What to expect?

[Teri]

Ok so the dodgey breeder I brought Cooper from gave me an older chick then I requested. Cooper is actually 5 months old not three, which explains alot of his biting behavior to me. He was probably weaned at 8 weeks old and then left in a cage with his siblings till I bought him in November (plenty of time for a bird to go wild). As annoyed as I am that she didn't give me the age of bird I was expecting I am kinda glad. I get the feeling that the breeder he came from was concerned a bit more about money then the birds well being, if so I'm glad I could rescue him from that kind of environment. :(

Anyway since Cooper's not as much of a baby as I thought I was wondering what to expect at this age.. I know he should be molting soon but I'm not sure what signs to watch for. I have seen a few little downy feathers floating in his cage but not many. Also think I read sometihng about their hormones starting in at this age? Also think I read they get nippy round this age so *crosses her fingers* maybe if I continue to work with him he'll grow out of some of this biting in a couple months. I would appreciate any heads up to what behavior and mile-stones to be expecting. thanks guys! :wink:

[Tango's_Mom]

Tango was about 5-6 months old when i got him from the petstore, he was not very tame at all, he wasn't very nippy when i first started taming him, but he did go through a biting phase a few weeks after he first started to act tame, he started molting a couple months after I got him, He seems to have outgrown the nipping, although he bites occasionally, usually when he's being cage territorial.

[shylevon]

The first sign your birdie will show that he is getting his 'Big Bird' feathers is tiny red dots on his forehead. (Ah, remember those days folks?) These bright red feathers show up against the lighter pink ones and look so cute. Birds molt at about 6 months of age, and they do get nippy because the new feathers are itchy. Give him a bath, every day if necessary, since water softens the keratin sheath the feathers form in and makes the molting less painful. You may also notice something that looks like dandruff on him. That is also the keratin sheath.

As for hormones, by birds didn't show any signs till they were about one year old, but every birdie is different.

[graushill]

Is Cooper a mask lovie? Or maybe I'm just mixing up with another Cooper I've seen on the boards. Anyway, I was asking because masks do tend to be a bit more standoffish than peachies. Some of my masks are very tame and love to be with me, other's are just not that interested, but I don't have any that like hands, so I've had to compromise and teach them to step up on a dowel instead, otherwise I would probably get bitten much more often.

I've also had to limit shoulder time for my lovie Pidget, because he would bite me very hard on the neck or ears out of nowhere. So, for a time I didn't let him perch on me at all, although I missed having the soft little bundle of feathers quietly preening my hair or snuggling next to my throat (he could be really sweet sometimes *sigh*). The good thing is that I guess he got the point I was trying to make: If you bite, then no shoulder for you. I've been letting him perch on my shoulder these past couple of weeks and so far so good.

Linda did advise me to try to make as little fuss as I could when I did get bitten. It seems sometimes they bite just for the drama of it *cue in screams and curses and birdies excited screeches*, and it did seem to help, since if biting had become a game for Pidget, at least I was showing him that I wasn't playing the game anymore.

Anyway, good luck with Cooper and kudos to you for giving him a better life.

Gloria

[Teri]

yes Cooper is a blue masked.. and there are two blue masked Cooper's on this forum (small world huh?). I don't think Cooper is molting yet but he is scatchin his face alot on his filing perch so maybe he's getting ready to. as far as biting goes I really do think he's not biting as hard. Don't get me wrong he still gives me a good chomp but he hasn't drew blood in over a week and the bites r no longer bruising. which i feel is progress and it makes me more patient to know he's no longer tryin to hurt me out of fear. he's now just a baby in need of some discipline. :) and i agree with you on the biting for a reaction. i have a friend who ignores his bites as much as possible as do i and a friend who makes a big production out of it and curses at him and carries on when he bites her. he bites the dramatic friend more often and harder then the rest of us. :rofl: is horrible but funny that they have such a twisted sense of humor!

[bellarains]

Teri,

I don't know if it will work with Cooper, but I've found that with birds that tend to nip(that's what I call a bite that doesn't bleed;) ), that a closed hand seems to less intimidating, rather than one with the fingers extended. It is also harder for them to nip, as the skin is pulled tighter with the hand closed than open;)

Oh, and I do truly believe that the reaction is part of what gets them going. My hubby has still to learn that they really enjoy a good "whelp":lol

[shylevon]

Oh.... well if Cooper is a masked, forget about the red dots on his forehead. In fact, if you do see red dots, all things considered (masks and all), you will need to call the vet.

A molt will not go unnoticed. You will have feathers EVERYWHERE.

[Teri]

Oh.... well if Cooper is a masked, forget about the red dots on his forehead. In fact, if you do see red dots, all things considered (masks and all), you will need to call the vet.

A molt will not go unnoticed. You will have feathers EVERYWHERE.

LOL! Gotcha i'll call the vet if red dots show up! :rotfl:

Thanks for the advice. I've never owned a bird before and have never seen one in molt so I wasn't sure how obvious it was. I'll be sure to give him lots of baths when he reaches this stage, however he's a very poor bather so far. Barely gets his face wet. I'm thinking of trying the sink and running water. A bowl just doesn't seem to inspire him much. :rolleyes:

[shylevon]

Sometimes if birdies are tame enough to hold, you can give them a dunk bath. Just hold them firmly but gently in your hand, let them perch their feetsies on one finger that is around them and dip them to the neck or mid chest. You can also use your other hand to cup water over their backs. My birdies are used to this type of bath so it is no problem for us.