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A question about behavior (with video)

Lori D Pert

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Hi, wasn't sure where to post this but since I'm attaching video, I'll start a new thread.
So Sam is now just shy of 6 months old but here cere is turning quite brown. She has always been very playful and loves to jump through her rings and also loves to play on her back. Lately she likes to flip onto her back on my laptop in front of videos that I may be watching. She will flip over nad wait for me to scratch her neck. All the while making that quacking sound that little hens make. With her cere turning brown however I guess I'm afraid of our playtime being mistaken by her as mating behavior. I (and my son) had a little solitary hen years ago that started laying eggs whenever my son would interact with her (she would sit on his glasses and coo). She became a chronic layer. When she would tire of sitting on one clutch she would start laying again with almost no time in between. She eventually succombed to egg binding at 3 yrs. old. I'm trying to avoid anything like this happening again. I have posted video below. Should I stop playing with her like this. It is only her neck that I touch but still...

 

Lady Jane

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What a character! I dont see where you are stimulating her sexually. That would be touching or petting below her neck. Females will lay eggs so its best to be prepared by offering extra calcium every once in a while. Raw sesame seeds have 35% calcium so they can be fed with other seeds regularly. Also calcium rich foods like broccoli.

Foods High in Calcium for your Bird
 

Lori D Pert

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Yes...she is a character! But not to worry on the calcium, she has plenty. She LOVES kale and arugula and broccoli and has a calcium block that she has been hitting up lately. She also eats the sesame seeds off my bagels..lol. As long as I am not promoting any mating behavior then I am most relieved. I enjoy our playtime as much as she does..lol
 

EnglishBudgMom

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That is hilarious and so cute! Lucky your girl does that. Mine would rather die a thousand deaths than flip upside down and god forbid-let me scritch her! She used to let me scritch her when she was a baby, but not anymore! Bubbles is a molting pin head again, and I can make her feel better, but NOOOO, no-touchy!
 

Lori D Pert

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She would never let me scritch her head either but she always liked to flip on her back and play with her ball. Then about a month ago she started doing it without the ball and when I put my hand on her neck she seemed to like it and would keep flipping over. Now it's become a game...she lets me know when she's done otherwise she just stays on her back until I scritch her again.
 

Begone

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So adorable she is! ♥
You do touch her all the way down to her tail feather so you do stimulate her sexual.
I also see that when you try to touch her head she don't want that but when your hand is lower she enjoy it.
 

Lori D Pert

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Yes, I guess this was what I was worried about. Even though I don't touch her below her neck (and she always makes those quacking sounds) she grabs me with her feet and won't let me go...lol. I was hoping that at 6 months I wouldn't have to worry about any mating rituals quite yet. Oh well...will shoo her off the keyboard and face the rath of a spurned lover...lol.
 

Begone

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You can also continue playing with her. Perhaps add a smaller toy that she can hold on to?
Don't shoo her off, find another way to continue interacting with her instead. :)
 

Lori D Pert

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You can also continue playing with her. Perhaps add a smaller toy that she can hold on to?
Don't shoo her off, find another way to continue interacting with her instead. :)
Oh, she always plays with her birdie balls and flips over with them. She has done this since she was about 9 weeks old...lol.
 
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Ripshod

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First time I saw a video of her with her ball I thought it was sexual, and I think I even said it at the time. Everything in this thread is confirming it.
You can either find a better way for her to satisfy her need (firm fluffy toy conveniently placed), work on a distraction method, or just let her have her way with her ball. In any case best to add a little extra calcium to her diet now.
 
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Gribouille

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Although you say you only touch her neck it seems to me that you also scratch her leg (0.18) and down her belly to her tail feather (0.26-0.28).
I'd keep the scratching for when she stands on her feet and you can be certain to only touch the back of her neck/around her head. The way you do it now, it is too easy to slip and her feet drag you to touch other parts of her body, that's not good..
 

Lady Jane

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Guess I missed it in the video.
 

JoJo&Loki

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Sam is so frickin adorable I can’t even take it!! I’ve never even seen either of my budgies play on their back so I’m too unfamiliar with any of this to help or offer any advice. Just felt the need to say, once again how adorable she is and I hope you never have to go through what happened with your last bird again. It’s obvious how much you love your silly little girl!
I’m assuming 6 months is too young for her cere to be that brown? We’ve now had Jo for almost 6 months and hers is still blue with the light rings around it. I’ve been waiting for it to start changing since that means she’s around 8 months old now but not sure when that will be.
 

Gribouille

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I’m assuming 6 months is too young for her cere to be that brown? We’ve now had Jo for almost 6 months and hers is still blue with the light rings around it. I’ve been waiting for it to start changing since that means she’s around 8 months old now but not sure when that will be.
Nova turned tan at 10 months and I still thought it was too young. I know some don't change color before well over a year, so I guess that's just like with humans, very individual!!
 

Lori D Pert

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Rewatching the video I see it very clearly as well. I guess her running under my hand must stop as well. She has done this since she was fully tame at about 8 weeks. Now at 6 months I was really hoping that she was too young. Oh well, I will tell myself that I am just irresistable to budgies and with such power comes great responsibility....:rofl:
 

Fergus Mom

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I don't know that I could really resist that playing while she is on her back and acting like a cute dog - (for lack of a better description!) It just melts my heart to see her do this! I can so see why you are over the moon in love with her for sure.
What a cute little doll! :heart:
 

Lori D Pert

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:lol:
I don't know that I could really resist that playing while she is on her back and acting like a cute dog - (for lack of a better description!) It just melts my heart to see her do this! I can so see why you are over the moon in love with her for sure.
What a cute little doll! :heart:
She does remind me of a dog..lol. So much so that my husband has started calling her Spot. I had to tell him no more non neck rubs. She still does this but now I just give her her ball to play with. So far it has seemed to distract her.:lol:
 

Fergus Mom

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:lol:
She does remind me of a dog..lol. So much so that my husband has started calling her Spot. I had to tell him no more non neck rubs. She still does this but now I just give her her ball to play with. So far it has seemed to distract her.:lol:


SPOT! Oh mercy, I love it. I would bet that you could play with quite a few toys with her when she is in that mood, I'm thinking branches, preening toys, those plastic chain links... etc. I wonder if you held one of the round plastic swings there if she would grab onto it and do some acrobatics! Sam/Spot the trapeze artist! ;)
 

Lori D Pert

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She is indeed an acrobat..she loves those oylmpic ring type toys. She weaves in and out of them and if there are bells attached then even better...lol. She has now started using the wire from my mouse (which hangs in a loop off the side of the table) as a swing. Should rent her out to the circus. IMG_20190801_172616.jpg
 
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