (we do this every 4-6 months or so, so he should be use to that) and a few more hours in his cage than usual. He still gets a lot of out of the cage time.
My main concern is the earlier than normal waking and excess hunger in the mornings. 10 years and this isn't been a thing. It is end of March and turning spring so maybe it's spring hormones and he's starting to loose feathers for the season. But it's just not his usual behavior. He has pellet available all day and gets a variety of foods spread out during the day: some seed, half an almond, banana, sweet potato or carrot, berries, baby food mixed with pellets. He's offered plenty. We've even encouraged more eating before bed to see if that helps him be less hungry in the morning and it does not.
He's not acting sick. Poops are normal. Cuddling as normal. And the rest of the day is normal. Just not the mornings.
Anyone else experience this? Is this something that happens to other birds during the winter to spring transition?
This is long and I'm sorry, but I wanted to make sure the full picture was out there. You never know what the small trigger could be.
As of Monday this week, he's been waking up earlier than normal and is very hungry. It started out only being around 5:15 and getting earlier as the week progressed. Today he got up at 4:50am and would not let me go back to bed like I usually do on the weekends (read: screaming). Each morning he's much hungrier than normal. And (2) mornings this week he was so hungry that he wanted put in his cage to keep eating instead of being with me while I got dressed.
On top of the waking time and hunger level there have been 2 days this week that my partner has experienced him regurgitating. One instance he seemed to have a pellet stuck and was perfectly normal once he got it out and one instance he just had the slime on his head from when he did it (saw it when he got him out of his cage when he woke up), acting perfectly normal after. We have had several occasions of him regurgitating non-hormonally and has gone to the vet each time. Some times he has bad bacteria, but more often than not they say he isn't sick but his regurgitating isn't hormonal and they have no recommendations. After these instances he's usually lethargic acting before he perks up but he isn't lethargic after this week. So maybe hormonal? Just wanted to put that bit out there. The mornings he regurgitated were the mornings he wanted to eat instead of spend time with me.
Other changes have been a recent-ish cage rearranging (we do this every 4-6 months or so, so he should be use to that) and a few more hours in his cage than usual. He still gets a lot of out of the cage time.
My main concern is the earlier than normal waking and excess hunger in the mornings. 10 years and this isn't been a thing. It is end of March and turning spring so maybe it's spring hormones and he's starting to loose feathers for the season. But it's just not his usual behavior. He has pellet available all day and gets a variety of foods spread out during the day: some seed, half an almond, banana, sweet potato or carrot, berries, baby food mixed with pellets. He's offered plenty. We've even encouraged more eating before bed to see if that helps him be less hungry in the morning and it does not.
He's not acting sick. Poops are normal. Cuddling as normal. And the rest of the day is normal. Just not the mornings.
Anyone else experience this? Is this something that happens to other birds during the winter to spring transition?
This is long and I'm sorry, but I wanted to make sure the full picture was out there. You never know what the small trigger could be.
