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THE STRANGE TAIL OF DR. JEKYLL & MR. HYDE-BIRD: A Case of Hormones Gone Crazy By John Geary When spring is in the air, it brings with it all the events associated with the earth's annual rebirth: budding leaves, buzzing bees and blooming flowers … and if you share your life with a parrot, it's also the time of year when your pet's hormones start to rage. Parrots do behave differently during their breeding cycle. That changed, often aggressive behavior almost always catches neophyte parrot lovers by complete surprise, especially if they've raised their bird from a baby. Fives years of bliss with a Jekyll-like doting baby suddenly gives way to weeks, sometimes months, of discomfort with Mr. Hyde-bird - a feathered fiend from Hell. That is nature's way of propagating the species. Owning cats or dogs does not prepare people for this behavior, though. The degree of change in a parrot's behavior varies from species to species. "All birds demonstrate hormonal behavior, it's just a matter of gradation," says Calgary veterinarian Dr. Kerry Korber, (BA, DVM). "It happens when a parrot reaches sexual maturity and its hormones influence its behavior. No matter how many generations we say we've 'domesticated' a bird, it is still very much a creature of instinct." |
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A parrot's instinctual response to its environment results in many varied behaviors, including the drive to reproduce. Some parrot species demonstrate very aggressive behavior -including some nasty biting - during their breeding cycles. Others may show little change. For example, Amazons and cockatoos tend to be very aggressive, while others, like African greys, may not be quite so aggressive. As a breeder, Duane Unterschultz of BlueSky Aviary is particularly interested in parrots' hormonal cycles. He says part of the reason some species are more aggressive than others is because some breed only during a specific time of year, while others can breed year-round. |
"All birds demonstrate hormonal behavior, it's just a matter of gradation." - Dr. Kerry Korber, avian vet |
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"A grey will breed year round, as opposed to springtime," he says. "We have a six-year-old Congo African grey that never shows any hormonal behavior." The degree of hormonal behavior varies between individual birds within a species. The age at which hormones kick in also varies from species to species. "As a rule of thumb, the longer lived a bird is, the later sexual maturity will occur," says Korber. "However, hand-raising speeds up sexual maturity. In the wild, a bird that shows sexual behavior at age eight may show it at age five in captivity." So what can people do about their parrot's hormonal behavior? First and foremost, we have to be aware of the behavior, and accept the fact we cannot control nature. There are factors - i.e., our own behavior - we can control, however. One important factor is diet. It's a good idea to limit a bird's access to starch or sugar during its cycle. "If you feed a bird a lot of corn on the cob or grapes when it is in a hormonal cycle, you'll increase that bird's hormones ten-fold," says Korber. Humans also need to be aware of the fact we often unwittingly stimulate hormonal behaviors in our pet parrots. While we love petting and stroking them, there are times we may need to discipline ourselves to ease up on the affection. "When we're cuddling them, we're soliciting them the same way another parrot would," says Korber. Hormonal birds often scout out "nests" as part of their breeding behavior. "Nests" are not restricted to a parrot's cage; potential nest sites include ordinary household items like cardboard boxes, areas behind cushions on the couch, even shoes. It is best to discourage them from claiming those as "nests" - or face the prospect of dealing with an irate parrot whose instinct drives it to aggressively defend that nest against all intruders. "Breeding birds are only interested in protecting their nests, and they can perceive us as a threat," says Unterschultz As a last resort, medications, like Lupron, can help calm parrots. Before taking that step though, humans should seek consultation from a veterinarian trained in avian behavior problems. The bottom line for humans who share their lives with parrots is acceptance of the fact their pet may demonstrate hormonal behavior. Humans need to be willing to take whatever steps are necessary to co-exist as peacefully as possible with their pet during these times. This
story was originally published in The Pet
Pages Volume 1, Issue 2, 04/02.
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General Information About African Greys
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