We Have An Egg

[plumsmum2005]

That is good news that normal service is nearly resumed and Venus is interested and active again. Can't wait for you to relay Venus and Buzz meeting for the first time.

Have you a new box? If so, how about take old one and last egg and watch her reaction. You may have to give back but worth a try.

 

[Anansi]

I conditionally agree with Plumsmum's suggestion. I'd just say to give her the extra 2-3 days to account for the delay between eggs, and then take the box away.

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[Taw5106]

Things went really south last night. Like I said she's been remodeling inside her box, sounds like hammering going on. Last night I went to look in her box and she charged me very aggressively. In a flash she wanted me to pick her up so I did. Her bald spot above her nare has new pins and I reached up to pull a loose case from one and she flattened out like a pancake as soon as I touched her head. Here we go again!?!?!?!? I put her inside her cage, locked it, put her to bed and removed her box and eggs. I haven't let her out and at this point she's staying in her cage so I can monitor her behavior, and to see if she's going to surprise us with another egg. I also moved her cage in front of Buddy's window so she is getting lots of light, no dark spots or shadows. Yes frustrations are thru the roof, and the vet isn't open today so tomorrow I will contact him and provide an update on her change.


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[Christinenc2000]

I am so sorry you are going thru this

 

[coopedup]

feeling for you, but thanks for sharing your experience. It's been immensely helpful to me--I get my girl next week and some day I may go through this with her.

 

[Anansi]

I think you definitely did the right thing removing her box. If she's charging you like that and showing hormonal signs once again, removing the box was likely the best thing you could've done. I'd also suggest never giving her another one. She obviously has a high reproductive drive.

I'll be watching for your update, and hoping fervently that she doesn't lay any more eggs.

 

[camo]

So sorry to hear this. Hopefully the changes will snap her out of this!

 

[Taw5106]

I have made her stay in her cage this week. Yesterday she was on the floor of her cage so I did egg watch all day, no egg laid. This morning I woke and heard little bird feet, I'm still trying to figure out how she did it but she opened her cage door. I woke to Venus sitting on top of her cage door and she was looking at me! She's like Houdini! I picked her up, took her to the kitchen and she watched me make parrot breakfast, was great, but when I put my hand up to her to step up, she pancaked so her hormones are still raging.


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[Taw5106]

We have hit a whole new level of pain and I am beyond frustrated. Not feeling great doesn't help. Venus has started calling and today non stop to the point I left the house after moving her into my bedroom, covering her, turning lights out and still she keeps calling. Not on soft volume but ear piercing to the point my ears are ringing, I have a headache and I've been grinding my teeth.

And the kicker which I teared up over this afternoon. Buzz is in my office with me. I went to the restroom, then the kitchen and back in my office. She was sitting on top of Buzz's cage, directly above him and was spread as flat as she could be. She broke QT, this is the second time!!!! And she was locked in her cage but I found where she unlocked her food door and exited that way. She's so desperate to mate she was trying to get Buzz's attention! He just looked confused. If she is at the height of wanting to mate how long is this going to last?


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[GaleriaGila]

Taw... I don't have any advice or expertize. I'm the owner of a male bird who releases his "impulses" harmlessly. But I do just want to chime in and praise and support you for the goodness and tirelessness of your care. I hope so so SO much that things chill out somehow!
*Patagonian Hugzszszszs*

 

[RavensGryf]

Oh wow, I really do feel for you. I know you are doing your best to keep hormones down, but I wonder if anything can be done medically to stop this once and for all, and to help her focus on things other than breeding?

 

[Anansi]

Wow, Tracey. I can feel your frustration through your post. I'm so sorry you're going through this with Venus, my friend.

As for the consistent screaming, have you still been keeping her in her cage in response to her hormonal behavior? Because that might be less a hormonal action than her reaction to a significant change in her circumstances. You know?

Perhaps if you got a playstand that doesn't allow for climbing down to the floor. Neither of my two tree-stands, for instance, allow my birds to climb down. This isn't a problem for Jolly in the slightest, of course, as flying is second nature for him. But Venus seems to run closer to Maya's end of the spectrum in that regard (a less than frequent flier). It could give you an option where she would have to move outside of her comfort level before roaming around.

Hard to say how long her hormonal level will last. Unfortunately, their mating season doesn't seem to be as clearly delineated as, say, an amazon's. I haven't been able to find any consistent information on the topic. But if I do, you'll be the first to know. Promise.

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[Uglow]

I can't imagine what you're going through. and have no advice. I feel like I'm filling up space here. I just wanted to say I'm sorry you and your girl are going through this and hope something comes up that help. Hopefully when you do get through it, you'll be able to curb it in the future and minimize the frustration for both of you.

 

[coopedup]

Feeling for you--wish I could do something more than offer typed words. Know we are here for you to vent!

