He's back!

[Shezbug]

I have seen a partial return of my sweet happy cheeky bird! I can let him land on me without being bitten! What a treat, I have so missed him and I think he might have missed my company too but that might just be my wishful thinking lol.
I am so relieved to be able to be in the same room as he is without setting him off into a fit of displaying the most horrid frustration and rage, he seems to have settled to a place where he is so much more content and he really seems to have missed training, playing and just hanging out together watching out the window which was always a big favourite thing of his.

I honestly can not believe the severe changes I am again seeing in him (for the good this time lol), I feel like the luckiest bird friend/mum in the world right now!

 

[April]

Omg yasss! Finally the post I've been hoping every day for. I'm so happy for both of you!

 

[Greylady1966]

I'm so happy for you! Wonderful news.

 

[Sarahmoluccan]

I'm so happy for you too! Great news

 

[flyzipper]

Awesome!

 

[expressmailtome]

I absolutely know the feeling of doubting that that day will ever come until it does. Just keep in mind that there will be setbacks, but try to always look towards the future with hope, especially after seeing that change is not only possible, but real for your relationship.

 

[Shezbug]

I absolutely know the feeling of doubting that that day will ever come until it does. Just keep in mind that there will be setbacks, but try to always look towards the future with hope, especially after seeing that change is not only possible, but real for your relationship.

He got a bit excited just before after seeing me trying to attach a forage toy to his cage- excited in the bad way lol.
After so many months of him being so full on with aggression and frustration which increased in my presence, I couldn't help but think I was doing something wrong even with all that I know and have been reassured of by you, Becky and Sarah (and ML before she passed on too) and probably a handful of others too.
It is just so hard to see him that wound up and unhappy (my opinion of how he is feeling) and willing to hurt the people who he generally enjoys being with, I really do not want to see that side of him again but I am well aware it will most likely come along next year with the warmer weather that I so look forward to.

Thank you and thank you to all of you who have offered support over these two last seasons of bird insanity

 

[FiatLux]

This really made me happy to read. I’m so glad for you both.

 

[zoo mom]

I am glad he is finally settling down a bit. At least for a while.

 

[Icey]

So happy to hear Burt has come full circle and is back to his loving self.
I know it's not easy when they're in constant attack mode, but this makes up for it doesn't it?
Sending hugs to you and kisses to Burt. XX

 

[macawpower58]

And boy do I know that feeling of seeing your old buddy reappear!
I am so happy for you.

 

[Nnbal]

I really can't tell you how happy I am. I'm so glad to hear that.

 

[Toy]

Happy to hear he's back. So what did you do to make it better?

 

[Wardy]

So pleased for you Shez

 

[Shezbug]

Happy to hear he's back. So what did you do to make it better?

I didn’t do anything different to what I’ve been doing since it started.
His whole demeanour has been slowly calming down and settling back to level headed content Burt. I’d be putting it down to the season.

 

[tka]

I'm so happy to read this!

 

[Toy]

I didn’t do anything different to what I’ve been doing since it started.
His whole demeanour has been slowly calming down and settling back to level headed content Burt. I’d be putting it down to the season.

I was just wondering what, if any, changes you made when his hormone season began. I have a sneeky feeling JaKhu will be tough to handle when hers kick in, as she's a nippy macaw now & has been since I got her at age 4 months. She's now 3 years old & has eased up a bit on the nipping, but still likes to grab fingers, pinch & rip my hair out on arms, etc. She gets easily excited as well. She's constantly moving & trying to destroy things. She's not content to just sit. My previous macaw (JaJaBinks) was a much more calmer bird. I have read that lowering protein ( lower protein pellets, no eggs or veggies high in protein) during breeding season may help. Have you tried any diet changes?

 

[Shezbug]

@Toy I hope for you that your pretty lady does not go through the horror behaviour, I would honestly never wish this change on any one who loves their bird! Such a drastic change and nothing I did mattered- he was out to get me and was just coming across as terribly mad and unhappy constantly. We have so many snapped cage bars now it is crazy lol. Lucky our other house is nearly ready so I hopefully can build up the strength between now and then to make him move into the cage he hates when we move, if not I will need to buy him another cage the same as he has now.

Chickpeas, nuts and other high protein/energy/calorie foods I initially limited and tried to feed him just what he needed instead of leaving him with a heap of extra foods (his cage usually looks like a veggie stand at a market lol) but I was stressing myself out more than anything trying to make sure he was eating well without the added calories and fats etc and he was still horribly angry at me and wanting to hurt me so he got his nuts and other fav foods back but I pretty much only used them to lure him to where ever I needed him rather than free feeding them. I also changed some of his pellets at the start to a basic pellet rather than one for macaws as he was on a huge mix of pellets and some were high energy or macaw specific.
I was pretty strict with him having lower calorie food at the start but it wasn’t making enough of a difference to warrant the headache for me.
It was suggested to me that I try the B calm pellets from Vetafarm for him while he was being a horror movie film star ( Vetafarm B-Calm Pellets – Queenslander Aviaries ) but I was unable to get them at the time so I have not yet tried them. They should be here soon but it looks like it is a tad late lol, I will still try them though so I know for next season if he will accept them.

