GCC is a bit of a hormonal mess

[leeshdiddy22]

Hi all, created an account to get some more advice after scrolling through countless threads.
I've recently inherited a pineapple GCC after a family member passed. I've always had birds but haven't had parrots since I was young, and have never had a conure. Sara is at least 5 years old and has been with me now for about four weeks. I've given her everything a parrot could need:spacious cage, numerous toys, balanced and varied diet, hours spent out of the cage and plenty of human interaction.
In the first week after she arrived she started chewing her tail feathers on the left side. There is no trigger or pattern that I could find (she will literally chew them whether I'm interacting with her or ignoring her). So I took her to an avian specialist vet who found her reproductive system was inflamed. The vet theorised that since I've drastically improved her living conditions and diet, her hormones have gone into overdrive.
She was put on meloxicam which helped a little bit, but hasn't solved the issue.
Now today she's found a mirror while flying around the house and is showing mating and bonding behaviour at her reflection.
My question is- has anyone used hormone injections on their sexually frustrated birds? The vet suggested we try them to see if we can shut her reproductive system down.
At a bit of a loss and hoping someone has some advice.
Thank you for reading!!

 

[LaManuka]

Hello and welcome to you and Sara, and well done for taking her in!

Apart from possible hormonal issues there are probably several behavioural factors at play here. Sara has had a sudden change in her home and is most likely mourning the abrupt disappearance of her previous human companion. Whether or not her former life was a particularly happy or healthy one it was all she knew and it will take time for her to adjust. The tail-chewing may well be something she learned to do while living in her former home, perhaps from boredom or frustration.

What tests did the vet perform to determine that Sara’s reproductive system is “inflamed”? And what is her diet like? It is absolutely true that an abundance of high energy food is one of the things that can trigger a bird to go into reproduction mode since it makes a bird think that there’s plenty of food around to feed chicks, it happened to my lorikeet! There are plenty of things you can do to curtail this reaction however, such as don’t ever pet or stroke the bird below the neck (they see it as sexual), remove anything that even remotely resembles a nest box, and if it’s possible for you to remove or cover that mirror I’d do that too. If Sara has one of those snuggle huts or “buddies” in her cage that needs to go as a matter of urgency as they can be lethal if the bird ingests the synthetic fibres, plus it can be viewed as a potential nesting site.

I’ve only had one bird who ever had a hormonal implant and it was more to stop her displaying to her male companion who became extremely aggressive towards her, and in that respect it worked quite well. It’s best to try environmental and behavioural changes before resorting to medical treatment in a younger bird, at least that’s what my vet says!

Green cheeked conures are wonderful companion birds who are perfectly capable of stealing your heart before you know it, and i wish you and Sara a long and happy life together

 

[leeshdiddy22]

Thanks so much for you advice! I know she must be terribly put out by all the recent changes in her life, but it's hard watching her shred her tail feathers!
Her diet is the vetafarm south american pellet, walnuts as training treats (very small amounts) and we're working on getting her eating a larger variety of fresh foods. She'll eat most fruits, will eat raw carrot and cooked peas, has nibbled at a bit of leafy greens but is not terribly fond of her vegies. She gets a raspberry smoosh in the mornings to mix with the meloxicam.
Previously she was on a seed only diet with banana chips as treats.
The vet found pain on palpatation on her left side which is either the reproductive system in a female of her gut. Since she's eating well and not regurgitating or showing any signs of illness the vet ruled out stomach issues.
The plan was after a trial of meloxicam to take her back in for xrays and depending on results try the hormone injections or implant.

Will definitely cover the mirror. She's tame but not handleable yet (very wary of hands unless it's holding a treat!) So she doesn't get any scratches or pets.

I've also tried the aristopet stop pick on her tail, but since she bathes every day it must just wash off as it hasn't helped at all. I have an empty outside aviary so was considering letting her out there on warm days to get some unfiltered sunlight and try to distract her from her tail, but not sure if this will stress her more?

 

[LaManuka]

That sounds like a pretty good management plan to me. My baby Baci the green cheek (when I had him, God rest his precious little soul) point blank refused to have anything to do with those South American pellets but loved the Vetafarm minis! You can try Sara on broccolini, all my little guys love that along with kale, celery and bok choy.

Feather picking/plucking/destroying can be a very difficult habit to break. Some members here recommend old paperback books to shred and you can get toys that encourage birds to preen/pick at them instead of their feathers. I’ve never had a plucker so hopefully another member will weigh in with some more advice on that.

Popping Sara outside for some sun is a great idea, early mornings when the sun isn't too strong is best, but you will need to supervise in case of predators. Another member almost lost a green cheek to a cat that had snuck up the moment her back was turned and of course we have our native butcherbirds, kookaburras and currawongs who are always looking for an easy meal.

All in all though it sounds like her new life is already off to a great start and I wish you luck with your next visit to the vet!

 

[Laurasea]

I have to articles I think will help.
This one covers a lot of behavior, including biting and feather picking.
https://lafeber.com/pet-birds/bird-behavior/

This one covers stress in parrots. Talks about pattering to music, the importance of rituals and more. The clicker training I'm not into, shaping behavior is great, but I just say good bird and give a treat instead if clicking. I really like this article.
https://lafeber.com/pet-birds/stress-reduction-for-parrot-companions/