I can feel it coming....

[Lara608]

I am very new to all of this. My Pi is almost 6 months old. When do the hormones kick in? I have a female so what should I expect? On another note, when will I encounter a first molt? Thank you!

 

[Komandr]

I am very new to all of this. My Pi is almost 6 months old. When do the hormones kick in? I have a female so what should I expect? On another note, when will I encounter a first molt? Thank you!

I second this, when is the first molt expected, and sexual maturity? Maya is nearly six months old as well.

 

[Begone]

when is the first molt expected

Age 9-12 months old.

and sexual maturity?

Age 1-3 years old. It's very individual.

 

[zoo mom]

Some sources say 3-5. Andre was about 4. His hormonal swings are not that bad.
Rules according to Andre:
1) If I am strutting leave me be.
2) If I give a half-hearted lunge leave me be.
3) If I walk away from you leave me be.

4) If I ask you "scratch your head" then you better do so. You don't know when I might ask you again.
5) If I say "shake" , then I expect you to shake my foot and say "pleased to meet you". And I expect you to continue to repeat this over and over and over until I walk away. If I am strutting and you say "shake " I will probably come over and lift my foot to shake. If I do shake. If I don't then go away.

I keep my birds on 12 -14 hours of darkness every day. That seems to keep their hormones from being horrendous.

 

[Begone]

When I say 1-3 years old I meant puberty. Eloy was 1 years old when he began to be hormonal.

 

[Dartman]

Dobbys still not over it yet, every time sister sits down he's on her knee trying to get scritches then woo her hand. I just tell her take the hand away, and sometimes offering a high value treat will distract him. At least he doesn't get violent and pissy and try to bite so far. And like said never touch a pi in mid strut unless your faster then they are. I could with Nerd but after so many years of trust I was allowed transgressions that would have gotten swift action on anyone else and they would be bleeding.

 

[cetan]

Hormone season never ended here, Nick when not sitting in a paper bag keeps busy flying onto my back and attacking

 

[Wannabird2003]

Funny about the strut. My female will start to strut around the perimeter of her cagetop playpen and I will excitedly say "Ooh Pretty, you're so pretty" and I can touch and scratch her as she struts without fear of a bite. It is like she is a supermodel strutting the runway saying "look at me".

 

[Dartman]

That just means she really trusts you so your allowed into her personal space. Like I said Nerd was the same only with me. Lurch never got there even though he would fly after me when I left the room. Dobby is so easy going it's hard to say as I haven't really pushed that button yet.
Nerd had his dignity so I tried not to abuse his trust too much.