Hormonal female IRN suggestions needed

[janicedyh]

Kiwi has been extremely hormonal for almost 2 months. I have always followed the guidelines for not touching anything but beak, head and feet. Every time I come near her cage she postures and peeps. She has almost stopped talking all together. How long does this last? Is it typical for this hormonal period to last this long? She does not bite, which is great but she has only bitten me once and that was when she was a baby, she is almost 2 now. HELP ... I want my sweet peek a boo girl back : ( . Frankly I have never had a female. I have had parakeets, love birds and cockateils and I have my two guys right now.

 

[janicedyh]

Bump

 

[JLcribber]

Yes. Hormones can last as long as 12 weeks. Your bird is "feeling its oats" for the first time. In the beginning they usually kick in hard and long. As each season goes by it gets better and you get better at handling it.

 

[janicedyh]

So, I just let her be? Ignore her? danger of her laying or how to discourage it?

 

[JLcribber]

What can you do? You just have to ride it out.

Hormonal Behavior in Pet Birds - Introduction — For The Birds DVM — Avian Vet

Hormonal Behavior in Companion Parrots | Beauty of Birds

 

[sunnysmom]

You can try increasing her hours of darkness/sleep by two hours for a couple of weeks. That sometimes tricks them into thinking it's winter and not time to lay/reduces hormones.

 

[janicedyh]

You can try increasing her hours of darkness/sleep by two hours for a couple of weeks. That sometimes tricks them into thinking it's winter and not time to lay/reduces hormones.

I'm doing that for her and my guys right now, seems all 3 of them are experiencing it at rhe same time

 

[janicedyh]

Thanks for the links JL

 

[ZoeyFredrik]

Last year my ringneck lady Joey laid an egg for the first time. But she had been hormonal the year before, but no eggy. I tried to make it darker longer and a big one for Joey was the removal of anything she could consider nesting material. For a while all she had was non destructive toys until she began to calm down and not try to make a nice nest with everything she got her beak on. When she gets like this, I barely even have to look at her and she gets in the mood.
This year with her egg however did not go well for her. I had a feeling she was going to lay and she did. But then she began to prolapse with the second. I had to rush her to the vet. She then had a few shots to help bring her hormones down, the name of the meds escapes me right now. But if your girl gets into egg laying, definitely keep a close eye on her.
I'd also try to find some ringneck dummy eggs. Just in case, even though I doubt she'll lay this year, as she is still a little young (Joey was 4 her first). I have had success with them for my budgie ladies, so I'm hoping they might prevent any future Joey issues.

 

[janicedyh]

Thats my biggest fear, I have read horror stories about egg binding etc