Hormonal male Ekkie = BRAT!

[chris-md]

Parker, I believe, has become hormonal. It's the only explanation I can come up with for this extremely bratty behavior he's been having. He's become inconsistently cage aggressive with me, actually drawing blood tonight while I rearranged a perch. He lunges at me whenever I set him in the cage and walk away.

He's also taken a new interest in my partner. If I bring Parker to the couch, he slowly waddles over to him, insist on perching on his arm, and a couple times tried to masturbate on said arm. He's also become aggressive towards me if I try to reach to him at this time. My partner is apparently HIS new partner!

Let me tell you, I didn't know what to expect exactly, some masturbation, , regurg, maybe a little yelling. Not this! I'd prefer those other things...

Thing is, it's like a Jekyll and Hyde thing. Not always aggressive, sometimes he's the angelic sweetie I've come to know and love. It can change a couple times in an hour. And there's no more polite Ekkie push-always. Now it's attack to kill. Needless to say I'm treading with caution.

 

[lizard]

Oh no, that sounds awful! I can't imagine my sweet, loving boy any other way. I hope he comes around again soon and this is short lived.

 

[chris-md]

Thanks Liz. I think the hardest part is the unpredictability. Never sure if I'm getting the angel or the devil. I can read him and know if I'm about to get tagged, but each approach yields different results.

 

[DexMom]

Maybe it's the change of seasons or something, but my Dexter has been a little unpredictable lately as well. Just when I thought I had a great handle on reading his body language, he proves me wrong. I've taken a few hard bites in the past week that seemed to come out of nowhere. I don't think Dex is old enough to be hormonal (almost 8 months) so I can't imagine that's my predicament. He is molting like a beast, so that could be it as well. But, it sounds like Parker might have the hots for your partner and maybe that's why he's giving you some grief. It's got to be pretty bad if you're wishing he would regurg!

 

[chris-md]

Ugh he got me again. He went to honk me on the nose (our favorite game) and he bit a little hard. Drawing blood a second time. New rule: nowhere near the face until this mess is over; No shoulder privileges. I'm a little ashamed to admit I am finding I'm getting a little...shaky around him. Because he's unpredictable it's making me sort of nervous around him. Didn't see this coming in me. I'm sure I can handle him but I didn't foresee myself being nervous.

Dexmom, not sure about the molting. Parker got a little more aloof when he was heavy molting. But your guys doing the mojo hardcore so here's hoping it's over for you really quickly!

 

[DexMom]

Ugh - ekkie bite on the nose can't look very pretty. Sorry . I hope Parker cycles through whatever is bothering him (be it hormones or something else) and starts acting like himself soon.

I completely understand the shaky uncertain feeling. After months of getting to know each other, I was sure I could read his body language better. But, lately I'm feeling hesitant to offer my hand right away, because I've been chomped so many times. Yesterday I opened the cage and let him come out himself because I wasn't sure about the way he was standing leaning forward if he was inviting my hand or getting ready to lunge. I hate this.

 

[chris-md]

Lol thankfully it was a minor pinprick compared to what it could have been. Just looks like I popped a pimple a few days ago

I'm glad you know exactly the nervous feeling. It's awful isn't it?! Fortunately I took back a little control yesterday. He was on top of his cage (mind you it's a 6' tall cage) lunging at me when I was trying to pick him for a shower, so I decided it was battle time. He was going to step up if it's the last thing I do.

i got on a step stool so I was taller than him. After a couple minutes of lunging as the back of my hand while I follow him around with it, out of the blue he reaches his little foot reaaaally far to have me pick him up. It was a complete turn-on-a-dime shift and became a sweet boy again. I had almond slivers within reach, instant positive reinforcement for that

Jekyll and Hyde....

You brought up a great point that I'm really concerned about. I'm wth you in that I'm so hesitant to reach out for him in his cage, and I do back down when he's in a fit inside his cage. I'm really worried about somehow reinforcing that behavior and teaching him that lunging at me in the cage makes me go away. Still trying to find the line.

 

[Anansi]

No need to feel ashamed about feeling a bit nervous around Parker, Chris. Nor you with Dexter, DexMom. Showing no fear or apprehension when dealing with a bird that has bitten you in the past and very well may do so again is not easy.

You do, however, have to work on that "poker face". Parrots pay A LOT of attention to body language, and a fear response can increase the likelihood of your being bitten.

If you need to get your ekkie out of the cage and you're feeling apprehensive enough that you may flinch, you might want to have him step up onto a stick.

Another thing is that observation of body language is key. If you can see that your guy seems to be in a particularly ornery mood, you might want to respect that mood just then instead of pushing him to come out just then. Now, don't get me wrong. This doesn't mean you allow your bird to run roughshod over you and set his own boundaries. I simply believe that it doesn't hurt to respect the shifts in a parrot's mood when the situation allows for it. This is good for your parrot's state of mind, and also good for the weight your word carries with him. You might've heard the saying, "Never give an order that your troops won't follow"? Same principle. Don't let your parrot get used to telling you no.

And the way you manage this is to get them to associate doing as you ask with positive, happy experiences. Done consistently, they'll come to view doing as you ask as synonymous with doing what they want.

Now Chris, you're dealing with the added component of hormonal behavior. (How old is Parker, again?) This just makes observation of body language even more important. (Though, unfortunately, ekkie body language tends to be among the most subtle of parrots. No big neon sign warnings a la amazons, here!)

Also, Chris, you seem to also be dealing with a shift in the dynamic of your relationship with Parker. Namely, your partner seems to have become his favored person/prospective mate. Which we can't control, of course. But the associated negative behaviors can be curtailed. When he is on your partner and lunges at you, your partner should be the one to tell him no and return him to his cage. Then, after a few minutes, you should be the one to be the "good guy" who takes him back out and gives him a treat for stepping up properly. Bribery works wonders.

And finally, don't underestimate the bonding benefits of one-on-one training. Over time, it makes a difference.... even when they're going through their bratty phases.

 

[Doublete]

I have one of those white training perches ($15) for when Chiqui looks a wee bit unpredictable... She's never bit me but once in a while when she must be moved and doesn't look receptive to that idea it comes in handy.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Chris, probably/possibly a dumb question: Could Parker's behavioral change have something to do with you coming back from Europe recently?

 

[Anansi]

Chris, probably/possibly a dumb question: Could Parker's behavioral change have something to do with you coming back from Europe recently?

Great point! I wasn't even thinking about the trip! Was any of this happening before the trip?

 

[chris-md]

I have one of those white training perches ($15) for when Chiqui looks a wee bit unpredictable... She's never bit me but once in a while when she must be moved and doesn't look receptive to that idea it comes in handy.

Not gonna lie, I have thought about this. I might go this route. He's got a bit of training ahead because he's proven that he certainly can fly now (long story), so I'm not so comfortable taking out and about without a harness!

Chris, probably/possibly a dumb question: Could Parker's behavioral change have something to do with you coming back from Europe recently?

Great point! I wasn't even thinking about the trip! Was any of this happening before the trip?

Stephen/Wendy, fabulous advice and I so appreciate it very much. ****** I only have instinct to go on here (which I've come to trust with animals), no experiencing diagnosing hormonal behavior. I've considered that my trip might have something to do with it since none of this was a problem before, and rejected that for the following reasons:

1. This preference for my partner was not present before. He leaves me everytime to sit on my partner, which is one thing, but does occasionally try to masturbate on him, which he never even did with me before.

2. His cage territoriality is so inconsistent, which I thought was a hallmark of hormones.

3. The rash of hormonal behavior being reported here lately.

My partner just told me that, having no experience with birds at all, even to him the behavior just feels hormonal.

 

[camo]

Chris,

I'm late to reply, but wanted to let you know that I sympathise with the hesitation due to the fear of being bitten by Parker, Gizmo can be unpredictable at times. I definitely recommend working hard to break through it though. I went through a stage where Gizmo had me worked out and would refuse to go into his cage until he was ready, growling, lunging, biting, the works. It took me a while to realise that my body language played a big part in how he reacted.

Do you have good techniques for avoiding and then getting out of a bite? I ask, as I think reaction to being bitten plays a big role in future behaviour. My experience with Gizmo was that to get through the behaviour I was going to get bitten (and I did), and it was how I reacted and dealt with the behaviour that has curbed a lot of Gizmo's tendency to resort to biting.

Of cause if it's hormonal, that's something I don't think I've dealt with yet.

Best of luck, and keep us updated.

Cheers,

Cameron

 

[JerseyWendy]

Chris, is there any way you can change the location of the cage? Even if it's in a different place in the same room. I understand that this may mean having to move stuff around, however, it 'might' be worth a shot. At the same time I'd encourage you to move things about in his cage.

Yes, confuse him - slightly.

If this is indeed hormonal, he will continue his (unpredictable) behavior since he's driven by hormones. I still doubt it is, however, unless there was a 'ripe' female present while he was bordered.

 

[chris-md]

Thanks Wendy . His cage will be moved eventually, as the location he's in now is temporary (dining room, everything pushed aside for his cage). I did move some stuff in his cage around yesterday, it's one of the ways I got bit

We shall see. Like I said, I have no experience diagnosing hormonal, so as a newb I can be completely wrong. I'm interested to see how it evolves, difficult as it is.

Cameron, thanks for the commiseration. I will keep working with him

Stephen to answer your question, Parker is 6 years old.