I really think we just had to wait for the darker colder days, he snapped out of his horror behaviour earlier last year I do think.

 

[Toy]

@Toy I hope for you that your pretty lady does not go through the horror behaviour, I would honestly never wish this change on any one who loves their bird! Such a drastic change and nothing I did mattered- he was out to get me and was just coming across as terribly mad and unhappy constantly. We have so many snapped cage bars now it is crazy lol. Lucky our other house is nearly ready so I hopefully can build up the strength between now and then to make him move into the cage he hates when we move, if not I will need to buy him another cage the same as he has now.

Chickpeas, nuts and other high protein/energy/calorie foods I initially limited and tried to feed him just what he needed instead of leaving him with a heap of extra foods (his cage usually looks like a veggie stand at a market lol) but I was stressing myself out more than anything trying to make sure he was eating well without the added calories and fats etc and he was still horribly angry at me and wanting to hurt me so he got his nuts and other fav foods back but I pretty much only used them to lure him to where ever I needed him rather than free feeding them. I also changed some of his pellets at the start to a basic pellet rather than one for macaws as he was on a huge mix of pellets and some were high energy or macaw specific.
I was pretty strict with him having lower calorie food at the start but it wasn’t making enough of a difference to warrant the headache for me.
It was suggested to me that I try the B calm pellets from Vetafarm for him while he was being a horror movie film star ( Vetafarm B-Calm Pellets – Queenslander Aviaries ) but I was unable to get them at the time so I have not yet tried them. They should be here soon but it looks like it is a tad late lol, I will still try them though so I know for next season if he will accept them.

I really think we just had to wait for the darker colder days, he snapped out of his horror behaviour earlier last year I do think.

So diet change didn't help much. I was reading it worked for some, but not others. I do know when I had to change JaJaBinks diet to low protein when she got kidney disease she went bonkers. No nuts about drove her mad, so I had to give them back to her.

When JaJaBinks would go into breeding stage she'd get nippy & not want to be handled. So I 'd basically let her alone. That would last a few months, often starting in late October & lasting into February (fall-winter months here, so darker colder days), but not bad the whole time. She'd lay 1-3 eggs right at Christmas. Her hormones would wax/wane during those 4 months. Some days she'd be totally hands off, while others OK. She, unlike JaKhu, would just stay on or in her cage. I fear JaKhu, being a bullhead, will be a bit to handle during breeding season. She's just 3, so there's time she may settle down some. I can only hope. Her main goal is seek & destroy, or rip my hair out, LOL.

I just had a thought.....JaJaBinks loved my ice tea. I drank a lot of camomile tea daily & she'd sink her beak in my glass & suck it up. If I tried to remove it she pull the glass back & drink more. Perhaps that is why she was a more calm bird. I had to give up using a glass, due to shaky hands & I now use a small thermos, so I don't spill my drinks, so JaKhu hasn't gotten any camomile tea. I may try that & see if it calms her down a bit. I haven't done a lot with her this last year, as she's been going thru the terrible two's. So she's basically spent a lot of time in her cage or on the parrot tower & in summer in the aviary when weather permits.

 

[Hahns0hmy]

@Toy I hope for you that your pretty lady does not go through the horror behaviour, I would honestly never wish this change on any one who loves their bird! Such a drastic change and nothing I did mattered- he was out to get me and was just coming across as terribly mad and unhappy constantly. We have so many snapped cage bars now it is crazy lol. Lucky our other house is nearly ready so I hopefully can build up the strength between now and then to make him move into the cage he hates when we move, if not I will need to buy him another cage the same as he has now.

Chickpeas, nuts and other high protein/energy/calorie foods I initially limited and tried to feed him just what he needed instead of leaving him with a heap of extra foods (his cage usually looks like a veggie stand at a market lol) but I was stressing myself out more than anything trying to make sure he was eating well without the added calories and fats etc and he was still horribly angry at me and wanting to hurt me so he got his nuts and other fav foods back but I pretty much only used them to lure him to where ever I needed him rather than free feeding them. I also changed some of his pellets at the start to a basic pellet rather than one for macaws as he was on a huge mix of pellets and some were high energy or macaw specific.
I was pretty strict with him having lower calorie food at the start but it wasn’t making enough of a difference to warrant the headache for me.
It was suggested to me that I try the B calm pellets from Vetafarm for him while he was being a horror movie film star ( Vetafarm B-Calm Pellets – Queenslander Aviaries ) but I was unable to get them at the time so I have not yet tried them. They should be here soon but it looks like it is a tad late lol, I will still try them though so I know for next season if he will accept them.

I really think we just had to wait for the darker colder days, he snapped out of his horror behaviour earlier last year I do think.

very happy to hear someone has a break, funny you said you gave the nuts and all back, me too!! its been stressful as hell trying to balance the diet... the vet told me pellets and veggies only but he goes insane on that diet. he eats pellets and the nuts calms down after for a little. they gave him lupron and hes still nutty as hell. im debating the implant. satan appeared in him when lupron wore off last week early. just went through a gazillion posts from 2018 here on the hormone drugs and implant really worried to even give these drugs period.