Toots
Moving in
- Joined
- 4/10/23
- Messages
- 9
- Real Name
- Alisa
Hey, Chippie and Toot checking in again! This post is a 50/50 update on their situation and a bit of a cry for help.
Straightaway warning before the main post - we do not know the birds' sexes 100%. Tooty was never DNA sexed and Chippie was sold us as a male, however no DNA certificate was provided either. We just made behavioural assumptions (that Toot is a female) since I was anxious to do the testing due to the necessity of plucking their feathers, but now I think it is important as ever so will do it soon.
So as I mentioned in the post below, two of them became great friends, and moreover, in the last 10 days they've been showing a lot of what seems is mating behaviour. Preening, occasionally feeding each other, and quite often - butt hugging/rubbing (sorry I don't know what else to call it
). But the weird thing I noticed that both of them can attempt to throw a leg over another bird (I thought only males did it). Chippie also turned out to be quite an explorer, one day he just went venturing through the whole room (Tooty never done it in his life), running on the foor, going to the corners, and behind sofa pillows, Toots following him everywhere. I thought maybe they were looking for a nest?
Regarding nesting behaviour, I only recently learned that it's better to not encourage it if you don't want chicks. But since the dawn of time, Tooty really liked burrowing for the night (he never showed this behaviour during the day). One day he took a liking on a fleece beanie and went to sleep there every night. When they became friends with Chippie, they both would go in there, but recently they also started to spend a lot of time in the hat during the day. I did not realise that it could be nesting behaviour at first, but after a few days I removed it.
In the last 3-4 days, I noticed more changes occurred and I don't know if I need to worry. First, I noticed that they both started pooping less frequently (although seem to be not constipated). Toots always pooped big in the morning, then smaller ones around every 30-40 minutes during the day, but now they both seem to poop every 1.5-2.5h or even longer. Poops look healthy to me though. I thought maybe it's part of nesting behaviour (trying to keep it clean). In the last week or so, Chippie also developed a huge liking to eat poop, even though I provide them with fresh vegetables/fruits every day (usually carrots, broccoli, orange/apple, spinach). they also have a small iodine block. I try my best to keep everything clean but sometimes he just manages to reach it. Toots had a similar problem when we just got him, but it went away by itself later.
The most worrying change is Chippie's changed demeanour and sometimes he looks a bit lethargic and fluffed up. He eats normally, doesn't wobble, seems to walk/climb/fly around pretty normally but still something seems a bit off from the time like a week ago. I also noticed that compared to Toot, he has really fluffy, almost bulging bum (pictures attached, Toot is there for comparison). It might be silly but considering Chippie really went ham on that hat nest and generally seems like he's looking to burrow somewhere, he might be a female? It's a big mystery until we know their sexes for sure, but I am desperate for any advice if Chippie's behaviour means something (like there is an egg or he's actually ill) and whether extra steps need to be taken at this point. For now, I am trying to prevent any nesting, feed them calcium-rich foods just in case and maybe prolong the night hours as well.
Straightaway warning before the main post - we do not know the birds' sexes 100%. Tooty was never DNA sexed and Chippie was sold us as a male, however no DNA certificate was provided either. We just made behavioural assumptions (that Toot is a female) since I was anxious to do the testing due to the necessity of plucking their feathers, but now I think it is important as ever so will do it soon.
So as I mentioned in the post below, two of them became great friends, and moreover, in the last 10 days they've been showing a lot of what seems is mating behaviour. Preening, occasionally feeding each other, and quite often - butt hugging/rubbing (sorry I don't know what else to call it
Regarding nesting behaviour, I only recently learned that it's better to not encourage it if you don't want chicks. But since the dawn of time, Tooty really liked burrowing for the night (he never showed this behaviour during the day). One day he took a liking on a fleece beanie and went to sleep there every night. When they became friends with Chippie, they both would go in there, but recently they also started to spend a lot of time in the hat during the day. I did not realise that it could be nesting behaviour at first, but after a few days I removed it.
In the last 3-4 days, I noticed more changes occurred and I don't know if I need to worry. First, I noticed that they both started pooping less frequently (although seem to be not constipated). Toots always pooped big in the morning, then smaller ones around every 30-40 minutes during the day, but now they both seem to poop every 1.5-2.5h or even longer. Poops look healthy to me though. I thought maybe it's part of nesting behaviour (trying to keep it clean). In the last week or so, Chippie also developed a huge liking to eat poop, even though I provide them with fresh vegetables/fruits every day (usually carrots, broccoli, orange/apple, spinach). they also have a small iodine block. I try my best to keep everything clean but sometimes he just manages to reach it. Toots had a similar problem when we just got him, but it went away by itself later.
The most worrying change is Chippie's changed demeanour and sometimes he looks a bit lethargic and fluffed up. He eats normally, doesn't wobble, seems to walk/climb/fly around pretty normally but still something seems a bit off from the time like a week ago. I also noticed that compared to Toot, he has really fluffy, almost bulging bum (pictures attached, Toot is there for comparison). It might be silly but considering Chippie really went ham on that hat nest and generally seems like he's looking to burrow somewhere, he might be a female? It's a big mystery until we know their sexes for sure, but I am desperate for any advice if Chippie's behaviour means something (like there is an egg or he's actually ill) and whether extra steps need to be taken at this point. For now, I am trying to prevent any nesting, feed them calcium-rich foods just in case and maybe prolong the night hours as well.
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