Different behaviour in winter..?

[freswood]

Hi all, it's been a while since I've been on this forum! I'm just needing a bit of advice about my rainbow lorikeets Yogie and Archie (both boys). Once winter struck they started behaving a little differently - they don't really want to leave their cage and Yogie is far more aggressive towards Archie. This is quite unusual because they normally become quite vocal if left in their cage even for half an hour!

Is it normal for birds to act like this during winter? They are also beginning to moult so this might have something to do with it. Maybe trying to conserve energy during the colder months? Perhaps it's instinctive? They are also becoming tired earlier in the night. They used to have about 10-11 hours of sleep but now have 12.

We got Yogie last winter and he didn't want to leave his cage then. Though I don't know whether that's because he was frightened. I don't want to rule out the possibility of illness, however they aren't puffed up and they are eating just as they normally would. Their droppings are normal too.

Thanks for your help!

[kiwi]

Hi freswood,

I'm only talking from personal experience so this is not an experta opinion lol.... my tiel is acting pretty much the same as your Yogie and Archie (love those names) and he is also going through a heavy moult, he tires easily and it a real grump too, the state of my hands at the moment proves that.... luckily he doesn't bite hard enough to break skin. He's normally a cuddly kissy bird. They do go through a time of it when they moult, they get aggitated quickly and look thoroughly miserable poor things. All I have been able to do to help him is make sure he's getting plenty of vitamins and calcium, he doesn't touch his mineral block so I grate it up into his seed and eggfood.

Hope they get back to themselves soon

[Berserka]

It's also coming into breeding season and the boys could be getting hormonal.

[freswood]

That's very reassuring, thanks guys!