Puberty?

[ladyknight]

Hello all!

Haven't posted in awhile- been busy and things have been going very well with my "baby" who isn't a baby at all anymore (almost 8 months old!) He survived our move to the big city! I can't remember whether I mentioned this or not, but my baby has been DNA sexed male... which is important for the rest of this....

My Coconut, who has definitely been going through his first molt, has started humping his happy hut. A lot. And trying to regurgitate on it (and my roommate). A lot. He's also become a lot more aggressive than he had been before. For example, I reached in to his cage to offer morning scritchies this morning and, for the first time ever, he tried to take a chunk out of my finger! He's restless, cranky and much less affectionate than he was even a month ago.

Any suggestions on what might be going on? I suspect puberty, but could it be something else? Is he old enough for puberty?

The only other environmental change I can think of is a cage move (to our living room, for better light and more flock socialization) and a boyfriend that's around a lot.

Any potential real health issues I should be concerned about? Vets in my new area are much more equipped for birds. YAY!

I'd appreciate any input- thanks!

[personatus]

How many hours of light does he get in a 24 hours period?

[ladyknight]

That depends on natural light or artificial light. We uncover his cage around 8 or 9am, and usually cover it again between 9 and 10pm. He is in an area of the apartment where there is usually activity until 1 or 2am, but with a covered cage we didn't think it would be a big deal. I can move him back to my bedroom if that would be better for him.

[michael]

........Any suggestions on what might be going on? I suspect puberty, but could it be something else? Is he old enough for puberty?

Any potential real health issues I should be concerned about?......

Sounds like your little Coconut is reaching full maturity. .. His main interest now is to find a mate, or, as in the case of his happy hut, protect his mate from intruders. .. Often times, males will attempt to feed other objects as well. ....Fingers, toes, shoes, etc, can all become objects of affection, which in turn, often results in a sort of awkward competitiveness and/or protectiveness. .. A good example of this behavior is when they attempt to feed human fingers or toes. .. Because lovebirds sometimes don't view human hands and feets as being part of our whole anatomy, your one hand may intrude upon the other he's feeding. .. Such as when my lovebird feeds or humps my shoe's, I don't dare reach down to get him, otherwise, CHOMP! :omg:. ... The same goes for Coconuts happy hut. ..Should he feel your getting a little too close, its his duty to protect it.

It is possible, that if you observe his behavior closely, you can learn to avoid most if not all of the following aggression. .. Afterall, it is perfectly normal for lovebirds to preserve and protect both their territory, and their loved ones. ... As for any health risks? .. Be sure to clean your wounds so as to not end up with an infection. .............:)

[personatus]

When male lovebirds are exposed to more than 12 hours of daylight over a 24 hour period, their pituitary gland will produce hormones. Naturally (in the wild) this happens during the breeding season, when the days are longer. In captivity, household birds often live with raging hormone production all year - hence there's so many sexually frustrated, self-mutilating pet birds out there. Try limit the light levels to around 9.5-11 hours per day. If there's alot of activity once covered, a sleeping cage in a quiet dark room would be a good idea.

Remove the happy hut aswell, he doesn't need it and it may help pipe him down a little.

[ladyknight]

Well, we've made some changes and are definitely noticing a change.We've been more careful about cage covering and lights. Also, I didn't remove his happy hut because he's so attached to it, but I did move it to a back corner of his cage. Now he only goes in to sleep, and when he's not in his happy hut he's his normal, peppy, snuggly little self. No more attacks, no more blood. I'm quite pleased that this worked as well as it did- and as quickly! Thanks so much!