Hormonal Parrotlet 😩

[Chewyena]

Hey y’all, my little guy Keo is going through a VERY hormonal stage. He’s about a year old now, I’d attach pictures but I’m on mobile atm (if you know how to upload images correctly via mobile feel free to let me know!) but anyways!

I’m doing everything I can to discourage Keo from this behavior, I ONLY give him head scratches so there’s no body touching. I also know Parrotlets are prone to wiggle necking (lol) but he does it a lot and almost always in the middle of head pets, he regurgitates to the point where I can see food come up.. eww, and he’s always chirping up a storm when he does it. Sometimes he even stands himself up straight and does what looks like a mating dance, he side steps back and forth with super straight posture, making funky little chirps like he’s singing and dancing to me lmao. As amusing as it is to watch, this is obviously not okay behavior and I’m wondering if there’s anything else I can do to prevent it?

This might be in hand with the hormonal-ness, but he is VERY nippy in the most bipolar way, in the sense that I could be petting him or holding him and everything is nice and calm and then CHOMP he pinches my finger and goes all open beaked at me (I have to give him beak pets to calm him down again)

Any advice or insight on his behavior will be GREATLY appreciated!!! Thank you!

 

[StacK013]

Oh the joys, Just keep discouraging the behavior as soon as he does it. I always put mine back to play stand or on top of cage so its known I'm not agreeing with the regurgitating/hormonal ways. Good luck dear

 

[Inger]

Bumble has been acting a little squirrelly too. More wiggle-neck than usual and I think she was about to, uh, get busy on my hand the other day. I set her down pretty quickly which surprised her and apparently ruined the mood. Thank goodness!




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[noodles123]

I'm not sure what kind of hormonal we are talking here, but any sexual behavior should be redirected/discouraged WITHOUT scolding (you can be gentle about it, but you don't want to be too nice or you could lead him on and you definitely don't want to provide extra attention as a result of this behavior; even if it is well-intentioned)--I definitely minimize contact when I notice sexy things happening (vet was scared my bird was having a seizure when she toweled her for the first time- that was a fun thing to explain to someone whose qualifications exceeded my own LOL-- she was convinced when she put my cockatoo on the table and the bird proceeded to happily trot off towards me)....Generally, ignoring regurgitation or directing attention to a (non-sexual) toy- some would advise distancing yourself from the bird as well (I feel like that is a bit harsh, but I do the same thing when my bird starts to vibrate, so whatever works). Avoid providing dark hiding places, extended petting (even on the head sometimes), blankets, bags, boxes or piles or shredded stuff (nesting), remove mirrors if you can do so without upset, remove any toys that have become a source of sexuality, Provide ample opportunity for enrichment/activity (chewing etc...maybe less shredding, depending on the situation)....If the bird gets sexual, try to distract it or place it on its cage etc. I always change my voice to that of an overly-enthusiastic kindergarten teacher when trying to change the subject-- "OH LOOK AT THIS FUN BELLLLLL *RING RING RING*!!!! WOWWWWW FUNNNNNN" or, "Oh, I have to go make dinner, be right back". Make sure you aren't petting it in a way that is stimulating (cockatoos= head is the only safe place)...provide exposure to other people if possible (not necessarily interaction, but guests etc), make sure you follow a structured sleep schedule (cycle of natural light and dark (+QUIET) ---bird lamps in a pinch)---PS: sun through windows is not as good as sun through screens (supervised) and sun via harness (direct) is even better, avoid squishy, warm foods..in some birds, excess bathing can simulate the rain that would occur during mating season, so look out for that if you think it is a possibility, don't reciprocate any form of mating dance ...AND...WAIT IT OUT...

Not an expert, but those are the things that come to mind.

 

[EllenD]

This sounds like perfectly normal behavior for a Parrotlet that is around a year old and that is just now going through puberty. Their first bout with hormones is usually the worst, sometimes it's always bad, but the important thing that you need to know is that his behavior is completely normal, and it's not his fault. And this includes the nippyness.

