What a hormonal pissy little beast! I get that he's frustrated and I'm trying...I really am to figure out how I can help him through these hormones and feelings that he's driven to do.
Viggo has taken to being a pest to the limit. He's sweet as can be with me and I am still not petting him or kissing his beak. I talk to him and that's that...but when my oldest daughter is around he has this desire to pull her hair with his feet and hit her in the head with his beak!!! He's also flown at her once and tried nipping but she gave the shrug off and tossed him. Being flighted he flew to the couch where my daughter was. I'm going to assume that he considers her perhaps to be a threat? Like another male would be in the wild? Or competition? She gets attention so he feels the need to drive her away?
This behavior has landed him right in his cage for a time out!
When he was young and testy being a baby and testing boundaries and limits with everyone he would occasionally have temper tantrums. I'm serious! Birds can and really they are no different than a child's. As a baby he had a blue ball that I would stuff with foraging items but when he would have temper tantrums he would toss that ball all over the base of his cage and scream. Now as an adult a temper tantrum is Viggo screaming as soon as he's put in his cage, then when covered with a blanket he will stop screaming but then growl to let us know he's not getting what he wants and he's unhappy.
Hormones please go away!!
Each year new things rear their head in the way of hormones, behaviors and so forth. In many ways he's gotten easier and in other ways he's gotten harder. Like a relationship everything takes work with having a pet parrot. Adjustment is the word. This attacking behavior is new and so far only directed at my oldest daughter. Viggo would never dare attack or go at my husband as he is the Alpha of the house. Thankfully he hasn't gone at my youngest, she still to this day gets nervous about bites after having been bitten HARD by our female we had years ago. I can relate as she nailed me too! Viggo however has never broken skin but he has bruised me and he isn't stupid...if he's going to hurt you he's going for the webbing between fingers or the palm by your thumb.
So Mr. Naughty Pants is in a time out. He's going to be on a restricted leash until I know this behavior has stopped. This will likely mean more cage time if he intends on attacking or acting this way.
King's Cage - New Digs
Being that he took his behaviour to a new unpleasant level I decided it was best to not procrastinate but get the sleep cage NOW. So having said that, Viggo has a new sleep cage and a new King's cage as well. I couldn't resist, I've always wanted a King's cage for Viggo and it was beautiful. It's a lot like the AE cage we used to have our girl in and although white, I remember well how easy it cleaned and how clean it always looked. Odd I know but it's the same for vehicles too, our black vehicles always look so dirty but our white Maxima looked clean being white. The cage is amazing too as it doesn't require screws to put it together so it's easy to set up and take down and that I love for spring power washing. My girls however said the white stands out horribly in our olive bonus room and that his darker powder coated cage suited the room much better. Whatever! 
We've only just gotten them so adjustment needs to be made still and tonight will be Viggo's first night in the sleep cage so updates will follow as to whether a sleep cage helps at all with hormones. I think the adjustment in his new day time cage may also curb behaviours for a bit as it serves as a new distraction that will keep him exploring and adjusting so it could be an interesting update to say the least.
The Sleep Cage
More so with the fact the harness and clicker training book will arrive soon as well so there will be lots to keep him on his toes, moving and adjusting and keep hormones hopefully at bay.
We also picked up the swing as seen in the bottom right of this picture as it was suggested that males love taking their frustration out on the cotton twists. It's in the cage....but so far receiving no action. My girlfriend suggested I take it out of the cage and rub it all over myself so it smells like me...his "Love". I laughed as I seriously don't think something that might apply like that to a child or dog would also apply to a parrot so I have not rubbed a cotton swing all over myself..........yet.....LOL
Here's the first recipe I will share and it's one that my oldest daughter put together based on Viggo's super sensitivity. We've never had an issue.
Viggo's Bird Bread
1 cup Brown Rice or Black Bean Flour (Organic)
1/2 cup unsweetened organic apple sauce
2 eggs (with or without shell)
1 cup water
1/2 cup Mixed vegetables of choice
1/2 cup Mixed Nuts or 1/2 cup seed
Optional: I make a veggie chop in our food processor that I'll add into the bread in place of mixed veggies. This bread is so easy to play around with, add whatever veggies chopped or nut or seed mix and make it into one your parrot will devour.
Cook at 325 for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool and cut into cubes. I cook ours in a 9x9 baking dish. Make sure to oil the dish so the bread comes out. I use coconut oil.
For this one I added shredded spinach, his chop which consisted of red bell pepper, snap peas, corn, broccoli, celery, cauliflower and jalapeno all put through the processor as well as 1/4 cup budgie seed. Personally I avoid sunflower seeds in my seed mix. I do not feed the Bird Bread daily when I make it. I will keep 1-3 cubes available in the fridge for the week when I do make the bread and pull and defrost as desired after.
There is so much to come I am sure in the days ahead and at this point I don't know just what with all the changes. Fingers crossed that transitions go smoothly, that hormones settle and that I keep my fingers in an attempt to harness haha!
No comments:
Post a Comment