Male hormones and “girlfriends”

[Xoetix]

Tteok has decided, in all his amazing and hilarious sense, that a hand towel hanging on my oven handle is the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen before in his life. Not any specific towel, but literally any hand towel that’s in the kitchen. It actually doesn’t even have to be hanging on the handle. It be anywhere.

So yeah, he’s got a girlfriend. Her name is Walmart Mainstays Kitchen Towel.

My question though: He’s coming up on a year old pretty soon. I know what that typically means for his… ahem… personal time. Does it do any harm to allow him his own *personal* towel? If it’s a bad idea, what can I do to mitigate this?

I know this has been asked before but I honestly cannot think how to search for this

 

[Zara]

All my boys went through phases except for Nube. Syd had his special toy he would hold while ¨having fun¨ on the boing, Jaime also liked the boing, and my youngest is currently the only one with a ¨girlfriend object¨ (a puppy kong) I let them have those items under the conditions that they don´t get to hump my stuff or me, and they are not possessive over it. If they get possessive, it shouldn´t be allowed.

 

[Pixiebeak]

I allow....everybody's got needs and if its not a towel something else will be found ...

My girls have found pleasurable objects to relieve tensions .

 

[Xoetix]

The number of euphemisms we have to come up with is a riot

I let them have those items under the conditions that they don´t get to hump my stuff or me

if its not a towel something else will be found

This is my feeling on it, and more or less what I said to the boyfriend this morning - “I’d rather the towel than my head.”

 

[Zara]

Most of my birds haven´t tried doing it to me and if they do there´s no giggling, it´s quickly corrected. I also make sure that the chosen item is their thing not any of my things. I keep a clear line of what is accepted and what is not or they will just run amok.
Sydney and Jaime don´t do that to their toys anymore as they both have partners, but my youngest is a loner so he has his special item. It used to be a stuffed whale but he would feed it and do his thing to it so it got gross fast, then Faislaq told me about her Macaws girlfriend Kong and I was sold, and my youngest took to it right away.
I personally think it´s good for them to have special fun with their chosen item and release all the stress and tension

 

[Kassiani]

My newest male budgie, Rudy, is currently regurgitating all over certain objects of affection and getting busy with his perch. One good thing about the regurgitating is that I at least know he is eating his veggies in the chop, lol!

Good luck with Tteok however you decide to handle his 'big feelings'!

 

[SunnySandi]

Well this is horrifying to me We are pretty sure Valkyrie is a male since I get lots of heart wings and they sing frequently to us. So far the only thing they’ve done is try to woo my toes. They’ll run up and make kissy sounds and then do heart wings.

I’m sort of hoping they don’t have a “special item” as I don’t think I could ever look at it again

Valkyrie will be a year old in March

 

[TikiMyn]

As long as the behaviour doesn’t become obsessive, I would allow him his fun. The lovebirds and conures look for nesty spots from time to time but stop after a couple minutes, although the conures can be persistent and do it for a longer amount of time I still se a lot healthy behaviour to not be concerned(playing, interacting, properly eating etc) My paired male lovebirds got crazy sexually frustrated and spent all day every day looking for corners. Seriously, in three years I can count the times they actually came to me and had fun on two hands, all other time they were looking for corners or things to hump, really unhealthy.

 

[Xoetix]

Well this is horrifying to me We are pretty sure Valkyrie is a male since I get lots of heart wings and they sing frequently to us. So far the only thing they’ve done is try to woo my toes. They’ll run up and make kissy sounds and then do heart wings.

I’m sort of hoping they don’t have a “special item” as I don’t think I could ever look at it again

Valkyrie will be a year old in March

Ours are right around the same age it sounds like!

I look forward to many commiserating posts

 

[Icey]

I allow....everybody's got needs and if its not a towel something else will be found ...

My girls have found pleasurable objects to relieve tensions .

Well I can confirm that Dolly has a toy she likes to enjoy.

 

[Parutti]

My visiting cockatiel really enjoys a certain perch