Female Parrots, female owners, and "that time of the month"

[sunshinemama91]

Does anyone's female bird get standoffish or just behave differently when it comes to periods and PMS with their female owners?

 

[charmedbyekkie]

In theory, I don't see why it would affect anything. Menstrual cycles, with their hormone smells and everything else that comes with it, are mammalian. Birds are avian. Their cues for mating preparedness are different. Less scent-based, more seasonal/environment-based for birds.

That being said said, I don't have a female bird, so I cannot offer anecdotal "evidence".

 

[Laurasea]

Im past that lol
But birds are great at reading ques and body language, and in an article I posted about stress in parrots, it said our stress becomes their stress. So if that time is hard on you, like it used to be soooo horrible for me,(endometriosis) than I think so!

 

[sunshinemama91]

Im past that lol
But birds are great at reading ques and body language, and in an article I posted about stress in parrots, it said our stress becomes their stress. So if that time is hard on you, like it used to be soooo horrible for me,(endometriosis) than I think so!

I think that mat be partially contributing to our issues, at this time I get more frustrated a lot more easily and I feel like she can see that in the way I move or conduct myself when she responds to me in a negative way. Its only like day 5ish so we have a long way to go. But with males, she is just a flirt. Big time. Warms right up, begs for their attention... me, shes like get the hell out of here.

 

[noodles123]

Birds can see really subtle changes in skin ton and blood pressure etc (in some cases--due to capillary size etc). If emotions are heightened, they will know, so it wouldn't surprise me if they sense some of that. I haven't noticed it, but if I am upset, mine can tell.

 

[Kiwibird]

My male amazon, who has always preferred my husband to me, has become rather clingy and protective of me since I got pregnant. He does not want to leave my side. He seemed to know very early on too, before my belly started growing.

Can’t say he’s ever cared about my periods, though I don’t have much in the way of issues with PMS or severe pain or anything like that.

 

[Jottlebot]

I love posts like this!

Hmmm....interestimg....not sure I agree with you charmedbyekkie, I wonder whether there might be a link with mammalian females who are able to breed and parrots being dinner!? Maybe it's a response to an evolutionary warning system?

Also, and I don't know, maybe appetite increases pre-menstrually to start reserves for the next fertility cycle. My chocolate intake certainly increases and I'd be very happy to be able to snarl at my husband over a packet of Cadbury Wholenut that "IT'S EVOLUTION. NO YOU CAN'T HAVE ANY"...do parrots taste like chocolate...?

 

[Kiwibird]

I love posts like this!

Hmmm....interestimg....not sure I agree with you charmedbyekkie, I wonder whether there might be a link with mammalian females who are able to breed and parrots being dinner!? Maybe it's a response to an evolutionary warning system?

Also, and I don't know, maybe appetite increases pre-menstrually to start reserves for the next fertility cycle. My chocolate intake certainly increases and I'd be very happy to be able to snarl at my husband over a packet of Cadbury Wholenut that "IT'S EVOLUTION. NO YOU CAN'T HAVE ANY"...do parrots taste like chocolate...?

Do parrots taste like chocolate

I would actually imagine we’d be far less of a threat, evolutionarily speaking, during menstruation than during the follicular and ovulatory phases of our cycles where an extra boost of nutrition would be advantageous towards possible conception occurring and when we were not slowed down by the effects of PMS/menstruation on the body. Bleeding and shedding tissues makes us prime targets for predation ourselves in a natural setting, which is why it is somewhat instinctual for women to act defensively, want to rest more and not be as active during our period (in caveman days, it meant reducing our own chances of being eaten the closer we stayed to the cave and more on guard we were). My guess is parrots react to our emotional state of being and body language more than our hormones. They are very perceptive of shifting human moods.

 

[sunshinemama91]

My thoughts are more along the lines of a hormonal reaction to the change in pheromones and noticing body language differences. She seems to notice the difference in the emotions I put off, fear, calm, happy, loving etc. Which might have more to do with body language than pheromones. Although I don't see why hormones wouldn't cross kinds, even if the bodies and sexual functions are extremely different. Esp if you believe in evolutionary theory, if birds were once reptiles and we all came from promodorial soup, then logically it would be pretty universal. I'm a creationist myself, which brings me to question, what is the ACTUAL difference between a hormone in a bird, a reptile, a mammal, and a human. Are they universal or do they differ to an extreme to keep man and animals of different kinds from the desire to interbreed. Questions questions questions.

 

[Laurasea]

Fear, many species pick up fear. Birds warn other species, a crow will flow hunters giving out warning calls. Some ground eating birds like to have squirrel and other animals around for a warning system..and they can tell if the squirrels are chasing eachother and being silly a d not startle
There is a lot of communication between species I think.

 

[Aspie_Aviphile]

My male IRN flies to me and becomes very attentive if I cry or express anger when he's in the room, in fact he flies into the room to check on me if I vocalise angrily. I do those things more at that time.