Hormonal Behavior: Is Your Parrot AVictim?
By Pamela Clark, CVT
Reproductive_behavior.flv 320 px x 240 px
“Oh just ignore him, he’s just hormonal!”We hear state-
ments like this all the time, but what does such an excla- mation really mean? What is “hormonal behavior” any way? There as many different definitions of this behavior as there are ways to perch a cage. Moreover, this label of “hormonal behavior” doesn’t tell us much about the be- havior itself and leaves us nowhere to go, in terms of find- ing solutions.
It is true, though, that there aremany problembehaviors
in companion parrots that either stemdirectly fromor are aggravated by increased production of reproductive hor- mones. Moreover, these behaviors frequently go unrec- ognized for what they are. From my perspective as a behavior consultant, it is a serious problem. In almost every single consultation I do increased hormone pro- duction is a factor that is contributing to the problem.
BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS AND HORMONES The problembehaviors in companions parrots that stem
directly from increased production of reproductive hor- 26 Good Bird Magazine
Intense pair bonds can sometimes lead to loud vocalizations. Photo credit: Barbara Heidenreich
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52