 

[camo]

Tracey,

Wish I could offer something more than support!! I tried looking for seasons (thinking perhaps doing a Google search from Australia might bring up different results). I did find this website talking about Australia's native population:

https://www.ehp.qld.gov.au/wildlife/threatened-species/vulnerable/eclectus_parrot.html

In this they say "The eclectus parrot's breeding season is from July to February. They can attempt to breed more than once, particularly when there is a loss of eggs or nestlings."

Looking back at the beginning of this thread, hopefully suggests things might settle soon (fingers crossed)!

 

[Anansi]

Actually, a breeding season from July to February would actually indicate that things are about to ramp up, hormone-wise. But I think that the difference in climate, diet and lighting, being that she is raised indoors, has an effect on the timing of this cycle.

And the link Cameron has found is a perfect example of the contradictory information out there when compared to articles like this one: Eclectus which claims that eclectus parrots have no regular breeding season.

I've also read that, in the wild, their breeding cycle revolves around the rainy season and food availability. Since the rainy season is from October or November to March in the more tropical regions of Australia, for instance, the breeding season would typically be from March to September (food availability allowing, of course). This is the take that I now tend to give most credence, as such a long breeding season that is based so heavily on environmental factors such as rainy seasons and food availability would likely be heavily affected by the consistency of the environmental conditions in our homes.

Basically, there is no wet season to deter them from breeding in our homes. There is no threat of flooding of their nesting hollows. And the food is always in abundant supply. Which would explain the wide inconsistency of accounts as to their breeding season. Conditions are always right, so they always feel like it is a good time to get their sexy on. Lol!

Possible solutions? Cut down on sugary foods. Sadly, this would include fruits. You don't have to cut them out altogether, but instead of, say, offering a quarter section of pomegranate, you might just extract the individual pulps from within and offer a few in each dish of veggies. A significant reduction, basically.

You might want to also cut down on proteins, as well. And give her an earlier bedtime. Also, promoting exercise and playing games with her might help as well. The exercise would siphon off excess energy, while games/activities such as targeting, foraging and flight drills (if she can be encouraged to fly) would serve to divert her attention. Taking these measures may help to reduce her drive to mate and lay eggs to more manageable levels.

Thankfully, it seems that removing her box has already been a step in the right direction, as she seems to have stopped the egg laying at least.

 

[Taw5106]

Thanks all for the feedback. I'm going to summarize

Food - I had backed off of carb and sugar loaded foods in April and continued the reduction. She isn't liking this because I've increased her broccoli, cauliflower, carrot, bell peppers and kale. She gets scrambled egg and brown rice once a week.

Play Perch - Stephen I made a home made perch and placed her on it. Lowest branch was 4 ft high, she jumped and made a beautiful flutter to the floor. She and I then had a speed race to see who could get to the love seat first. I won, but my prize was a night of screaming. I listened to a lot of music with my headphones. Saturday night, lol!

Bedtime - I've started rolling her cage into Husband's office and covering it at night. She is still calling in the dark but we've ignored her at 7:00 pm cst, her typical bedtime she created. We stay up till midnight or 1:00 am. She calls at the most till 9:00 pm cst.

Training - I've been spending extra personal time with her on target training since Wed, June 1st. She's doing good but she is still trying to feed me during training and personal time together.

Out of the house - I have started putting her harness on her the last two weekends and taking her out of the house in hopes the major change in environment, smells and senses would jog her out of egg mode. So far, no eggs but she is still calling multiple times a day when home.


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[antman747]

On a side note, I'd drop the egg. I spoke with a breeder who has been breeding eclectus for years and she maintains that eggs cause early death from fatty liver disease. They can get protein through beans, quinoa, even chicken occasionally. My guy loves egg as well but I have stopped feeding him that one.

 

[Anansi]

On a side note, I'd drop the egg. I spoke with a breeder who has been breeding eclectus for years and she maintains that eggs cause early death from fatty liver disease. They can get protein through beans, quinoa, even chicken occasionally. My guy loves egg as well but I have stopped feeding him that one.

I agree to a point. I think 1/4 boiled egg maybe once a month or so is okay. But much more than that does run the risk of developing arteriosclerosis.

Tracey, I think you are taking excellent steps working to divert her from her hormones. Some will take time, I think, and the training aspect will likely gain more traction as you find activities that capture more and more of her attention and imagination.

If she's still screaming all day, though, it may be time to look toward engaging it as a screaming issue rather than solely as a hormonal one. You know?

And also, it sounds as though Venus is a lot more comfortable with the idea of flight than is Maya. So while this does lead to some inconvenient situations like the epic race for the love seat, it can also be channeled into a very effective diversion via exercise. If you can get her targeting to the point where she can do flight drills, a lot of her excess energy will go there rather than into her desire to mate.

Venus' hormonal instinct is apparently VERY strong, so most suggestions won't be overnight fixes. But you're a good and determined parront, so I know you'll eventually get her there.

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[Taw5106]

Today's battle scar from Venus. I swear, out of no where Houdini ran by me. Her cage was locked and she got out of the main door. She's vicious when moody!

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