We think he must be between 14 and 22 months old. We adopted him from an ailing old man in early February and in three months he became affectionate and attached to me, though he's never let me pet him with my hands, only my head and face against him.
Yesterday I noticed that while he was settling down on my shoulder for our late evening snuggle time, he was grabbing my lip too hard, not mostly gently like usual, and his eyes were pinning a lot despite still having the fluffy-headed inviting appearance, and he'd pin and either beak-butt me or nip my face or lip. At first I thought he was starting to copy how I go in and kiss his beak, the equivalent for him I guess would be the beak-butting. But this morning, he just won't stop biting at my lips and face, landing on me and immediately and persistently going in for what seems more unambiguously like an attack, hard enough to leave lumps. I've been putting on a coat with a hood to protect my face when he's out. He's asking to come out right now as I sit at my desk next to him, giving me sweet talk and acting like butter wouldn't melt in his beak, which makes me want to scoop him out and pull him right into my face, but when the dinner is ready and I can get him out I don't think I'm not going to trust him near bare flesh.
It sounds like what people describe during a hormonal period but I've not seen any information about hormonal behaviour happening at this particular age. Isn't he too old for the bluffing phase and too young for full maturity? Also, is this even the breeding season or breeding weather for an IRN located in the UK?
Yesterday I noticed that while he was settling down on my shoulder for our late evening snuggle time, he was grabbing my lip too hard, not mostly gently like usual, and his eyes were pinning a lot despite still having the fluffy-headed inviting appearance, and he'd pin and either beak-butt me or nip my face or lip. At first I thought he was starting to copy how I go in and kiss his beak, the equivalent for him I guess would be the beak-butting. But this morning, he just won't stop biting at my lips and face, landing on me and immediately and persistently going in for what seems more unambiguously like an attack, hard enough to leave lumps. I've been putting on a coat with a hood to protect my face when he's out. He's asking to come out right now as I sit at my desk next to him, giving me sweet talk and acting like butter wouldn't melt in his beak, which makes me want to scoop him out and pull him right into my face, but when the dinner is ready and I can get him out I don't think I'm not going to trust him near bare flesh.
It sounds like what people describe during a hormonal period but I've not seen any information about hormonal behaviour happening at this particular age. Isn't he too old for the bluffing phase and too young for full maturity? Also, is this even the breeding season or breeding weather for an IRN located in the UK?