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Post by siobhan on May 5, 2015 20:37:55 GMT -5
Hormonal insanity is underway. Clyde is grouchy and on edge and liable to chomp and attack with no provocation or warning. I put them all to bed early tonight, which makes me feel bad for the rest, who never do that. EVER. Jade's a Quaker, too, and SHE never has these hormonal swings. It's days like this that I wish I had someone I could trust to be good to him and would give him up to that person. I can't enjoy my other birds when one of them is flying at me and chomping me, and I can't get him into his cage without turning off the lights, which makes the others panic unless they're already in their own cages. Even after turning off the lights, he lunged and hissed and behaved abominably.
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Post by easttex on May 6, 2015 10:24:08 GMT -5
You know that's not how you work! You take in the problem children, you don't send them out.  Just remember, this too shall pass. |
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Post by siobhan on May 6, 2015 11:19:33 GMT -5
They went to bed before 8:30 last night and usually they don't go to bed until 9. Nobody seemed to mind, but they were up extra early this morning. Clyde was okay when I first let him out but then he started that "pretty birrrrrrrrrrrrrrd" stuff. He says that a certain way as the only warning you get that he's going into berserker mode. So I hightailed it out of the room. His siblings ought to beat him up today for being the cause of their banishment from Mommy's attention. I have to work all day every day and I only have a limited amount of time to spend with them already.
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Post by Jan and Shah on May 6, 2015 16:18:39 GMT -5
I dont suppose you could put him in another room when it is bedtime? I feel for you - Shah is never easy most of the time and it affects the cockatiels and how much time they get to spend out of the cage. I also get fed up with being chomped on and shouted at. He was screaming at me this morning - usually I have forgotten to do something, like uncover the cages properly, open the curtains, put the radio on, etc., so he feels it is his job to remind me. Couldnt find what was the problem so I am guessing he was screaming just because he could  Hang in there - I know it is hard and Clyde really does remind me of Shah - they are quite difficult a lot of the time. But as Easttex says, this too shall pass. Even though sometimes I feel like I want to find him another home, I cant imagine life without this little bossy boots. |
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Post by siobhan on May 6, 2015 17:07:34 GMT -5
He has a huge cage. Not as big as Rocky's, but big. Moving it would be a big hassle and I don't really know where I'd put it, and whether moving him elsewhere even temporarily would make things worse or better. There's a room next to theirs that we use as a catch-all and this time of year (it's unheated) it might be possible to put his cage in there, cover him up, and go ahead and play with the other birds, but I'd have to get him INTO the cage first. I have put him in his cage and covered him when he was being a brat and let him "think about his sins" as I tell him, while I go ahead and play with the others, but it's not easy to get him in there and locked up when he's in this mood without a serious struggle and usually I bleed. It also seems to upset the others when Clyde's in time-out and they don't want to play. It's like when a kid gets in trouble at school, all the other kids try to become as inconspicuous as possible.
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Post by aaron on May 8, 2015 12:11:14 GMT -5
Do you think it's bad enough to justify a lupron shot? My parents had to resort to that with their cockatiel. In the spring he became completely vicious and was dive bombing them, completely out for blood, on a daily basis. It definitely did help, although it didn't totally resolve the issue. I hate to resort to using drugs to resolve these problems but if it's really bad you might consider it...
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Post by siobhan on May 8, 2015 13:10:09 GMT -5
I'm not a fan of drugs unless they're absolutely necessary to preserve life and health. I've been putting him to bed earlier and it's helping. He was pretty good last night and even let me watch an episode of Batman (the TV with the video players is in their room).
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Post by aaron on May 8, 2015 13:17:08 GMT -5
Yeah, I definitely hear that. I wouldn't want to do it either. Glad to hear you've had some success with other methods.
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Post by siobhan on May 8, 2015 14:18:20 GMT -5
I'm very glad he's the only one who does this sort of thing. If 9 birds were all freaking out over spring, I'd have to leave home. Ringo Starling doesn't even go into season and she's going to be 3 on her birthday next week. Maggie the Pigeon Queen has laid several eggs recently, about one a week, but she just camps out in Benjy's cage and coos a lot (and chases the other birds off if they get too close). Freddie and Johnny have mutual sessions with the ... well, it's a family site so I won't say what I call the toy in question but I'm sure you can figure it out, LOL. They don't bother anybody else with their hormones. And Jade is always just herself. Never gets hormonal or if she does, she keeps it to herself.
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Post by julianna on May 12, 2015 12:43:28 GMT -5
Poor little guy. He needs something to release his hormones on. Remember I said how Oscar LOVES his new plastic cup... it didn't take much to get him calmed down.
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Post by siobhan on May 12, 2015 14:08:57 GMT -5
Clyde prefers to release his wrath and his hormones on me, I'm afraid. I've tried to redirect his, um, energies to no avail.
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Post by julianna on May 13, 2015 13:22:09 GMT -5
Sorry Siobhan... but I just had to laugh out loud on that comment.
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Post by siobhan on May 13, 2015 15:58:26 GMT -5
He's even chomped his daddy's ear this week!
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Just remember, this too shall pass.
Hang in there - I know it is hard and Clyde really does remind me of Shah - they are quite difficult a lot of the time. But as Easttex says, this too shall pass. Even though sometimes I feel like I want to find him another home, I cant imagine life without this little bossy boots.
