Treats/training while hormonal

Question:

August 3, 2026

I have a 1-year-old green cheek conure that is getting hormonal right now. His first owner neglected him unintentionally so he is still learning how to forage and play with toys and experience foods. Normally I use safflower seeds or small pieces of dried fruit for flight training along with training bad behaviors out of him that the previous owners allowed. I’m having a hard time trying to figure out what I can use to train him that’s not going to be a high fat and make him get more hormonal. I was able to use pellets a few times and then he turned his nose up to it. I’m trying to find ways to get his energy out of him deal and work with his hormones while he’s still learning what his species normally does for fun I guess. I don’t want to leave him in the cage all the time. He does need to come out but he always wants that human contact as that’s what he mostly got in the past. He had a few toys in his cage but I had to go on a shopping spree when I got him ..
This is his first hormonal with me and I’m having a bit of a difficult time trying to find alternatives during this time and omitting high fat is making it a tad hard for me to try and tucker him out a bit and spend time with him. And I’m a bit leery about using a lot of fresh foods as I am reading that I could also trigger hormones? But at the same time I’m still trying to figure out what foods he likes. And trying to get him to test foods is taking a bit of work because I don’t think he got too much fresh food in the past.
He gets anywhere between 10 to 12 hours of dark. I wait for him to get up. We cover his cage. I have thick heavy curtains on my windows to block the light in his room. I do have grow lights in that room. They’re not shining on his cage and they are on timers so everything is consistent. The timers run for 12 hours. I have bought a second cage that I can carry outside so that he can get some natural lighting. I’m going to purchase light bulbs for when he can’t get outside because I’m not able to get him outside three times a week. I might be able to manage two but lately we’ve had smoke or it’s too windy. I’m also going to be switching his food because I am not particularly happy with the food that he is on. It is a pellet. He doesn’t really go for seed too much. I tried using a seed type mix as a foraging option for him but he doesn’t really touch it too much for the smaller seeds anyways.
Any suggestions you may have about how to work with his hormones and any reward system for training that won’t make the hormones worse would greatly help.

Answer:

Thanks for reaching out to Ask Lafeber. Are you sure he’s exhibiting hormonal behavior? At one year of age, he’s a bit young to be exhibiting this type of behavior unless something in his environment is triggering him. Green Cheeks don’t usually mature until they are at least 2 years old. Do you have anything in his cage such as a sleeping sack or a box he can chew on or crawl inside of? Conures are cavity nesters and will seek out dark and enclose objects to nest in. So, if you have anything in his cage like this, I suggest removing it right away. Also, mirrors can trigger the same thing. If they see their reflection, they can mistake it for another bird and feel like he needs to protect it. Also, conures can be very affectionate so when you’re interacting with him, do you limit petting him above the shoulders? Stroking a bird down his entire body can most defiantly become a hormonal stimulant.

I don’t think it’s necessary to cover his cage at night since you are able to darken his room for sleeping. As I mentioned dark and enclosed places can trigger hormonal behavior so putting a cover over him at night creates that.

Birds do need some natural sunlight but use caution that his cage is in a place where it’s not directly in the sunlight as the day moves on. Also, outside predators can become an issue so when his cage is outside never leave him outside alone. Make sure you’re outside with him in case any of these things become an issue.

Fresh foods alone do not trigger hormones. When a breeding pair of birds are set up to breed it’s always good to start offering them an extra amount of food of all kinds, especially fresh food. When there’s an abundance of resources, they are signaled that there’s enough food available to support feeding a clutch of babies. So fresh food alone does not trigger this behavior. However, make sure the fresh foods you give him are low in sugar. Try to avoid grapes, apples, corn, and bananas. I know birds love them and if you do offer them, try to limit it to only a few times per week and only tiny pieces. Try offering him fresh berries, melon, or mango or Kiwi. They are lower in sugar. As far as veggies go, you can offer him carrots, broccoli, kale squash or other vegetables in season. Also, do not feed him spinach because spinach binds calcium for both birds and reptiles and causes metabolic bone disease. This is especially important for female birds since they can lay eggs.

I have a question for you, are you sure this bird is male? It won’t make a ton of difference, but male and female conures exhibit different behaviors when they are hormonally triggered. The males are usually more aggressive, and the females can be little aggressive but also somewhat affectionate.

I would avoid the seeds as forging because they are too high in fat and don’t actually challenge him to forage. The best way to teach him to forage is to start by putting his favorite treat under something where he can easily find it and then little by little, challenge him a little more by making the treat a bit more difficult to get to. You can look for Avian Foraging Toys that will give you some fun ideas to teach him to forage. Also, Lafeber Company makes excellent foraging food. The Avi Cakes are 50% pellets and 50% seeds and they are a well-balanced diet. All my birds love them. The Nutri Berries are also a fun food for birds because they come in different flavors and they are able taste and feel the different textures. Both products are as well balanced as any diet on the market. If you introduce toys to him, make sure you only use toys that are made specifically for birds. If you want to use a small piece of seed that be used for training and is healthy, I suggest trying Flax, Chia, Oat Groats or Hemp seeds. They are all healthy and birds seem to love them.

As far as the lights, be careful they are not too close to his cage because they can cause eye damage. He may not need as many hours if he’s getting fresh sunshine.

If you have other questions please don’t hesitate to reach out again, we’re always happy to help when we can.

Good Luck,

Debbie

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Treats/training while hormonal

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