Getting Protective

[Islandbirdies]

My little darling Lola is now getting protective of her cage and her "favorite" spot on her playgym. She is somewhat affraid of hands but is getting better. I can now feed her sunflower seeds by hand, though she is curious about my finger nails and try's nibble them to test. Lately she has been a little more agressive with my hands a few times when I try to give her something (like a treat) giving a little jump forwards and making a "unhappy" noise not a growl I've heard that once before, but its close, and sometimes kinda lunging with beak open.
She never minds the things I do in her cage like give her food, put in her happy hut at night, all the routine stuff, and she steps up just fine on my wrist or arm from in her cage. Just sometimes she's crabby :omg: , is this just age she is now 10 months old and only presumed a "girl" by her antics. She shreds and stuffs if given "shredders" or even pieces of wood she chews off her toys or my beautiful wood budgie cage:( , and trys to hide under the paper in her cage. I know that sometimes she just wants to be left alone, we all need our space. I just don't want to encourage and crabby behavior.
Should I rearange her gym? Should I put the grate back in the bottom of her cage? ( Where is the grate???) So many questions, any insight would be great. And any psycic help on the location of the grate ;) :lol ) .

[BarbieH]

For the grate ... the amazing Carnac says, check the back porch ... ;) If it's not there, you can sometimes find replacement grates online.

For the rest, yeah, I would try to discourage "her" from chewing and shredding. Don't give her the shredders. Try removing the hut during the day, it could be fueling this kind of behavior. Rearranging things, and moving the cage to a different room, might also help her slow down.

If she's really a she, Lola is still a little too young for egg laying, so slowing her down would be a good thing. She's right on cue for getting more hormonal, and if she's a hen the eggs will be inevitable, but it's a good idea to try to put her off for a bit.

Good luck with your henny penny! :)

[Islandbirdies]

Lol, good idea I'll check there!
Thank you for the reply, good advice, and prediction ( I'll let you know if it pans out) As for the shredders she dosen't get them anymore, and the hut is removed every morning, and always has been. Moving her cage is a good plan, we are building a bird room so a move is in her future, but I may move it slightly before hand. Today is also a day for rearanging her stuff, hopefully to discourage any "early blooming" on her part.
What do you think about daylight hrs.? How many should I aim for to discourage her?
Thanks, Emily and Lola

[BarbieH]

Personally, I haven't found a lot of correlation between the number daylight hours and egg laying. I know some people say that shorter hours decreases egg-laying tendencies, but if anything, my Gracie seems to get more nesty if she experiences more darkness. Go figure. :/

If I were you, I would try to stick to a routine number of daylight hours. It'll be best for her to have a routine in synch with you, and the daylight will help her body process dietary calcium -- a key consideration if, and when, it's eggie time. :)

Best wishes,