Abby'sBird
Checking out the neighborhood
- Joined
- 5/22/22
- Messages
- 2
- Real Name
- Abby
Hello all! First post here and it will probably be a long one!
To get started, I have four budgies that are housed together. They have a big flight cage with plenty of toys/perches/food/water so fighting is not a problem. I got Gabriel, the problem bird right now, when she was just weaned somewhere around 3 yrs ago. She is the oldest and has always been the most closely bonded with me. Very recently, like the last week or so, she has started to hang out with me even more than usual (and that’s saying A LOT lol). I don’t mind this part, but while she is sitting with me all she wants to do is preen/chew on my face/neck/hair/hands/literally anywhere on me so much that it really hurts, but no cuts or bleeding. She usually preens me, but never to this extent. I try to move away from her, redirect her, and otherwise try to distract her from chewing on me, but it doesn’t work like it usually does. I even set up some other spots near me with her favorite toys to no avail. I’ve tried refreshing food/water/bath bowls and nothing. It seems like literally nothing can change her mind. She used to just sit with me, play with some toys, preen me a little, but she would stop if I moved away/squeaked, but not anymore. None of the other birds have changed their behaviors, no food changes, regular care schedule, so I don’t think its that. However, it got really warm the last few days, so I’m thinking it’s a hormone thing? I can’t find any answers online, so I’m stumped about how to fix this. Help!
Extra info:
Gabriel- ~3 yrs old, oldest, most closely bonded to me
Peter- ~2 yrs old, most likely the only male, friendly
Tilly- ~2 yrs old, bossy, top hen
Pearl- <1 yr old, very active, clumsy
Food- High quality seed mix, hemp/chia/flax mix, egg food, vitamin supplement, alfalfa hay, dried chamomile <-- four bowls, all refreshed daily
They all have 4+ hours of out-of-cage time daily with multiple perches they can go to with extra toys/enrichment plus the play area on top of their cage
They are covered for around 10-12 hrs with a blanket every night in an attempt to prevent any hormonal changes since I don't want any chicks right now
To get started, I have four budgies that are housed together. They have a big flight cage with plenty of toys/perches/food/water so fighting is not a problem. I got Gabriel, the problem bird right now, when she was just weaned somewhere around 3 yrs ago. She is the oldest and has always been the most closely bonded with me. Very recently, like the last week or so, she has started to hang out with me even more than usual (and that’s saying A LOT lol). I don’t mind this part, but while she is sitting with me all she wants to do is preen/chew on my face/neck/hair/hands/literally anywhere on me so much that it really hurts, but no cuts or bleeding. She usually preens me, but never to this extent. I try to move away from her, redirect her, and otherwise try to distract her from chewing on me, but it doesn’t work like it usually does. I even set up some other spots near me with her favorite toys to no avail. I’ve tried refreshing food/water/bath bowls and nothing. It seems like literally nothing can change her mind. She used to just sit with me, play with some toys, preen me a little, but she would stop if I moved away/squeaked, but not anymore. None of the other birds have changed their behaviors, no food changes, regular care schedule, so I don’t think its that. However, it got really warm the last few days, so I’m thinking it’s a hormone thing? I can’t find any answers online, so I’m stumped about how to fix this. Help!
Extra info:
Gabriel- ~3 yrs old, oldest, most closely bonded to me
Peter- ~2 yrs old, most likely the only male, friendly
Tilly- ~2 yrs old, bossy, top hen
Pearl- <1 yr old, very active, clumsy
Food- High quality seed mix, hemp/chia/flax mix, egg food, vitamin supplement, alfalfa hay, dried chamomile <-- four bowls, all refreshed daily
They all have 4+ hours of out-of-cage time daily with multiple perches they can go to with extra toys/enrichment plus the play area on top of their cage
They are covered for around 10-12 hrs with a blanket every night in an attempt to prevent any hormonal changes since I don't want any chicks right now
Last edited: