Conure help

[Fenris Lupa]

Hello everyone, it's been a while since I've posted and it's sad to say I no longer have my duck. She passed away. But we just recently got a 6 month old pineapple conure back in November. And with any animal, I Kno it's a learning experience and you learn a lot as you go.

Here's my problem.

We got him when he was 6 months old, like I said in November, and have had no issues at all. He's been very loving and cuddling. And now, all of a sudden, he's biting and attacking. It started with just a bite here and there. Then, literally out of nowhere, he started puffing up and attacking my boyfriend. And I keep reading to pay attention to what may be triggering him, but we will just be sitting watching TV, nothing out of the ordinary and he attacks him, even flys at him and attacks. And he seems fine with me most of the time, but he's bitten me so hard twice in the past 2 days, he's broke skin and made me bleed.

We're doing what we've been able to research online. Firmly say no, and push down on his beak, not hard, but when we try that he attacks and bites so hard, and he won't let go. So we put him in his cage and don't interact with him. He even starts to attack the cage if we go near it. But is there something more we can do? Are we doing this correctly? And I Kno it's not going to be an overnight thing, but I don't understand where any of this came from.
Like I said, he was loving towards both of us, more to me, but nothing has been done to him to make him afraid or upset.

So any info and advise would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

 

[Shadowfire]

When baby parrots or other large birds (llamas too) are taken away from their parents too early and hand-fed by humans, they usually get too much human interaction; this can lead to dominance issues, including aggression. In most cases, this can't be helped- but it's still unknown what the cause is in this case, so you still have a chance. Best of luck! Maybe someone more educated with this behavioral problem can help. Have you taken him for checkups lately? Aggression can also stem from pain or discomfort.

 

[GuineaFowling]

You’re bird is likely just maturing out of the baby phase. This is a big part of the reason why I am not interested in bringing home babies anymore because the baby stage is misleading. It results in a lot of parrots being rehomed the minute they grow out of it.

Some of My conures have gone through this bitey phase as well.

First, I’d like to address the cage aggression. Some birds are just super territorial and will always bite if you go near their cage. A solution to this would simply be to use a perch to remove bird from cage when cleaning or refilling food/water.

I’d highly suggest you train your bird if you are not already doing so. Sometimes they bite because they aren’t getting enough enrichment and mental stimulation. Start off with basic target training using his favorite treat as a reward. You can then move forward to more complex tricks.

He will also need lots of toys. Every bird has a different preference for what kind of toys they like. One of my birds loves shreddable toys. The other likes plastic and metal toys. And they all like foraging toys (acrylic and homemade alike). Buy a few toys to see what he likes. Also don’t be surprised if he’s scared of them and won’t touch them at first. I always acclimate my birds to their toys before putting them in the cage, and even then they sometimes still are afraid of them for a couple days.

After all this, if he’s still a bitey boy; it is likely that he has reached sexual maturity and you are his “chosen” person and your boyfriend is competition. He will attack anyone who he thinks is trying to get to you, if you know what I mean. I’ve found that my conures always grow out of this hormonal stage (until next breeding season that is). Just keep up with the training and have your boyfriend train him as well. I use a word on my birds when they get particularly bitey too. I tell them gentle and tap them on the beak. If they continue to act out, they go into the time out cage. Not their usual cage because they can sometimes associate biting with going back to to their cage and start biting you when they want to go back. I don’t leave them in their for longer than a couple minutes tho! Parrots are very similar in mental and intellectual capacity as toddlers. Do not do anything to them you wouldn’t do to a toddler and that includes locking them in a cage! After a while, hearing gentle is enough for them to stop biting.

Good luck! I hope your birdo gets over this phase quickly!

 

[AngieMaesChix]

I’m gonna go with hormones it’s that time of year...I always call it “h**ny” time lol...be careful not to stimulate no scratching under wings down back or around bottom area..everything above poster has said could be an/the issue and the ideas are great...but given breed and age and time of year it’s a good indication of hormones

 

[Serin]

Inevitable with a single male parrot hitting puberty. The next few months will be rough. You need to avoid encouraging biting by reacting, ignoring it will make him less interested in biting. Conures are a species that does much better with another parrot mate than being kept singly, and most issues will be avoided if you keep two.