Hormonal all the time non stop, is it possible?

[torrap]

Well, I decided I'll ask finally.
My DYHA I want to adopt is acting very hormonal, but I know this bird since last March, and I remember she was slightly hormonal in March too when I was visiting her in the Sanctuary.
She got even worse when I brought her home. I have her for about one month now, and it doesn't go away. Every time I want to touch her she just takes "the position" and starts squawking. Sometime she jerks her feet in convulsions almost. It makes it very difficult to have a decent relation with her. I know I am not suppose to reward this behavior so I just walk away.
The problem is because of that I spend more time with Marley (my YSA). Could this whole thing ruin my bond with my DYHA?
I wonder if she is permanently hormonal since the Summer is almost over?

 

[MikeyTN]

I am unsure of the length of hormone period in Amazons, hope henpecked will answer to your questions soon. But they're not hormonal all the time, it's only during their seasons when they act that way.

 

[henpecked]

IMO,, if she's acting hormonal all the time then someone has been stimulating her. You need to find another way to bond with her. She's been taught (probably unintentionally) that's the way to bond. Maybe try distracting her with a small treat (allo feeding is another way they bond). Preening(another way of bonding) works for me and my hen. I'm not sure ignoring her is the answer, she looking for acceptance and you need to show her the right way.

Hormones can also be controlled by diet, light and environment(stimulation). BTW the way you describe the feet thing leads me to believe she might be a he, that's more male type thing. They use their feet to stimulate the hen when mounting.

 

[Pajarita]

Henpecked is correct and you are in luck because this is the perfect time of the year to correct that problem: all you have to do is keep her/him to a strict solar schedule and, once she stops molting (all my zons are right now), reduce the protein in her diet (and eliminate 'spring' food like sprouts) for the winter as well as not giving her/him improper caresses (but you should physically interact with her/him).

 

[MonicaMc]

Rather than ignore the behavior, you might try preventing and redirecting. That is, maybe try approaching her differently? Change the way you interact with her? Teach her new behaviors that don't involve being hormonal?

Lara Joseph has some great blogs about hormones and parrots!
hormonal | Search Results | Lara Joseph

 

[Kalidasa]

Redirecting, as Monica stated, is the only thing that has worked for me. When she starts acting weird I grab a toy (ball, etc) and start a game of chase the ball or whatever and she forgets it. Since I've been doing that her hormonal episodes have stopped. I also don't let her hang out in any hidey-holes for more than a few minutes.

 

[SandyBee]

I agree, My DYHA went through it in the spring, we got that calmed down but tried to start up again recently.
I don't let him walk on the floor, try and find dark holes, when he tries to do his mating dance I tell him it's not that kind of love and we go play ball, walk around the house or into his carrier for a sit out on the deck. It's been a lot easier to calm down this time compared to spring.
Also making sure he is going to bed earlier as it gets dark earlier.

 

[henpecked]

Distracting her is a great choice of actions. Better than putting her away and "punishing" her for instinctual behavior.If she's like most hens she'll accept your hand on her back. Turn that into slowly rolling her over on her back and playing with her feet. "Mating" will turn into play time. Don't flip her completely on her back at first. Start with her being comfortable with your hand on her back. Then roll her just a few degrees at a time until she fine with being upside down in your hand. I'm sure there's other tricks/games you could find to turn "mating" behavior into something else. The bird doesn't really care, it's your attention/loving that matters.

 

[Pajarita]

I am a great fan of redirecting but you can't 'redirect' hormones. You might or might not agree to the bird masturbating on you as that is your choice but you can't change the fact that the bird is physically uncomfortable and emotionally frustrated. I allow the behavior when they first come to me and are sexually frustrated from years of been kept at a human light schedule because it brings them temporary relief and calms them down but they never do it again after their endocrine system is right on track.

 

[Constantine]

my BFA used to do that during the summer months only, but not any more...

 

[MonicaMc]

I don't think it's possible to completely avoid hormonal parrots altogether, but I do believe that it is possible to train parrots to be *less* hormonal by encouraging non-hormonal behaviors... i.e. not allowing a parrot to search for a nest, no inappropriate petting, being careful of food feds and day/night hours, and if a bird is presenting or trying to masturbate, you can always cue a behavior that wouldn't allow the bird to go into the mating position - i.e. flying somewhere, performing a "trick", or some other things.


Lara had to teach one of the cockatoos that she took in to stop being so hormonal and it worked out well for her.

 

[Urgula]

My male amazon tried to have some *sexy times* with my shoulder each time I had him close.
To distract I played 'batman' with him, which is taking his feet and putting him upside down.
He stopped the *sexy shoulder times*, but now tries feeding.

 

[Birdman666]

DYH Amazons have the longest breeding season of all of them. They are the hottest of the hot 3's in my opinion...

And it's only six months out of the year. (It just feels like all the time.)

DYH amazons can be tricky to handle during breeding season, and should be stick trained "just in case." Most of the time you won't need to.

A LOT of the evil behavior associated with DYH's actually relates to territorialism. (Which is usually centered around the nest - i.e. the cage.) Take the bird away from his territory. (Stick handle him into a playstand in another room where he can't see "the nest" and you might just find he's sweet and cuddly again!)

It's odd but true. My neighbor's DYH used to try and drive everyone but his favorite person out of the room when he started becoming hormonal every year. Could not be handled. Biting. Chasing people around the room.

The solution?! They brought him over to my place for a few days. He lived out on my big playstand. There was no territory to protect at my place, so the behavior stopped. After about a week of this, he went home to his place, and it stopped - until next breeding season- when the identical pattern started all over!!!

So, yeah, they're quirky hormonal.

 

[Billy29]

This is why I was afraid to go for the bigger Amazons with yellow heads. Was considering a Mexican red head but I liked the sweet little yellow shoulder. The DYHA are absolutely gorgeous and may be the nicest looking of them all as far as looks, just moody I hear. I hope you figure her out and you two can be buddies.

 

[torrap]

And it's only six months out of the year. (It just feels like all the time.)......

Oh no......., 6 months....
No wonder....she is hormonal still.
You are so right Birdman666, she wouldn't step up to me from her cage. It was so strange to me because she was running to my hand in the Sanctuary where I got her from.
You also are so right, I thank people who trained her to step up to the stick every day. She goes to the stick from her cage, and only then she goes to my hand, so odd.
I am so lucky she is not biting (at least not yet). She gets upset and makes gestures like she is about to bite, but doesn't go through it. Sometimes she grabs my finger but doesn't bite. She is a super sweet bird but I just hope I could spend more normal time with her without her getting into a mating pose and start squawking.
I can't even tell her a normal "good night". I get close to her cage and she just presses herself to the bars in this dreadful pose.....
My little 7 years old YSA was hormonal only for few weeks, but she is not bonded with me as much as DYH.
With such lengthy hormonal period of my bird I can catch myself more often thinking about how wrong it is for us to have our birds in captivity and how unhappy they must be.......so sad.....