Are females more aggressive depending on season?

[Littlelovebird]

Hey guys so my little Skittles is about 6 months now! She is a diva. Cuddly when we feels like it and really stubborn lol. She likes to growl every now and the and spends her day perch near the computer while my boyfriend works and singing. She definitely likes him better cause he can put her on her back in his head and kiss her while she won't do anything like that with me she is still really good with me. I can give her head scratches. Im just not allowed the kisses hihi. Anyways in the past weeks she started being super aggressive with us for no apparent reasons. We thought it was the molt cause she is having a big one...but she is now attacking any skin she sees. I have bites all over my hands and she draws a lot of blood honestly for a little thing. I've always had male lovebirds so first time with a hen. I know they are known to be more aggressive sometimes but I was wondering if it could be hormonal too? She doesnt seem to be hormonal to me but could extreme bitting be a sign that she is? Thanks for the help guys and here is a few pictures of my baby when she is feeling like cuddling with me ahah.

 

[Leih]

Increased biting can definitely be hormonal. Lovebirds reach sexual maturity around 10 months, but I know others hens have become hormonal earlier, like @Zara's. My lovebird is a single hen and when I realized she was officially hormonal she definitely was biting much harder. Does your girl do this thing where she makes her body horizontal and opens her wings and tail up? This is textbook lovebird mating display. Here's my girl doing it, please excuse the mess on the ledge So what happens with her, Aoife, is that she'll do the wings at me and then because she doesn't get what she wants (she thinks I'm her mate) she gets frustrated and will charge /bite me hard. It also sounds like your girl may have chosen your bf as her person, or maybe even as her mate. Do you have other birds? Someone once explained this puberty period as kind of like a new flood of hormones and they are kind of like irritating teenagers Lovebirds are pretty sassy, in general, it's part of their species' personality. They think they are big birds! If this is her being hormonal, don't worry, it's not permanent, they just go through a period of this a few times a year. A good thing to try is to rearrange her cage often (weekly) and to offer more foraging to keep her busy. Aoife never draws blood, though, so that seems excessive.

Zara, I'm curious to hear your thoughts?

 

[Leih]

Ps Welcome to the Avenue!

 

[Zara]

It really could be either or, or both.

It would be a good idea to offer more baths to help soothe the moult and foraging opportunities (as Leih mentioned). Be careful that you are not touching your bird on her back, beak, tail, wings, belly etc

 

[Zara]

@Littlelovebird just as I replied, my youngest who is 10.5weeks old is mating with a toy.

 

[Littlelovebird]

It really could be either or, or both.

It would be a good idea to offer more baths to help soothe the moult and foraging opportunities (as Leih mentioned). Be careful that you are not touching your bird on her back, beak, tail, wings, belly etc

Yes she is taking baths daily or every two days and has lots of foraging toys! She destroyed a lot and I make them now so she has a lot to go through still hehe. She hasnt done the planneur (wings spread and mating position) in a while. Thats how we call it here in Quebec hihi. We are only giving headscratches so nothing else but she does bite hard since the last week or so.

@Leih I think my boyfriend iS definitely her mate but she is bitty with him too so I feel like its more of a period thing. I only had male lovebirds in the past so I was used to seing them acting up on toys or pillows lol. Female attacking really not used to hehe. She draws blood yes but of course its nothing compared to what a bigger parrot could

Its almost like she is bipolar cause last night she attacked by hand again and then pushed her head next to my fingers for headscratches and fell asleep in my hand.

anything I can do for the hormones? Reduce daylight maybe with earlier bedtime?

 

[Zara]

I think my boyfriend iS definitely her mate but she is bitty with him too

Even between two birds, if the hen doesn´t get her way she will attack the male bird. There are even some little toe nips that are part of their ¨ritual¨ so if your hen sees your boyfriend as her mate then there will be some bites along the way.
This is a good read: Site Name - Articles - Behavioral - Sex And The Psittacine

Reduce daylight maybe with earlier bedtime?

What is the sleep patter now? At least have 12/12

 

[Leih]

@Littlelovebird just as I replied, my youngest who is 10.5weeks old is mating with a toy.

Wow! Well s/he's been watching Sydney...

 

[Zara]

Wow! Well s/he's been watching Sydney...

I know... poor dragon. Even Adelie had her way with that toy... The dragon must be a babe

 

[Littlelovebird]

Even between two birds, if the hen doesn´t get her way she will attack the male bird. There are even some little toe nips that are part of their ¨ritual¨ so if your hen sees your boyfriend as her mate then there will be some bites along the way.
This is a good read: Site Name - Articles - Behavioral - Sex And The Psittacine


What is the sleep patter now? At least have 12/12

She is in bed at 9pm with a blanket on the cage and we remove the blanket at 9am

 

[Littlelovebird]

@Littlelovebird just as I replied, my youngest who is 10.5weeks old is mating with a toy.

Hihihi!! Dirty bird! Hihi! What kind is it? Rosicollis? Really like the color!

 

[Zara]

She is in bed at 9pm with a blanket on the cage and we remove the blanket at 9am

You could try bed time @ 8pm , see if it helps at all.

What kind is it? Rosicollis? Really like the color!

Yes, all of my birds are Roseicollis
This little one has their own thread over on Celebration Street with pictures

 

[Littlelovebird]

You could try bed time @ 8pm , see if it helps at all.


Yes, all of my birds are Roseicollis
This little one has their own thread over on Celebration Street with pictures

I didnt even know there was such a street!!! Nice to know! After a year and a half hihi I should Ive checked more sections of this forum!!
Im really intrigued by blue or dutch blue peached face! They seem rare in Quebec But I find them soo cutee! Maybe one day!
Will try the bed at 8! Thanks for all the help dear!!

 

[Leih]

I really like the Dutch blue as well! I don't see them here in the states much either, or at least not in my region. My female lovebird gets 13 hours of dark that seems to work for her.

 

[Littlelovebird]

I really like the Dutch blue as well! I don't see them here in the states much either, or at least not in my region. My female lovebird gets 13 hours of dark that seems to work for her.

Yeah in Canada either! Well at least not in Quebec!

ill try the 13 hours too

 

[Zara]

ill try the 13 hours too

They are the same; going to bed at 8pm and waking at 9am is 13 hours, and Leih says it works well for her hen

 

[Leih]

My birds wake up at 730am. Although since I'm home so much right now and working at night on the weekends, I may try to push it back to 830. That way Aoife can stay up until 730. More time for us to interact since I sleep until noon.

 

[Nancy B]

Mine was a nasty little thing and it didn't matter the season! Olivia was a riot too...she would fluff all up her little feathers, march right over to the edge of the table and give you a piece of her mind. She was also FEARLESS, moreso than the other male lovebirds! Morticia should have been her name! She died about 4 years ago...

 

[LunaLovebird]

6 months does seem a touch young for the first bout of hormones, but it is the season for it. Luna's first lot of hormones was honestly unbearable. She got so mean. It mostly went away after she finished with the first clutch eggs, and subsequent years have never been as bad as the first one, but she definitely isn't as hands on as she was when she was a baby haha.