# My budgie is trying to seduce me :(



## wynnie (Oct 7, 2021)

So it's that time of the year where I return after 6 months of field work, Po finishes her moult and decides it's time to be horny. I was hoping to avoid this hyper attachment because I now have roommates that pay attention to her and I figured she'd be less glued to me specifically upon my return, but alas.

Anyway, today she...presented herself to me, which is a first. In 2020 when she was egg bound, we never had that happen prior. I immediately put her in horny bird jail and turned off the overhead light and rearranged her toys and whatnot, but I'm wondering if another egg laying event is inevitable at this point, or if I still have an opportunity to avoid it. Thoughts??

About Po: 

She's nine and a half years old, pellet and seed diet where she gets about 1.5 tsp of seed at dinner time, and she's just finishing her second moult of the year, the first of which was quite rough. 
She gets a bit of aloe vera juice in her water every other day (she notices the colour change so it's really not a lot), and I alternate some spinach and lettuce. 
She gets cucumber as an occasional treat and I gave her hardboiled egg white a couple times to help with her moult. Aside from egg white and plain popcorn (which she just shreds really), she won't eat anything that isn't green and watery. 
I work from home during the winter and her cage is right between mine and my roommate's desk. My desk also has a bunch of houseplants under a full spectrum light that's on a 12 hr timer, but her cage isn't directly in the light's circle.
Edit: we live in a basement apartment. It's quite cool and dry at this time of the year.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*The most important thing is that you limit her daylight hours to no more than 8 hours per day.

Additionally, re-arrange everything in her cage every other day.
Obviously, make sure there is nothing in the cage that can be used as a nesting site.

Spinach and Parsley contain oxalic acid which binds to calcium, blocks the absorption of calcium and puts stress on the kidneys.
Too much oxalic acid can also cause poor blood clotting and convulsions in birds.
Other green leafy vegetables you can offer include:

Kale
chard
collard greens
fresh beet greens
fresh mustard greens
fresh turnip greens
endive
Romaine
watercress
fresh sprouts
chickweed and dandelion leaves (ensure they have not been chemically treated)*


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## mnollie (Jan 12, 2018)

I'm no expert but I just had the same problem. My bird was "presenting herself" occasionally and sometimes multiple times a day for a few months, it didn't automatically lead to an egg every time she did that, but it did eventually lead to egg laying. It seems its still possible to break the cycle even if they are presenting themselves.

I'm sure every bird is different, the vet said at older ages sometimes tumors cause hormonal problems, but for my bird the vet came to the conclusion that the problem was too much seed. Just beginning the process of switching to pellets snapped her right out of it, and we're also on a strict darkness schedule, nothing resembling nesting material available.


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## wynnie (Oct 7, 2021)

FaeryBee said:


> *The most important thing is that you limit her daylight hours to no more than 8 hours per day.
> 
> Additionally, re-arrange everything in her cage every other day.
> Obviously, make sure there is nothing in the cage that can be used as a nesting site.
> ...


good to know, thank you!! i'll see what fresh salads i can make her instead. i've also been covering her cage so she's been getting 10 hours but I'll narrow that down for sure.



mnollie said:


> I'm no expert but I just had the same problem. My bird was "presenting herself" occasionally and sometimes multiple times a day for a few months, it didn't automatically lead to an egg every time she did that, but it did eventually lead to egg laying. It seems its still possible to break the cycle even if they are presenting themselves.


ah....what a great few months that must've been.... i've got my fingers crossed po calms down before the holidays start


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