Last night, we allowed Ms. Vi to climb into a diet coke box.
… She hasn’t stopped her hormonal quivering since. All parrots go through hormonal phases, especially in spring and summer given the extra daylight (which prompts a release of hormones) so that’s expected there.
But dark, enclosed places that resemble nesting hollows apparently jumpstart this phenomenon again.
This may not be true for all parrot species, and the boys are probably fine (Ozone, for example, loves playing in boxes) but this seems to be one sure-fire way of restarting female hormonal behaviors. In some birds (budgies, cockatiels, and eclectus females especially) it can end up resulting in egg laying, which can be fine, or it can result in calcium deficiencies that lead to egg binding, and defensive behavioral issues that make many owners give up on their hens.
My verdict? No more boxes/dark spaces for female birds.
Happy huts are out for our females, no matter how snuggly!
We’re lucky; Vi just shakes obnoxiously and makes weird noises.
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