Post by mist137 on Jan 28, 2018 12:31:04 GMT -5
Hi,
I've been having a bit of trouble with Apollo over a few weeks, but it's got worse over the past few days. I guess you could call it mood swings but, as he'll play up for a while then go back to normal, but yesterday he flew at my face and bit the skin under my left eye (just lucky he missed my eye by a few mm) and has been "throw" himself at my head a few times while flying, along with running across the top of his cage to lunge at me and peck the fabric of my jacket if I'm close to him. He's also started to pull feathers out (I can't see any bald spots yet, but it's becoming more and more noticeable where he's pulling them out) so I'm worried about how to discipline him as I don't want to stress/scare him anymore at the risk of the plucking getting worse. I'm really scared and confused since I don't want him to hurt himself with this behavior but also that he's never been this bad before.
I think it might be down to hormones since he keeps trying to mate with Quasar, my other Quaker who is female, and isn't happy when I have to break them apart. But at the same time this extreme aggression could stem from the two times I had to manhandle him to take him out of Quasar's cage as he wouldn't come out with treats or on a stick. I've had to keep Quasar's cage closed since he would sit on a perch in a corner and scream, so it could also be partly down to him being "banned" from part of the room. It's also worrying and partly demotivating that Quasar is now starting to try and bite me, but has also started pulling down out and not come to my hand like she use to (she'll happily land on my shoulder of arm, but won't go anywhere near my hand or let me give her scritches). Although I don't think it's related, I also have a heater (it's bird safe, no Teflon) in their room to keep them warm while the weather is still chilly, is it possible that the temperature of the room is effecting their behavior at all? If it's down to hormones, should I stop them flying and sitting in high up areas or let them come out separately? Should also note that neither of them have any kind of hut/tent in their cages or on their play stand that they could nest in and they both live in separate cages.
I just really want some advice on how to handle this since I hate seeing them unhappy, thanks in advance for any tips.
I've been having a bit of trouble with Apollo over a few weeks, but it's got worse over the past few days. I guess you could call it mood swings but, as he'll play up for a while then go back to normal, but yesterday he flew at my face and bit the skin under my left eye (just lucky he missed my eye by a few mm) and has been "throw" himself at my head a few times while flying, along with running across the top of his cage to lunge at me and peck the fabric of my jacket if I'm close to him. He's also started to pull feathers out (I can't see any bald spots yet, but it's becoming more and more noticeable where he's pulling them out) so I'm worried about how to discipline him as I don't want to stress/scare him anymore at the risk of the plucking getting worse. I'm really scared and confused since I don't want him to hurt himself with this behavior but also that he's never been this bad before.
I think it might be down to hormones since he keeps trying to mate with Quasar, my other Quaker who is female, and isn't happy when I have to break them apart. But at the same time this extreme aggression could stem from the two times I had to manhandle him to take him out of Quasar's cage as he wouldn't come out with treats or on a stick. I've had to keep Quasar's cage closed since he would sit on a perch in a corner and scream, so it could also be partly down to him being "banned" from part of the room. It's also worrying and partly demotivating that Quasar is now starting to try and bite me, but has also started pulling down out and not come to my hand like she use to (she'll happily land on my shoulder of arm, but won't go anywhere near my hand or let me give her scritches). Although I don't think it's related, I also have a heater (it's bird safe, no Teflon) in their room to keep them warm while the weather is still chilly, is it possible that the temperature of the room is effecting their behavior at all? If it's down to hormones, should I stop them flying and sitting in high up areas or let them come out separately? Should also note that neither of them have any kind of hut/tent in their cages or on their play stand that they could nest in and they both live in separate cages.
I just really want some advice on how to handle this since I hate seeing them unhappy, thanks in advance for any tips.
