Ask Lafeber

Hormonal male cockatiel

Vega is six years old, very tame, and the only bird in the house. Since he was about 2.5 there has been consistent hormonal behaviour. This currently is not aggression but instead endless attempts to masturbate on things like curtains, pillows, towels. He is distracted away easily but will immediately return. The behaviour happens all year round.

He has a separate sleep cage in a quiet room with a blackout cover, and sleeps for 12-13 hours a day. No nest sites he can use. He is out of the cage most of the day and is free to fly around as much as he likes. He gets lots of interaction.

Re food we have recently started him on nutriberries and he always has a supply of chopped greens like kale, peas, sweetcorn. He is very much addicted to seeds.

Just at a bit of a loss of what is left to try. He has been to a vet and they tried a hormonal injection typically used for females with excessive egg laying, but it had no effect. Just not sure if there is something I’m missing.

Hi,

You have inadvertently created the perfect conditions to trigger hormones. I’ll give you the recommendations for cockatiels to discourage egg laying, but they can also work for a male. But these will be major changes, including not letting him roam free all day. Also, a sleep cage can be a trigger because it’s nice and dark and cozy and feels like a nest cavity. While I still recommend limiting light daily, we really do not know if it helps. It seems to make a difference with some birds and not others. However, limiting light exposure and the other changes will not harm him, so it’s worth trying. As it is, this constant state of hormones and frustration is not healthy for him.

Keep in mind that in the wild for breeding, they need longer daylight, warmer weather, abundant food, and a quiet, private environment. The goal is to reverse these conditions.

Limit her light to 8-10 hours by covering the cage early each evening

Do not give her anything to use as a nest – no bird huts or tents, no box, bowl, etc. If she decides to sit in a food bowl, remove it and replace with smaller cups.

Do not give her anything to shred such as paper or cardboard.

Rearrange the toys in the cage frequently.

Move the cage to a different place in the room. Move the cage about once a week, or whenever she show signs of nesting – settling on the cage floor for example. This disrupts her idea of having a stable place to lay eggs and raise chicks.

If you feed a lot of fresh foods, stop offering any for a couple of weeks, and then only offer them in small amounts about 2 or 3 times a week. You can resume normal feeding later when the birds aren’t being hormonal.

When she is let out of the cage, do not let her get in any dark cozy places and don’t give her free roam. When you let her roam around, this mimics searching for a nesting site.

When you handle her, limit any petting to only the head and neck – do not pet a bird on the body. Only a bonded mate is allowed to groom the body. We can’t be a mate, so touching the body is off limits.

If there is no metal floor grate, then do not use any bedding or paper in the cage tray – leave it bare and clean it daily.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda