Do you fear the arrival of Spring?  For bird owners it can be a challenging time as some of our beloved feathered companions can turned into hormonal monsters. In this case Spring doesn't invoke thoughts of fresh flowers, new life, blue skies, and fickle weather. Instead, we cower in terror at the thought of Spring ... rather thinking of band-aids, gauze, ice packs, oozing wounds, and vicious beaks.  Generally speaking, springtime is hormonal time for birds that have reached a sexually mature age. This is also referred to as nesting behavior and is a normal pattern of behavior for our avian companions.  This pattern of behavior (while ranging from annoying to downright frightening) can be dealt with in a loving manner. By taking the right precautions you may even be able to minimize the effects of some hormonal behavior. 

Signs to look for when dealing with a hormonal parrot include:

• Excessive "love" regurgitation. Make sure you are aware of the differences between sick bird regurgitation and hormonal regurgitation.
• Nest making. Some birds will use anything they can get their beaks on to form a nest. Be aware of such behavior and remove any possible material that may be percieved as a good nesting item from the bird's environment.
• Masturbation. This one is pretty self explanatory.
• Feather picking. Yes, it can be a hormonal thing. This most commonly occurs in female birds. Females will pick what is known as a "brood patch" on their chest. If they were to nest the patch of skin would have direct contact with the eggs which would heat them more effectively.
• ... and the list goes on.

What can you do to dampen hormonal behaviors or just make living with your parrot a bit more bearable during these trying times?  Several factors should be considered in determining whether or not your birds new behaviors are hormone related. Many things can affect your bird, such as duration of light exposure, types of toys offered,and foods provided to your avian friends can impact their behavior.  Some things may even be encouraging hormonal behavior. Typically, light is one of the first environmental factors we take into consideration. As the Spring days lengthen your birds schedule is thrown out of whack. Longer days tells your bird that now is the time for their body to start acting in a certain way that will eventually lead to the laying of eggs. Is your bird exposed to 10 or more hours of light a day?  How many hours a day does your bird sleep?  Increasing the amount of sleeping time during the spring months and regulating the amount of light your bird gets can help lessen certain hormonal behaviors.  Light can be adjusted somewhat by not exposing your bird to light too late in the evening.  Shorten their day so they receive about 10 hours of light.  One way to help accomplish that is to use a cage cover which are made to completely cover the cage.  Using a cover along with turning lights out at the appropriate time should help reduce the hormonal surges. 

As I said earlier, make sure your bird does not have anything in its environment that can be percieved as nesting material. For some birds, this can be a cardboard box or perhaps even the paper used in the bottom on the cage. Birds will sometimes try to hide under paper, thus concealing themselves such as being in a nestbox would accomplish.  If you find this to be an issue (and a cage grate is not available) you might consider using a single piece of cage liner such as Cage Catchers (replacing it daily), as this thinner paper (with one waxed side for moisture control) may be more difficult for the bird to hide under than newspaper.  For other birds, shredding paper is an activity that stimulates hormonal reaction.  In this case, it may be best to keep a cage grate in place to prevent access to the paper.  Of course, otherwise wonderful cage accessories like Snugglies, Tents and Hideaways provide an inviting place for a bird interested in reproducing.  So removing these accessories from hormonal birds is a good idea. Taking steps like these mentioned may reduce nesting urges.

Can food impact your birds behaviors?   You bet it can!  Certain seasonal foods can encourage behaviors. Take sprouts for example.  While they are chock full of nutrition, they are also a Spring item that can stir hormones.  Why?  Sprouts occur when seeds are fresh, have access to enough moisture, air, and sun that they can sprout. This occurs in Spring when trees are budding. Other foods that can encourage hormones are:

• Seed mixtures that contain hemp.
• Excessive amounts of warm, cooked foodstuffs.
• Increased amount of carbohydrates.

Taking the right precautions can help prevent the full onslaught of hormonal behaviors.... and hopefully reduce a need to increase your stock of band-aids!

We, as bird owners, are always in need of those 'last minute' supplies for our feathered friends. Not all shops cater to the needs of avians, however, and when we do find the occasional store that advertises as being "for the birds" we sometimes find that the shop is less then satisfactory. How to find a good store that you feel confident in buying from? There are two common shopping choices ... online or a "brick and mortar" store.  When it comes to the brick and mortar type, here is a general guideline:  When you enter a bird store assess the general physical aspects of the store. Then carefully observe the way the employees relate to parrots and customers’ alike.

A Comfortable Ambience

Some of the best shops I have been in are the ones that exude friendliness toward both birds and customers. Many of these same stores have dedicated customers that come in just to visit, or even help socialize the baby birds from time to time. Some stores even encourage such an atmosphere by placing chairs around the area, and bringing the birds out on stands to interact with the customers. In one I have witnessed some of the regular customers enthusiastically helping a store "newbie" make a toy selection, or recommend a certain brand of food. These are not only good social experiences for parrots and humans alike, but good learning experience for both parties as well. When I have a friend that is interested in getting into bird keeping, I take them on a field trip to my favorite local store where they can interact with the birds and gain knowledge from the staff.

The Store Environment

The physical environment of a good store is one that is clean and has good lighting, as well as a comfortable temperature and humidity level. Cleaning that is done as a part of the daily routine is essential. Do not expect a store to be immaculate at all times because, of course, birds are messy creatures. A good shop strives to stay on top of the stores condition on a regular basis. If you are worried about the cleanliness of the shop, visit several times a day staggering your visits so you can observe the environment at different times. Do you see anyone cleaning? Are those hulls on the floor recent, or have they been there since 2 p.m. yesterday?

Avian Environments

A good representation of a quality store is to look at the bird's cages. Are the cages clean, do the birds have access to fresh food and water? Do they have toys to play with, and a couple of perches? Are cages stacked upon on another in a haphazard manner in attempt to save room? (Quality manufactured stacking cages are acceptable). Another thing to examine is what kind of clientele the shop has. Does the shop just sell avian supplies, or do they offer boarding services, physically sell birds, or both? If the shop sells and boards birds then make sure to note if the boarding birds and store birds are in a separate area. What about the babies that are still on a hand feeding regimen? Where are they kept? It is a good practice for hand feeding babies to be away from traffic and not allowed to be handled by the public.

Educated Employees

One of the best things about a quality bird store, in my mind, is the staff. You can walk into the shop and get educated opinions and advice from the staff about a number of avian subjects. Bird owners, much like their birds, enjoy "flocking" together (pardon the pun, couldn’t resist!) and sharing stories, joys, triumphs, and heartbreak with other bird owners. A knowledgeable store employee can assist with the purchase of items for your bird, recommend veterinary, grooming, or even boarding services. Not only is a knowledgeable store employee a benefit to the shop and customers, a well- ersed store employee is a benefit to the community. An employee that can educate customers on a regular basis is doing a good service and potentially improving the lives of many birds living at home. Unfortunately, many people are still stuck with outdated avian information, and supplying them a source of new and updated information can increase the quality of their animal's life.

Happy Shopping

If you are lucky enough to have several stores in your area, take time to visit them all and pick the one that best suits your needs. You will be investing a lot of time and money into the shop, with the purchase of bird, cage, or even just regular items such as enrichment and toys and you want to ensure your money is going towards a facility that you can support and recommend to others.

Take Advantage of Online Bird Stores, too!

Shopping locally offers advantages, but what about those of us who do not have a local source, or perhaps are needing a more cost-effective way to obtain our bird supplies.  That is where shopping online proves advantageous.  The best online bird stores offer a huge array of essential bird supplies and wonderful accessories, some of which are not available through your local sources.  And they can often save a bird lover money. These stores, while not able to provide face-to-face interaction, do provide years of experience and more products than most brick and mortar store can inventory. The best stores have knowledgeable and willing owners that will spend as much time with you as needed to be sure that you acquire the right products for your bird(s).

What should you consider if you are interested in opening your home to an adopted bird? Do you know how to find a good avian rescue to adopt a feathered friend? As the popularity of pet birds soar, so does the number of displaced birds each year. In many cases those birds are looking for loving, lifetime homes.  If you are thinking of adopting a bird, I suggest answering these questions first: