Has your parrot been acting a bit odd lately?

Have they been increasingly aggressive, moody, or bitey for some unknown reason?

Well, if the weather has been a lot warmer recently, your parrot’s hormones are likely surging.

Yes, parrots do get hormonal.

Parrot hormones can cause some pretty odd behaviours that many new owners don’t understand.

But that’s what I’m here to help you with today!

In this article, you’re going to get a clearer understanding of parrot hormones.

You’re also going to learn when parrots get hormonal, what triggers them, what hormonal behaviour looks like, and how to deal with hormonal surges.

After reading this, you’ll have a confident understanding of this confusing subject.

Quick Navigation:

• What Are Parrot Hormones?
• What Can Trigger Parrot Hormones?
• Common Signs Of A Hormonal Parrot
• At What Age Do Parrots Become Hormonal
• How To Deal With A Hormonal Parrot
• General Info On Parrot Hormones
• Sources

What Are Parrot Hormones?

Basically, a hormonal parrot is a parrot seeking to mate, breed, and produce eggs.

When their hormones are surging, they have the natural instinct to seek out a mate, a nesting site, and to produce offspring.

These natural instincts are still intact, even while living pets.

Most parrots become hormonal during spring when the weather is warmer and daylight lasts longer.

Although wild parrots only get hormonal in spring, our pet parrots can become hormonal all year round due to factors other than the weather.

But their hormones are still heightened during the spring.

That means you’ll need to deal with your parrot’s hormones during the spring of every year.

Also, each parrot will have a different experience with their hormones.

Some parrots will go through very intense hormonal changes, some will just experience mild mood swings, while others will seem to be unaffected by their hormones.

And that same parrot who experiences mild changes one year might experience very intense hormonal changes next year.

So, not only is every parrot different, each spring can be different with the exact same bird.

What Can Trigger Parrot Hormones?

As established, the largest trigger for parrot hormones is the season.

That is the natural trigger.

But there are many other unnatural causes of hormonal surges in parrots.

I say “unnatural” because wild parrots would not typically experience these hormone triggers:

• People sexually stimulating their parrots

• Poor sleep quality

• Being served warm mushy foods

Let’s discuss these in more detail.

Owners Sexually Stimulating Their Parrots

Many owners accidentally stimulate their bird’s hormones.

This is often done by encouraging sexual behaviour (regurgitation, humping) or by touching the bird sexually.

Sexual contact for a bird includes touching anywhere on its body except for the head, neck, and feet.

Because in the wild, any other flock member is allowed to touch the head and neck.

However, touching the wings or along the back is strictly for the parrot’s chosen mate as it stimulates sexual hormones.

When giving affection to your parrot, it’s best to limit your scratches to their head and neck.

Anything else will lead to a hormone surge, which you don’t want.

Poor Sleep

It has been well documented that a lack of quality sleep can lead to hormone surges in parrots.

Quality sleep is undisturbed sleep, and most parrots need about 12 hours of it.

Birds who don’t get enough sleep will experience longer days, which will convince them that it’s spring and therefore breeding season, even when it’s not.

If they’re getting less than 12 hours of sleep, they’re likely experiencing more than 12 hours of light.

Even artificial light can cause hormonal surges.

And exposure to light for longer periods than usual can lead to hormonal parrot behaviour.

Warm Mushy Foods

Since warm and mushy foods resemble regurgitation, feeding them to your bird can trigger their hormones, especially during spring.

In case you don’t know, a mating pair of parrots will regurgitate swallowed food for each other.

For this reason, warm and mushy foods can easily be mistaken for regurgitation.

Thinking that a potential mate is feeding them, the parrot’s hormones will surge and they’ll begin to show hormonal behaviour.

Less Common Hormonal Triggers

The mentioned triggers are just the most common, there are other less common causes for hormone surges in parrots.

There are also very specific causes that only trigger certain individual birds.

I guess it depends on how the individual parrot interpreted the action that lead to a hormone surge.

Here are some actions owners have reported to cause hormonal behaviour in their parrots:

• Blowing on the face

• Providing a certain toy

• Giving feathers to the bird

• Allowing the bird on the shoulder

• Snuggling and cuddling the bird

Since parrots are so diverse, even with individuals of the same species, YOU need to understand what causes hormonal behaviour in YOUR bird.

Take note of what actions cause hormonal behaviour and make sure to not do that again.

Anything that has previously caused hormonal behaviour in your bird is likely a trigger.

You should always look for hormonal behaviour and triggers, especially during the spring season.

So, what does hormonal parrot behaviour look like?

Common Signs Of A Hormonal Parrot

Just like with hormone triggers, the signs and behaviours of a hormonal parrot can vary slightly between individuals.

