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Is my cockatiel homonal?

Cloud

Strolling the yard
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6/17/19
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Virginia
Hello! My cockatiel, Cloud, has changed since late December or January. He seems to get mad or irritated easily now. I used to be able to give him scritches whenever I wanted and as much as I wanted. He never bit me before. Now he is in charge. He only allowed me to pet him a bit, he can bite if I give him scritches too long. He seems to allow me to pet him only in the morning and before 12 or 1 pm. I can't pet him right away when I bring him out from his cage, and can't pet him in the cage any more.

When I ask him to step up from my shoulder, he bowed his head sometimes. I have two options: I either give him scritches or move away my hand. If don't give him scritches, he would definitely bite my hand. If I give scritches a bit long during that session, he would bite me. If I insist him to step up, he would bite me. Some of the bites are unpredictable.
He flirts with my female cockatiel, sky, in the morning when he gets out of his cage. After that moment is done, he will bite her if she gets too close to him. Which is normal for him because he was like that with her before too. But I have a feeling that he forgives less than before, and get mad easier with her, too. He is more of a lone wolf now.
He will be 1 year old on March 11, 2020.

Is this homonal issue? If so, how long does it last, and what are the tips to improve this?
 
Last edited:

Shezbug

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:bump7:
 

sunnysmom

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I think it's more your bird is becoming an adult and wants what he wants. Notice you said I used to be able to give him scritches whenever I wanted. It's not about what you want though- it's about what he wants. And if he doesn't want scritches, then don't scritch him. I have this same conversation all the time with my fiancé, so don't think I'm being harsh. :) As I say to him, birds aren't dogs. A dog usually will let you pet them when you want. With birds, it is when they want. And that's okay. If he's not stepping up when you need him to step up, you can work on training/positive reinforcement. And if he's biting your hand when stepping up, you can work on him stepping up on a perch. But reward him doing it. :)
 

Cloud

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Virginia
True, he is about to hit 1 year, too. It is a little sad to see him change. I get a bit nervous when i am petting him because the tip of his beak is quite pointy, pointier than Sky. :o: I've been paying more attention to eyes and how he is moving his head while I am giving scritches, so I can stop when he is done or when he is not pleased.
 

Tiel Feathers

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That’s good that you are paying attention to his body language. You want to avoid any bites because you don’t want it to become a habit. Now is the time to really reward any desired behavior and don’t force him to do anything.
 
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