Hormones starting in 9 month old?

[Pallas]

Hi everyone,

My ringneck (assumed male, not tested) is currently 16 months old and has been exhibiting signs of hormones -- new obsession towards objects, regurgitation, male and female displays (heart-shaped wings, and mimicking sounds with head tilted back), and nippiness -- since December (so this began when he was around 9-10 months old). A bird expert who bird-sat him said it's unusual for an IRN to be hormonal so early, and explained that IRNs usually go through this after they have reached sexually maturity at 2-3 years of age.

Does anyone know if this is normal? My fid's diet and daily routine haven't changed - he is on Roudybush pellets, gets chop every morning, and gets 11-11.5 hours of darkness/sleep. He has numerous foraging toys, and I clean and rearrange his cage every week. We have a very strict daily schedule of 2.5 hours outside of his cage, clicker training for 5-10 minutes at 7pm, and then bedtime at 8pm. If I'm off by even a minute, he will very loudly remind me, haha.

Please let me know if you have any guesses, advice, or requests for more information. Thank you!

[AJPeter]

I am afraid I cannot help you, but have you thought of changing the diet? Try millet only for a couple of weeks. Make sure he gets 12 to 14 hours totally dark sleep.

[sanjays mummi]

My bird started displaying gender specific behaviour at 3 yrs.

[Pallas]

I am afraid I cannot help you, but have you thought of changing the diet? Try millet only for a couple of weeks. Make sure he gets 12 to 14 hours totally dark sleep.

I use millet sparingly because all of the articles and videos that I've seen indicate that millet is high in fat and is better as an occasional treat. But I'll definitely increase his sleep time, which will be hard because even when I put the covers over his cage and turn off all the lights, I can hear him playing with his toys in the other room for a couple of hours. I'll just have to tire him out I guess. :S

[AJPeter]

Maybe a visit to the vet to confirm you are doing everything right, but what you write l can fault so perhaps it is normal, there is never any been a mark for normality they are all different. My hen Alex is about 6 years old had a prolapse last year when she laid 11 eggs nothing l could do would stop her, the years before she would have terrible hormonal attacks that would drive her to the floor of the cage bleating, very worrying but this year she has been a lot better laid only 6 eggs, she is on the carpet now tying to regurgitate and feed my sandals. They are strange creatures but so complex! And challenging.

She sleeps 13 to 14 hours a day, but in the middle of the night l can hear her playing with her toys, this seems to be quite normal, when l first got her she was thrown out of an upstairs window by her keeper because she attacked his canaries, this man admitted to only feeding her sunflower seeds, she slept when ever she could with the light on but was never covered or had a bath and he had her for three years from another man who went back Pakistan. She was a biter form the beginning, but more dark sleep a better diet, regular showers in my bathroom and she is a sweetie!

Keep us posted.

[Pallas]

AJPeter, those sound like terrible hormonal attacks, I'm glad that it seems to be getting better! Ah yes, my fid is very challenging and confusing.

I asked his breeder if this was normal, and she said that she has seen plenty of young IRNs get hormonal before sexual maturity. I spoke with another bird specialist and she thinks that maybe he is going through the motions but is not actually hormonal, which is a confusing statement...

I'll definitely check in with the vet in the next couple of months if this doesn't subside, but for now he is active and healthy. I'll definitely increase his sleep time, which is sad for me because I want to spend as much time with him as possible, but I don't know how much more my phone can be chewed up, haha.

Thanks everyone! I'll update if I crack the code.

[AJPeter]

I turn all my remotes over face down to stop her chewing the buttons her favourite one is red. Watch out for you bird trying to nest or make a nest these are signs of hormones running high, yes thank goodness Billie my bird does not have hormonal attacks anymore. I made the mistake two years ago of giving her small cardboard boxes to rip up, this made her condition worse. We learn from our mistakes, but each bird is different, Billie likes chewing my sandals when she is on the floor, a squirt from the misting bottle deters her. She hates that and it is comical to watch her waiting for my attention to be diverted so she can have a crafty nibble.

[Pallas]

There's something about red that drives birds bonkers; my phone case is red and it really entices my fid. He is also fixated on the metal doorknob on the side of his cage; he can spend hours making googly eyes at that thing. So random. If I leave the room, he screams and the moment I come back, he ignores me and goes straight to the knob as if to show off his weirdness. Sigh... he's quite interesting. And luckily I haven't noticed any nesting behaviors; I have newspaper on the floor around his cage to prevent poop from getting on the floor, and he hasn't ripped or scratched any of them. Your Billie sounds like a clever gal.

[AJPeter]

Yes she is very clever, and she does not like me leaving the room but as soon as l come back she ignores me, l have a plastic carpet protector on the floor to stop her poop going on the carpet. In the mornings she gets very angry and if the cage is open she will fly and bite my neck, of course she gets a time out, but l find prevention is the best cure so l wear a hooded jacket but this did not deter her so l keep her locked in until l fed her.

[sanjays mummi]

Of course, if your bird is definitely male, he should develop his collar soon, my birds breeder lied and told me Ms Sanjay was a DNA sexed male, she is seven now, fortunately she has never laid eggs. But the crouching and clucking started at 3 years old.