But if your parrot is hormonal, they’ll likely display at least one of these signs:

• Increased aggression

• More cuddly & affectionate

• Displaying nesting behaviour

• Regurgitation or masturbation

Let’s break down each hormone sign in more detail.

Increased Aggression/Mood Swings

One of the more noticeable hormonal changes in your parrot’s behaviour will be increased aggression.

Hormonal parrots have been known to suddenly bite and become aggressive for seemingly no reason.

What many owners don’t understand is that their hormones are the reason.

They simply don’t want to interact with you while they’re having hormonal thoughts.

When hormones are surging, parrots don’t want friendship, they want a mate to breed with.

The best way to deal with increased aggression is by handling them less and just letting them go through their hormonal phase.

The worst thing to do at this time is to frustrate them further.

A hormonal parrot is already going through stress, but sexually frustrating them by touching their wings or their back will cause further agitation.

If you’re the one that sexually frustrated them, that aggressiveness will be aimed at you.

And that leads me to the next behaviour…

Being Extra Cuddly & Affectionate

I know this behaviour seems to contradict the previous, but that’s just how parrots work…

Very confusingly.

When parrots become hormonal, they could be aggressive, or they could act like the sweetest birds you’ve ever seen.

That is until they suddenly bite you.

As mentioned, hormonal parrots are looking for a mate.

If there are no other birds around and they’re extremely fond of you, they might seek to mate with you.

They’ll show you this by being extremely cuddly, affectionate, and loving.

They might even regurgitate on you.

Then you’ll realise that they actually want you to pet them on their wings and along their back.

And since you’re not going to do that, the cute and cuddly bird will quickly turn to aggression as their perceived mate is not returning the affection.

This behaviour pattern is common in hormonal cockatoos.

One key indicator you can use to determine if your parrot is showing regular affection or sexual affection is shuddering.

Hormonal birds will shake, tremble, and shudder slightly when receiving affection.

The best way to deal with this is to limit cuddles and not touch them sexually.

Eventually, they’ll see that you’re not interested and move on.

Displaying Nesting Behaviour

In the wild, a pair of hormonal parrots will search for sites that they can use to mate, breed, and raise their young.

They only search for nests when they’re hormonal and ready to breed.

So, when your parrot starts displaying nesting behaviour, you can be 100% certain that they’re hormonal.

Usual parrot nesting behaviour includes:

• Increased shredding

• Becoming territorial over potential nesting sites (breeding boxes, happy buts, dark corners of the cage)

• Feather plucking (Not from stress, but to use plucked feathers to line the nest)

This is nesting behaviour for most parrots.

Some birds can be more or less intense with their behaviours.

But if you own a quaker parrot, nesting behaviour might be a little different.

Wild quaker parrots don’t search for nests in tree hollows like most other parrots.

Instead, they build them!

During the breeding season, you might find your quaker gathering various twigs, sticks, and branches in one place, constructing the nest.

Regurgitation & Masturbation

As well as being a sexual thing, regurgitation is also a bonding activity done between parrots and does not necessarily mean the bird is hormonal.

But if it happens excessively to one particular bird, person, or object, you can assume it’s hormones.

Masturbation on the other hand is 100% a hormonal/sexual behaviour.

During a hormone surge, parrots will rub their vent on toys, food, bowls, other birds (even of different species), and of course, humans.

You should definitely not encourage masturbating, especially if they do it on you.

Doing so will make the bird think you’re interested in mating, which will lead to sexual frustration.

And a sexually frustrated bird will usually become aggressive.

You also shouldn’t encourage regurgitation as it’ll likely lead to the same thing.

Be sure to wash anything your bird masturbates or regurgitates on.

Although it’s a completely natural behaviour, it’s still pretty gross.

At What Age Do Parrots Become Hormonal

Parrots first become hormonal during their puberty age, which varies between species.

Here’s a list of some common pet parrots and what age they can become hormonal, I’ve also added what ages they become sexually mature:

When parrots go through their hormonal changes, they are physically capable of breeding.

However, due to their inexperience, they won’t make great parents until they reach their sexual maturity age.

Birds that are breeding too young will likely experience problems with the process.

This is why it’s recommended to not allow birds to breed until they’ve reached sexual maturity.

How To Deal With A Hormonal Parrot

All owners must deal with their parrot’s hormones at some point.

There is nothing you can do to stop hormonal surges as it’s simply part of parrots and almost all other animals’ nature.

But there are actions you can take to reduce hormones to a more manageable level.

By following the tips below, hormone season will be much easier for both you and your parrot.

Make Sure They Get Enough Sleep

As mentioned, a lack of quality sleep can cause hormonal behaviour.

The simple solution to this is to ensure your parrot gets a full 12 hours of undisturbed sleep every night.

If your bird is displaying intense hormonal behaviour during the spring season, you can increase their sleep to 13 – 14 hours for a week.

This will help calm your parrot’s hormones.

Ensure The Environment Doesn’t Stimulate Hormones

Many owners unintentionally stimulate their bird’s hormones by the way they set up their cage or surrounding environment.

Yes, your parrot’s environment can contribute to their hormone intensity.

Breeding boxes, happy huts, cupboards, and darker corners of the room can all be perceived as a potential nesting site, which will promote nesting behaviour.

Nesting behaviour is hormonal behaviour.

To reduce hormonal behaviour, make sure there are no happy huts or breeding boxes inside the cage.

Also make sure to not allow your parrot inside cupboards, under couches, or inside any dark areas, especially during spring.

Parrots can quickly become territorial if they think they’ve found the perfect nesting site.

Provide Enrichment, Entertainment, & Exercise

Another thing you can do to reduce hormonal behaviour is to provide enrichment, entertainment, and exercise to your parrot.

By doing this, you’ll be helping to distract them from their hormonal desires.

Here are some ways to provide enrichment and entertainment to your parrot:

• Provide shredding toys (Parrots like to shred more while hormonal)

• Provide foraging activities

• Play some low-volume music

• Start a target training session (Only if the bird feels like it)

I suggest target training because it’s a mostly hands-off type of training.

And during a hormone surge, you don’t want to bring your hands close to your parrot regularly as you might end up with a nasty bite.

At least with target training, you don’t need to get your hands too close too often.

If your parrot is willing, try engaging in a flight training session.

This will help them burn off some energy that they would otherwise use for hormonal behaviours.

Overall, you want to keep your parrot as busy as possible while they’re going through hormones to help keep their minds off their hormonal desires.

General Info On Parrot Hormones

Hopefully, you’ve gained a lot of valuable insight into the mind of a hormonal parrot and how to reduce their hormones.

This is the end of the article, but I still want to give you a bit more info on the topic in this section.

I couldn’t find anywhere else within the article to provide this info:

• Although hormones are heightened during the spring, parrots can still get hormonal all year round when stimulated.

• You should avoid feeding large amounts of sugary, fatty, and starchy foods as they can increase hormone intensity.

• When hormones are more intense, parrots will display more intense undesirable hormonal behaviour.

• ANY hormonal behaviour should be discouraged.

• Parrots that are encouraged to display hormonal behaviour will do so more aggressively.

• The more you encourage hormonal behaviour, the more behavioural problems you’ll have in the future, such as sudden biting or aggression.

If you’re struggling or stressing out over your bird’s hormonal behaviour, just know that it will pass in time.

Your parrot won’t be like this forever.

Most hormonal periods only last a few weeks.

That might seem like a lot, but it’ll go quicker than you expect.

When my cockatiel first became suddenly aggressive and bitey, I had no idea what was going on until I found out about parrot hormone surges in the spring.

I was pulling my hair out because he was acting so crazy and I didn’t know what to do.

And I hate to admit this, but at some point, I even considered giving up my cockatiel.

After watching and stressing about his behaviour, I thought parrot care was simply beyond me.

I honestly started to think I was in way over my head with this cockatiel.

When I woke up one day expecting the same horrible behaviours and feelings, I was surprised to see that the hormones have passed.

It really seemed like someone just flicked a switch inside his head.

Arthur was back to training, playing with toys, and being my good, non-aggressive boy again!

If I got through it, so can you.

Take it from me, even though hormonal surges can be tough to deal with, it’s so rewarding knowing that you pushed through it for your feathered friend.

If I had actually gone through with my consideration, it would have felt 10x worse.

So, if you ever start having these thoughts, remember that hormonal behaviour is temporary.

Thank you for reading.

Sources

• https://birdsupplies.com/pages/the-ultimate-guide-to-hormonal-bird-behavior
• https://avianenrichment.com/learn/emotional-needs/social-interaction/hormonal-parrots
• https://www.thesprucepets.com/signs-of-hormonal-behavior-in-parrots-390318
• https://birdsupplies.com/blogs/news/144556039-determining-parrot-sleep-needs-where-in-the-world-is-your-bird-from
• https://www.thesprucepets.com/why-do-birds-pluck-their-feathers-390291
• https://www.thesprucepets.com/regurgitation-in-pet-birds-390308
• https://www.beautyofbirds.com/cockatielbreeding.html
• https://lafeber.com/vet/wp-content/uploads/Repro_behavior.pdf
• https://www.aviculturehub.com.au/black-headed-caique/
• https://lafeber.com/pet-birds/questions/quakers/
• https://forums.avianavenue.com/index.php?threads/signs-of-hormones-in-quaker.136168/
• https://www.petplace.com/article/birds/general/choosing-an-umbrella-cockatoo/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=by54qevmF-4&t=1s (BirdTricks discussing parrot hormones)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDciFS8q54Y (BirdTricks training a hormonal macaw)