Ask Lafeber

Caique sounds like she’s crying

It’s winter and I believe this is her hormonal season. I adopted her 7 years ago after being returned to the pet store several times. She is a great little bird and I want to know if this sounds normal. She likes to go to the bottom of the cage in the back corner a here and there throughout the day and it sounds like she is crying to me. Then I come over and once she sees I’m gonna pet her she cheers right up. I know she thinks I’m her mate because she likes to try and feed me, she hasn’t aggressively tried to bite me in years, and as of recent she wants to stand on my shoulder instead of free roaming when she is out of her cage. I don’t let her stay there because I don’t wanna give her the wrong idea because I don’t want her trying to lay an egg. I took her to the vet last week and she checked out healthy. The vet assumes it’s hormonal and behavioral. I just wanted to get some feedback or ideas. She’s eating, active, vocal, playful, and lately has been rubbing her face and body on my hands very aggressively. So I’m assuming hormones but need some reassurance. Thanks.

Hi George,

Yes, this does sound like hormonal behavior. A lot of pet birds get hormonal in the winter because of people having the heater on. The warmer temperatures stimulate the hormones. Other triggers are longer days, a lot of food especially fresh foods, and a safe place to nest. You can keep her light exposure to 8-10 hours a day by covering her cage early in the evening. If you can put a toy or something in the corner of the cage that she prefers, that can help. It is important that you not let her get in dark cozy places, or give her a box or anything she can use as a nest. I agree with keeping her off of your shoulder – for some reason shoulders and laps can be a hormone trigger. It’s best to divert her attention to a toy when she starts rubbing on you, as that alone can trigger egg laying. We have learned that it is best to limit physical contact to the head and neck with pet birds, because only a mate would be allowed to have contact on the body. If she starts laying eggs, and doesn’t stop, you will end up having to take her to the Vet for a hormone shot or implant. While these are sage, it’s better not to get to this point. We have two webinar on parrots and hormones on YouTube that you may want to check out. I’ll provide the links. Hopefully your sweet girl will settle down and not lay any eggs.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda