Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Woodstock literally flew into my life about 12 years ago. Being in Miami, FL, lots of exotic birds live outdoors here and Woodstock apparently escaped from someone and flew into where I work. He was on the tailgate of a pickup, I put out my hand and he got on my finger and climbed up my arm to my shoulder and I took him home.

Woodstock has been a one-man (me) bird his entire life. He is not clipped and spends most days on our screened in patio, uncaged. He's only caged at night (inside) and on the few cold days we have down here when he can't go out on the patio.

Previously, I couldn't even go out on the patio without me being like a magnet for Woodstock. I have always had a rough time keeping him OFF my shoulder. However, if ANYONE else would go near him, my wife included, he'd screech and fly away. He definitely wanted nothing to do with anyone else.

In the last week or so, I have become a stranger to Woodstock. I have no explanation for this change. I cannot get near him, and he acts just like he would if it were a stranger trying to approach him. I haven't changed suddenly in the last week. He appears health and active, so what has happened? I miss my Woodstock!

If anyone has any suggestions, I would appreciate it.

Have you changed anything, even the slightest thing, about your appearance? Birds seem to recognize each other by "appearances" over all other things, and likewise they notice changes in appearance with us too.

I learned this "appearance recognition" during my early years of breeding cockatiels when the colored males couldn't tell which one of the white females (WF Lutinos) was their mate. One would court a white and she'd be receptive; then he'd try to court another white and she wouldn't be receptive. The colored males were terribly confused which was their mate from all the Look-Alike gals. I didn't get any chicks until I paired them up separately.

One time I sprained my wrist and wrapped it with an ace bandage. My once-friendly tiels thought I was an intruder and wouldn't allow me to get close to them. They'd fly around in the flights screaming bloody murder.

Another time I painted my fingernails a bright red (that's OK, I'm female), and all the birds...Amazons and Cockatiels...treated me like I was total stranger. They didn't care that the "rest" of me looked the same.

And still another time I wore a bright-colored night shirt with a MAN painted on the front, and that really freaked out the birds. I couldn't even walk into the birdroom without all of them bailing off their perches. Nightshirt went to Goodwill...because it sure wasn't bringing any good will to my household.

One time one of my imported Amazons was stressed out because something in the bottom of his cage was "different". After a closer look, I saw there was a LION on the newspaper, looking up at him. I put a new paper in the bottom of his cage and then everything was OK.

IF nothing has been changed at all about your appearance, then it might be that your guy is hormonal and is giving you the brush off. Some males do that.

I thought about the changes thing, and there is absolutely nothing that has changed about myself. I even wear a uniform of sorts for my job so he even sees me in the exact same clothes all the time. No new haircut, glasses, anything I can think of! I haven't changed deodorant or aftershave, though I think they're more visually oriented than by smell.

I thought about the hormonal thing too. It is springtime. But then, we've been through many springs together and he's never acted this way.

Thanks for the thoughts. I'll examine the environment closer and see if I can figure out what might have changed.

you said...
I haven't changed deodorant or aftershave, though I think they're more visually oriented than by smell.

Birds (other than carrion birds) have under-developed sense of smell. They are visually oriented and that's the reasons they pick some foods while chucking other foods that are less appealing.

So it wouldn't be your aftershave.

Another thought...was there a recent happening that startled him while you were nearby? Sometimes we get blamed for some insignificant happening in their environment.

I can't think of anything that might have startled him, but as he's outside on the screened in patio most of the time, who knows. After 10 years, he's pretty accustomed to outside noises, though we're not on a highway or anything like that. Mostly other wild birds singing and the occasional piper cub from a nearby private airport.

The only other thing I can think of that's remotely related to that topic was last week when the lawn guys cut the lawn. Pretty noisy and I know he gets upset during those times when they're in the backyard. But that's a two to three time a month occurance almost year 'round, so I don't know what would have been different this time.

Today when I got home around 2 p.m. he actually hopped on my shoulder and stayed there while I sat on a patio chair. I scratched his head and he seem his old self. But just a little bit ago, 4 hours later, he didn't want anything to do with me again.

Sounds like hormones to me. But it is odd that he has never done this before in the last 12 yrs. I know my tiel, Pepper, a female, is moody. For the most part she'd like to be surgically attached to my shoulder but there are times when she wants nothing to do with me and screeches at me and hacks at me.

Have you noticed woodstock getting "chummy" with any objects on the porch? Sometimes they can have a surrogate partner that is an object like a perch or bird toy. If that's the case he probably wants to be with the object of his desire and sees you as less appealing.

Did anyone use chemicals on your lawn or on a neighbor's lawn recently? I was thinking that insecticides or weed-icides may affect behavior as well.

hi mjanke

it does sound like woodstock is hormonal. They have been known (but is also rare) to not be hormonal for years & then suddenly one spring their hormones decide to kick in. I wouldn't worry about it too much, it'll pass. But you may get this attitude from now on every spring.

It is also possible that he's getting a little old & cranky, although they do get much much older than this.

Good Luck

Thanks, I hope that's all it is. I could live with that for a few months. I'm taking him in to a top notch avian vet on Saturday just to make sure there's nothing else going on.

mike