What percentage of birds...

[Cydney]

I had Finn from three weeks old to a year and a half (when I finally lost him to seizures). He never turned on me (Parrotlets are 'mature' at 8 months to a year last I remember), but sadly I didn't get to have him for a long enough time to know if additional years would have changed things.

Kai was around 5 months old when I got him. He was raised by men and is definitely more inclined to like new guys as opposed to girls (he's very picky about new people), but I'm his favorite overall. Most sources say sexual maturity comes between a year to two years and Kai's a year and four months now and showing frequent hormonal signs. It'll be interesting!

 

[TwoG2s]

You are a wonderful bird owner. You have a great bird in Elvis. Enjoy him at this stage, enjoy him at the next stage.

I LOVED the adorable cute wonderful stage of my babies that I made from scratch; I don't love this teenager stage so much; but just like parrots this stage will also pass.

Elvis will hopefully live for many many many decades and while this delightful stage may pass; you will have so many years of companionship and enjoyment to look forward to.

 

[Nailrep]

You are a wonderful bird owner. You have a great bird in Elvis. Enjoy him at this stage, enjoy him at the next stage.

I LOVED the adorable cute wonderful stage of my babies that I made from scratch; I don't love this teenager stage so much; but just like parrots this stage will also pass.

Elvis will hopefully live for many many many decades and while this delightful stage may pass; you will have so many years of companionship and enjoyment to look forward to.

Thanks for the kind words. I just can't imagine my life without him!

 

[Sadieladie1994]

...turn on their owners after they mature?

I posted this question on another thread yesterday and it was suggested that I start a new thread.

How many of you guys have or have had birds (and what kind) that went from loving to hating you permanently after it sexually matured?

I am dreading the potential that this might happen with Elvis. No signs of this yet. But he will be four in April. I hear that this is usually the year they start to become more aggressive.

I have committed my life to my two macaws. But it would break my heart if one decided to hate me.

18 birds....none. They change and mature and I understand that and work with the new behavior which is also something new for them.

peggy

 

[JLcribber]

18 birds....none. They change and mature and I understand that and work with the new behavior which is also something new for them.

peggy

In your situation with such a large number of birds, you have true flock dynamics going on. That does make a difference because that flock mentality is there.

I think the real problems come more often with solitary birds because "we" are all they have. JMO

 

[Jacob]

I find this an interesting topic and would like to hear from more people who have raised their parrots since they were babies and are now grown. How their relationship was and how it has changed. I got Jacob when he was 4-5 years old. I would say that he is sexually mature, since he tries to make sweet love to my hands every chance he gets Maybe I got him at the right age and he's ready to settle with a new flock.

Maybe it's with birds like humans, some people will live happily with their parents their whole life. Enjoying the comfort of Hotel Mom. While others need to move and get their own place. I know with me, my relationship with my mother had always been great but as I got older and wanted to move out but was unable because of financial reasons the relationship got a bit strained. She thought I hated her but I didn't it was just that I was trying to distance myself away from her, without being able to move to my own place. I thought she didn't need to know everything that was going on in my life. And because I didn't want to tell her everything that was going on, where I had been, where I was going, who I had been seeing. She misunderstood and felt that "she just couldn't talk to me anymore!"

So maybe with some parrots, like with humans, they feel the need to distance themselves when they hit maturity. They try but the owner continues to cuddle and baby them and then trouble starts?

 

[onthewingsofmacaws]

I pray this never happens in my flock I got most of my birds as rescues but I do have a Young rehomed Macaw that I just adopted he is only 18 months old which makes him very much a baby still. He is taking a while to bond with me but I think that is because he has always had a male as a companion and hus breeder was also a man. The only woman he has ever known was afraid of him. So now I have him and somtimes I think we are making progress and he's starting to bond with me and then out of the blue he will give me a bite,its kinda like he's checking to see if I've changed and will become more like the only other woman he knew. So far the only reaction he gets is bad bird no bite then he gets all sweet and wants to make up with me because he knows he shouldn't have bit me. maybe its a good thing that I;m not a man maybe he wll change when he's mature and actually prefer me over a man we can always hope Darius was 5or6 when I got him and he loved me from the moment I brought him home. he hated his previous owner with a passion and would bite her every chance he got she did say that they did have a good relationship at one time so maybe he was ready for a change all i know is that he loves me and has since the day I brought him home.

 

[Jadesmom]

Very interesting. All but my sunday conure came to me as older rescues / rehomes. She is 8 months, sassy, but is very much a velcro bird. Still sweet, but goofy. I guess I'd better cross my fingers.....

 

[Parrotlove]

Im reading this and thinking WOW!!!!!! I pray Isis never turns on me it would really break my heart!!!

 

[Nailrep]

So far, no horror stories...That could be a good sign!! Maybe there is a chance to have a lifelong companion bird. I sure hope so.

 

[Bokkapooh]

Unfortunately, most birds will turn on their loved ones once they are sexually mature.

The best way to prevent this is to prevent over cuddling and reinforce positive behavior at an early age, have a very rich loving environment with a lot of things of your birds to play on and do, and always keep them active.

I recommend behavioral books such as:

Nikkia Moustaki’s Your Outta Control Bird (you don’t have to have a out of control bird to want to understand behavior and prevent behavioral problems)

Barbara Heidenreich’s Parrot Problem Solver (again you don’t have to have a problem to want to learn as much as you can so you can prevent one).

Mercedez