As already mentioned above by Noodles, the key here is to discourage the hormonal behavior but to never, ever scold him or punish him for it, as he's not causing it and it's not his fault. So you need to figure out a strict "routine" as to how you are going to handle the hormonal behavior when it happens, and then you must stick to your routine and execute it every single time it happens. Usually the best course of action is to simply put the bird down/back on their cage or stand, the second they start to display any hormonal behavior, such as the rubbing against you/humping you, regurgitating for you, etc. Don't scold him or tell him he's "bad", simply just put him back on his cage or his stand and let him cool-down for a while. When the "moment" has passed, lol, then you can pick him up again or put him back on your shoulder, whatever it is you do, but as soon as it starts again you must put him back down again, etc. Eventually they get the idea that it's not going to happen, and they figure out that they're going to be put back on their cage/stand if they do it, so they then start to learn to control it a bit better. Sometimes they can't control it, and simply putting him down or back on his cage until it stops is the best you can do. You just don't want to encourage it by continuing to hold him/pet him/ etc.

As far as things you can do to try to knock him out of breeding-season a bit early, the best one that typically works within a week or two is putting them on a Natural-Light Schedule. This is ensuring that he not only gets at least 12 hours of sleep every single night, but that he wakes-up with the sunrise and he goes to sleep with the sunset, and that he can see both from his cage. This schedule will get his "rhythms" coordinated and this helps to ease the hormones. Also, making sure that he's getting a very healthy diet that is low in fat and that includes lots of fresh veggies is always good.

***Just on a side-note, if you have already gotten him DNA-tested and you know for sure that he's a male, then that's great...If he hasn't been DNA-tested and you don't know the gender for certain, then I highly suggest that you spend the $20-$30 and get the DNA test done ASAP, because if he actually turns out to be female and continues to have regular hormonal periods, which will probably be the case, you certainly want to be prepared for egg-laying, and making sure that you're providing ample Calcium with a Cuttlebone, Mineral Block, and also by providing Egg-Food as a part of the daily diet before, during, and after any egg-laying, as to try to prevent Egg-Binding.

 

[Inger]

Parrotlets are sexually dimorphic. No need for DNA testing.


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[EllenD]

Parrotlets are sexually dimorphic. No need for DNA testing.


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Ha, I did not know that...I'm Googling right now!

Well scratch that part of my post, lol...I have not ever even had a Parrotlet at the Rescue I volunteer at, now that I think about it I don't think I've ever even held one or seen one in-person...I like it when I learn new things though, as I truly had no idea you could sex a Parrotlet visually.

 

[Inger]

You don’t need to google it - I can tell you. Males have bright blue feathers under their wings and females do not. Not quite as dramatic as the difference in a male and female ekkie, but pretty straightforward.

Some people believe that blue around their eyes or on their rump also indicates male, but that’s not true. Only under their wings.


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[Chewyena]

Hey! Thanks for all the helpful tips, but in terms of dimorphism... Keo is an American White mutation(?) so I’m not sure if that complicates sexing him since he’s all white lol

 

[Inger]

A bit more complicated, but should still have at least some pale blue on the underside of his wings if he’s a boy. One website says “may be a washed out blue.” If you got him from a breeder and they told you male, they’re probably correct. I’m in a FB Parrotlet group that has pics of all mutations including underside of wings and corresponding sex.


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[Inger]

Oh and if you use the Tapatalk app, uploading pics from mobile is a snap.


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[EllenD]

You don’t need to google it - I can tell you. Males have bright blue feathers under their wings and females do not. Not quite as dramatic as the difference in a male and female ekkie, but pretty straightforward.

Some people believe that blue around their eyes or on their rump also indicates male, but that’s not true. Only under their wings.


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Oh no, I believed you, I was Googling just so that I could read-up on what the differences were...I saw the photos and had no idea that the males had blue feathers under their wings...I read through a few really interesting behavioral posts written about Parrotlets as well, I didn't know any of the things that I read about them yesterday.

And Parrotlets seem very easy to sex visually when compared to American and English Budgies and their cluster of rules, lol...

