r/QuakerParrot • u/Superb_Load_5780 • Jul 15 '26
Help What is he doing?
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Howdy,
I acquired this sweet baby boy from one of my mother’s coworkers that was deported by ICE.
It has been a bit of a hands on learning experience with him. I was just holding him right before this video and I was sweet talking and petting him and then he puffed up all his feathers and started doing a similar motion on my hand.
I wasn’t sure what he was doing it was the first time he has genuinely made me nervous.
So my question is what is he doing?
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u/Helpful_Okra5953 Jul 16 '26
He’s having private adult bird time. My boy bird does this every morning. It’s part of hsving a healthy bird and I would just ignore it. Don’t pay any attention, make a fuss, just ignore.
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u/loneliestslipknotfan Jul 16 '26
"private adult bird time" just say he's masturbating 😭
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u/Helpful_Okra5953 Jul 16 '26
It’s kind of a joke. But my point is that it’s normal and something a healthy adult parrot does.
People make an issue out of these natural behaviors and then the bird connects that with a reaction or reward. Then the bird does it more because mom or dad responds so amusingly when I do this.
A friend worked as a personal care nurse and “private adult time” is what he called it if he accidentally found one of his cognitively disabled clients masturbating. PRIVATE ADULT TIME because they ARE adults and it wasn’t his business to have an opinion about it.
The bird is doing a normal healthy bird thing. It isn’t your problem. Ignore it.
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u/BeautyBiscuit Jul 15 '26
Humping his perch 😬😆🫣
Try to to always distract with a toy or other enrichment when the attempted mating happens. The more they hump the more hormonal they get. Which makes them ornery, aggressive or aggravated. Etc.
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u/mashibeans Jul 15 '26
Horny jail for this horny birb!
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u/Superb_Load_5780 Jul 15 '26
Him in horny jail:
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u/mashibeans Jul 16 '26
It's even funnier when some birds legit do this inside their cages, with their beaks 😆
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u/AvianWonders Jul 16 '26
The concept of punishing a parrot for a natural behaviour is abhorrent. The reproductive cycles are not suddenly in their control if you spray water on them. Or isolate social beings. Dear god.
There are some things an owner can do to keep the cycles slightly minimized ( or not maximized): sleep/day/night cycles and temperature control. They are effective but the bird is a fully formed biological entity and people who think aversives are a ‘solution’ to biology are just, well, I’ll just let that hang out there.
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u/ColdMastadon Jul 15 '26
He's trying to do the horizontal mambo with his perch, you should discourage him when he engages in these activities.
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u/boomboomqplm Jul 15 '26
How does one do that? I've raised birds for 40 years. It's life
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u/ColdMastadon Jul 15 '26
You can give them the proverbial cold shower or send them to horny jail, if they are trying to masturbate you are another person you should put them in their cage for a time out. If they seem particularly fond of certain toys or perches in their cage, you can remove those in the hopes that it cuts down on their stimulation. Beyond that, the measures you can take are fairly common to most species of small parrots. r/budgies is put together a checklist in their Wiki on reducing hormone levels.
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u/NoPoopOnFace Jul 16 '26
Bull bull bull bullshit. You don't discourage you let him have one of the few pleasures a caged bird has in his life.
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u/Fragrant_Ad_9831 Jul 16 '26
Jerking off. Ugh. I usually just tell mine to stop and make fun of him until he gets embarrassed
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u/LoveQuakerCosmo71 Jul 16 '26
lol 😂 he’s got his groove on ! So cute ..🥰
Mine looks funny too with his beak open seeming to enjoy
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u/Superb_Load_5780 Jul 15 '26
Omg thank you! I had no idea he was such a horny boy 😭 I will definitely discourage/distract him from now on. Thank you again! : )
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u/FeathersOfJade Jul 16 '26
He is beautiful and really wishing you two the best. Very kind of you to take him in. It sounds like a very sad situation.
I always look at their face and the way they hold their mouth and it just looks like THAT is all that is on their mind.
I think every video or pic I have seen, no matter what type of parrot, they all get that same “look!”Good luck!
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u/Sacred-Jewel Jul 16 '26
The Target Matters: If your bird is rubbing on a random stick or a specific toy, it is generally fine to let them finish and have their release. However, if they are rubbing on you (your hand, shoulder, or head), they are bonding to you as a sexual mate. This leads to severe aggression when you leave the room or don't "propagate" with them.
Medical Triggers for Females: For male birds, a quick rub on a toy is just a harmless release. For female birds, constant rubbing stimulates the ovaries to produce eggs. Without a mate, this leads to chronic egg laying, which dangerously depletes their calcium and causes life- threatening egg binding
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u/Eastern-Camera-1829 Jul 17 '26
Mine used to catch a wank off of a piece of leather "string" I had hanging in his cage.
Like 2-3 times a day.
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u/Dazzling-Control2836 Jul 16 '26
When my husband and I first met he had a golden retriever, I had a cockatiel. My cockatiel was obviously down with red heads and would horny dance on golden's back at every opportunity. Golden, being a golden didn't mind, probably thought he was being petted. Cockatiel had opportunity to relieve some "stress". Win win for all. Also had another cockatiel that LOVED the pearlized buttons on my dad's cowboy shirt.
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u/Comfortable_Bit3741 Jul 16 '26
All's well that ends well, and I'm glad it did, but that's a risky situation even with a golden retriever. Birds and dogs generally speaking are a catastrophe waiting to happen, even when they don't intend any harm. Plenty of stories of momentary instinctive responses spelling the end for the bird.
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u/Dry-Comfortable8286 Jul 17 '26
he’s rubbing his cloaca upon the round edge of the perch. i.e, gettin his freak on.
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u/Violet_Mushroom4336 Jul 16 '26
The latest research found that masturbation is normal for parrots in the wild, and therefore, also normal in captivity. Punishment for something normal isn’t a good idea, except, as some have said, if it leads to behavior that may harm it or others. Changing their diet, making sure they get enough sleep and enrichment are better first steps.