Is this breeding behaviour?

[sammmy]

Hi everyone! I have a question on some unusual behaviour from my GCC. He is 3 years old now just as of the other day (never got a DNA test so gender couldn't be either)

Last month (October) i noticed that he was masterbating more than normal, or what I call, being a dirty birdy. Then I noticed he would spend more time in his happy hut and he would be making the dirty birdy noises in there as well as just chatting up a storm with himself. He also became a little more vocal than normal. Besides this he was perfectly normal. Then on his birthday I was singing and opening his cage to shuffle around his toys to give him his new birthday toys, he suddenly started attacking my hand. Like viciously. He was desperately trying to break skin. He was all fluffed up, stretching his neck and swaying back and forth. My dad has to pry him off my skin and then with my dad he was totally fine. Then he would look at me touching his cage and try to lunge at me. I put him back in his cage to calm down. all this happened when I got home from work so it was later in the day, and not too long after I put him to bed which was fine. The next morning I went in to let him out and change his food and water and he started stretching his neck, swaying and head bobbing at me. I did not give him the opportunity to bite me this time but I believe he would have. When his cage is open he still comes out but is just playing with himself rather than running over to me like he usually does. When I make a movement this weird territorial behaviour starts again. The closer I get to his happy hut the angrier he seems to get.

Also he is fine with the rest of my family, it's only with me he is behaving like this. He has always treating me like his "mate" and my family as his "flock". I was always his go to, I'm the one who feeds cleans and waters him. I take him to his appointments and I'm the one who has always taken him in and out of his cage. Since the day I got him.

could this just be hormonal?

 

[Loko]

Some of what you said definitely sounds hormonal and some also sounds like classic territorial behavior.
As for the hormones, is he on a regular natural light schedule? If so, the hormones should die down as the days get shorter, unless hes up past sunset with lights.
When he attacks you, is it only when you "invade" his space, or is it anywhere? A simple solution may just be that you cannot let him see you make any changes to his cage, and to not invade it while he is in there. To him, he might be taking it as an insult like, this is my space please dont come in it.
If its just you, and the behavior doesnt happen when family enters the cage and the aggressive behavior continues out of the cage, its possible that he is or has gone through puberty and has picked a new person. It could be like you were his mom, hos caretaker when he was young and now he wants to "grow up" and find someone new, like humans do. It really depends, and you have to watch for signs why these things are going on. It sounds like he may be getting a bit cage territorial, which is getting further worsened by hormones, so I think putting him on a shorter light schedule would help, and possibly removing the happy hut if it is becoming a nest.. your bird may be a female looking to nest and lay as well, in which case the shorter light and removal of the hut wpuld be essential. Also, look into the dangers of happy huts and consider using something else either way, as they can be dangerous. Hope it gets better, other people will drop by and help as well!

 

[Flboy]

I would say yes. Try removing the hut, I have seen it be a trigger for this kind of aggression!

 

[sammmy]

Some of what you said definitely sounds hormonal and some also sounds like classic territorial behavior.
As for the hormones, is he on a regular natural light schedule? If so, the hormones should die down as the days get shorter, unless hes up past sunset with lights.
When he attacks you, is it only when you "invade" his space, or is it anywhere? A simple solution may just be that you cannot let him see you make any changes to his cage, and to not invade it while he is in there. To him, he might be taking it as an insult like, this is my space please dont come in it.
If its just you, and the behavior doesnt happen when family enters the cage and the aggressive behavior continues out of the cage, its possible that he is or has gone through puberty and has picked a new person. It could be like you were his mom, hos caretaker when he was young and now he wants to "grow up" and find someone new, like humans do. It really depends, and you have to watch for signs why these things are going on. It sounds like he may be getting a bit cage territorial, which is getting further worsened by hormones, so I think putting him on a shorter light schedule would help, and possibly removing the happy hut if it is becoming a nest.. your bird may be a female looking to nest and lay as well, in which case the shorter light and removal of the hut wpuld be essential. Also, look into the dangers of happy huts and consider using something else either way, as they can be dangerous. Hope it gets better, other people will drop by and help as well!

Thank you so much, as much as I hate the thought the sounds of him picking a new person makes a lot of sense. He used to HATE my mom. Now he wants to be with her and as soon as he is he tells her huge long stories and preens her like he used to do with me. I will remove the happy hut. Any suggestions on what i can put in instead? He used to only go in there at bed time now he spends lots of time in there talking to himself and laughing. Will he adjust okay to just sleeping on a perch or side of the cage?

And yes it's only happened when I'm in or near his cage. Out if the room he's fine with me.

 

[Loko]

If hes fine with you out of the room I wouldnt be as worried that he "picked" someone new, he may just be more openly social. Its possible, but many times when birds pick someone else they barely tolerate the other person which doesnt seem to be the case, it just seems to me that he or she is getting hormonal and territorial, and you are the one that most often goes near or in the cage to see such a reaction. As for something you can put, you can buy one of those hanging towel toys where he can snuggle up to, but not use as a "nest". You can also probably just hang a towel through the top over the top perch so that he can snuggle up to it, but also not be totally enclosed. You can also try just removing it during the day, but the huts can be dangerous if the birds chew on them, causing loose fibers to potentially form a noose. Less hours of light would help too.

 

[sammmy]

If hes fine with you out of the room I wouldnt be as worried that he "picked" someone new, he may just be more openly social. Its possible, but many times when birds pick someone else they barely tolerate the other person which doesnt seem to be the case, it just seems to me that he or she is getting hormonal and territorial, and you are the one that most often goes near or in the cage to see such a reaction. As for something you can put, you can buy one of those hanging towel toys where he can snuggle up to, but not use as a "nest". You can also probably just hang a towel through the top over the top perch so that he can snuggle up to it, but also not be totally enclosed. You can also try just removing it during the day, but the huts can be dangerous if the birds chew on them, causing loose fibers to potentially form a noose. Less hours of light would help too.

Thank you again! I'm gonna head out to the store and get something g else for him. I thought the happy hut would be okay because I was checking it every couple of weeks for loose fibres and replacing it if I had any concerns. But there's always more to learn! I'll update if anything changes once I can get him his new cuddle towel.

 

[sammmy]

Would something like this be more idea?

All Living Things® Covered Perch | Perches | PetSmart

I also have a toy similar to this one:
Prevue Pet Products Tropical Teaser Bird Toy | Toys | PetSmart

that i've seen pictures of other users birds sleeping in?

I just don't want him to feel like he's being punished because he's had the happy hut for his whole life, and I don't want to hurt his sleep schedule because he is SUCH a good sleeper, when it gets dark he goes right into the happy hut and I cover his cage and he stays there until the sun comes up.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Ever since the Rickeybird hit sexual maturity at about 3-4 years of age, I've had to manage his hormones! If kept on too steady a long day, and too much light, he stayed "in the mood" (aggressive, even louder than usual, pleasuring himself on my neck ) year round. If I keep him on a natural light schedule... up with dawn, down with dusk, year around... THEN he's only a severely dirty birdie from July to September). He has his own room, so I can do that easily.