 

[Inger]

Oh no, I believed you, I was Googling just so that I could read-up on what the differences were...I saw the photos and had no idea that the males had blue feathers under their wings...I read through a few really interesting behavioral posts written about Parrotlets as well, I didn't know any of the things that I read about them yesterday.

And Parrotlets seem very easy to sex visually when compared to American and English Budgies and their cluster of rules, lol...

They are pretty easy, although with some of the mutations it can get a little murky. Sometimes I look at the pics people post and think, "You see blue there?" but it could be the picture itself making it more complicated. What else did you learn about the little monsters?:18:

 

[EllenD]

I read an article online about Parrotlets and how they have their own version of what we'd call the "Bluffing" phase, which I'm not a huge believer in to begin with, but after reading this article solely on Parrotlets, I was more convinced than I had been prior to reading it that some sort of "Bluffing" phase does actually occur on a regular basis...But the really interesting stuff that I read had to do with Parrotlets exhibiting extreme hormonal behaviors, as well as just your average "pushing the boundaries" behaviors in a much more severe way than other birds, and how they think that this has to do with their size and the fact that though they are the smallest parrot, they make up for it in the extreme ways that they exhibit normal parrot behaviors...I've not ever owned a Parrotlet, bred Parrotlets, or even known anyone who has had one, nor have I even interacted with one I don't believe, not that I remember. But everything that I've ever read about them, and every forum post that I've read that was posted by someone who owned them has strongly suggested that they are ONLY small in their physical size and that's it, lol...

Ironically, a couple of days after I initially posted in this thread, I had to go back to a large pet/farm store that is about 30 miles away from me for a re-check of their parrot/dove room...This is a massive store who breeds all of their live animals either in-house, or one of their employees breeds them at their homes, or they buy them as just-weaned babies from only local breeders, and then they also sell animals on-consignment, and also sell animals like rabbits, ferrets, chickens, ducks, and other game birds and poultry birds and chicks for local rescues, shelters, farmers, breeders, etc. They sell everything from parrots to reptiles/amphibians to rodents to chickens and ducks to having a massive freshwater and saltwater aquarium section. Half the store is like a Tractor Supply store, the other a massive pet shop...it's both good and bad, and a few months ago the Avian/Reptile Rescue that I work for ended-up having them served with citations due to the condition of their "Bird Room". Every cage had a few inches of empty seed shells and droppings in them, they had 50 young Budgies in a cage that I wouldn't house more than 5 in, they all had either dirty water or no water, same with the food, and they were feeding their Doves parrot food that the Doves are incapable of even eating...So they had a time limit to clean it up and get it together...

Anyway, I went back down to do the check, and apparently they had cleaned the cages and gotten it together based on the first check that another person did about a month ago, but apparently that was all they did because the place was right back to being filthy and unfit for the birds...They always have a huge number of different species of Finches and Canaries, tons of them (beautiful and rare Finch species), then around 50 American Budgies, and then they have Ringneck and Diamond Doves, Green Cheek Conures, Cockatiels, and this time they also had some just-weaned Indian Ringnecks and 6 baby Parrotlets...I was told by an employee (who didn't know I was from the Rescue and thought I was just a customer asking questions) that this is the first time they've bred a clutch of IRN's or of Parrotlets, and that they're "Really going to branch-out and expand their bird department in the next year or so"...I don't think so, lol...The 6 Parrotlets that they had were beautiful, and I got to spend some time with them back at the Rescue once they were seized over the next two days. They are very sweet little birds, they only just weaned 2 weeks ago according to the employee...So we'll see how long i get to hang-out with them and get to know them. i always love it when we get a species of bird/parrot that I've not ever interacted with before and that I really know nothing about.

Hopefully these baby birds don't have to go back to the pet store, hopefully we get to adopt them out through our process, but that's up to a judge. In the meantime, I get to do their medical-intakes this afternoon, which hopefully will be uneventful since I don't think any of their birds are older than 3 months. Though I was notified by the manager of the Rescue that she thinks that she sees feather mites on all of the Budgies, which means that all the birds have them, I'm sure, so that will be loads of fun....