Antics

[thegars]

Our CAG, Debbie is just shy of 3 years old now! Lots of changes! Outstanding vocabulary, got her first “red factor feather”, fully flighted, and busy all day long! The last week has been a tad different, all the sudden she has taken to being a bit nippy towards my wife...actually flying at her....disheartening but hopefully we’ll all figure out something....
Her antics, hanging upside down and grabbing her tail or wing feathers and screaming like someone is killing her! That, she has done since very young..kinda figure, she wants attention...try to ignore, but...
Attention she gets...out of her cage most of the day, perches and swings and fresh air in our screened patio while we are out with her, jungle gym in the house....lots of attention and exercise.
All kinds of different foods and pellets, no seeds, she has no interest in seeds...
Wondering if maybe hormonal! Understand we don’t know or care her actual sex, she’s just Debbie!
Any hints?

 

[thegars]

Btw, there are times when she’ll droop her wing, chortle and even regurgitate...when that happens, I ignore her and put her on a perch or into her cage for a few....understand, I have never given her any petting other than on fer head and cheeks...

 

[Tami2]

Hello,

Levi is 3. I got him as a baby and he was an absolute Love. He was out of the cage when ever we were home. He also has a ton of very nice hang outs. The change in his behavior happened after I allowed his flight feathers to grow in. After reading all the pros & cons of being flighted. For his benefit and overall wellbeing I let his feathers grow. Much to my dismay, once he was fully flighted he got nasty. I asked around my local bird shops and his Vet and they all agreed, it was happening now b/c he is no longer as independent.
And here I was doing it for all the right reasons, his emotional, physical and psychological wellbeing and he was lashing out. I was beside myself. I changed many things to no avail. It wasn't until I took away a lot of his out of cage time that I saw a change in his behavior. I will tell you, it broke my heart as we had a pretty regular routine. Leaving him caged was tough on both of us. However, now when I take him out in the late afternoon he is a love bug again. So, in essence some tough love is truly working.

I will also add, that if he starts flying at us and attacking us, I will not think twice about clipping him. I will not tolerate that.

I'm sorry you are experiencing this, b/c I know exactly how you are feeling. It is truly a heartbreak. :smile016:
Best of luck to you all. I sincerely hope you can get this resolved. :heart:

 

[thegars]

Thanks for your insight..I too, allowed Debbie to become flighted for the very reasons you explained...kinda the same results....it’s not like she goes on attack...but will fly at us expecting to be caught. The nipping happened for a week or so one other time, and went away completely and just started up again last week....the hanging upside down and yelling, that’s been since forever...

 

[Grash0perC]

So you didn't allow them to grow in their flight feathers until they were a few years old? I don't plan on ever clipping Davy's but I would like to avoid this behavior change :/ maybe it's different if they grow up flying instead of gaining the ability later on?

 

[Tami2]

Levi is my first parrot. When I went to pick him up, the breeder clipped him without asking me. Than during our many Vet visits she was very pro clipping and gave me all the reasons to keep him clipped. It wasn't until I joined the forum when I finally read the other side. Once I understood it is healthier for them, I let them grow. To this day his Vet doesn't approve. She feels it is much safer for him to be clipped. I do understand both sides of the argument.

 

[thegars]

Actually flighted since she was about 1 year old....I got her at 14 weeks...and she was clipped when I got her...has been flighted since her first molt...

 

[Grash0perC]

I have big tall ceilings and a very open concept house, I want him to be able to take advantage of it. No clipping for Davy.

 

[bigfellasdad]

Debbie is hormonal, she has chosen you. Enzo does this a lot but I just tell her I love her and try and distract her by walking with her on my shoulder and take interest in something else. Maybe offer food or water. I used to put her in the cage when she does this but then she associated the cage to 'sexy time' and started acting hormonal whenever I put her in the cage.


I feel so sorry for her when she is like this. Just show her you love her but ignore her advances by no contact when she starts

Not sure if this is the correct way but just the way i deal with it.

 

[DRB]

The regurgitating is most likely a sign of affection. The flying toward someone might be too.

My Perjo almost 4 and regularly takes unscheduled flights to come looking for me around the house.

 

[thegars]

I am sure she is flying towards us as affection...and the more we think and talk about it....after all, she whistles and yells when my wife leaves the room and then takes off looking for her...the thing we noticed this week is if we don’t “duck” she quits flying at her and flys to her....but she will still on occasion sit on my wife’s hand and then all of a sudden reach down and give her a nip, laugh and fly off...hopefully we’re on the right track.

 

[DRB]

I carry Perjo around on my hand 3-4 times a day and she nips at me at least 2-3 times during the day. I believe they know their own nips and bites.

 

[Squeekmouse]

Trigger was raised by a woman who strongly believed in keeping birds flighted, and so do we. We also have a house with tall ceilings (open to the second story) and a big open family area. Our boys love having all the space to fly around in, I've got no doubt it's best for their health and happiness. Plus, there's something magical about having these beautiful creatures of the air living with us and flying down to be with us. I'd hate to take that away.

Trigger definitely does the dangling and screaming and sometimes flying around screaming like a maniac. I've no doubt it's just his way of having fun and being silly. He does try to land on our heads or land on Yoda and both of these things are absolutely forbidden. We say firmly NO! and dodge/dislodge him immediately, and for a short time afterwards he gets a time-out (ignored or cage-time or left out of the family fun). He gets nippy sometimes but we're working on bite-pressure training and he's learning.

African Greys are so darn smart, with patience, time, love and consistency I have no doubt they can learn just about anything... well... anything a 4 year old could do.

 

[thegars]

Update...not much has changed....screams like hell when my wife leaves the room, yet flies at her, beak open....but will also sit and chat with her on the table in our lanai... poor wife is so hurt when she gets bit....
She’s out of her cage most of the time...outside in our lanai when we’re out with her..or on her cage top or jungle gym....aerobatics are so good that when she decides she doesn’t want to go in her cage...she will get on my hand get close, fly away and laughs...brat!
Debbie is definitely a challenge...a beautiful red butt challenge!

 

[thegars]

Ok...it’s been a while...Debbie has a vocabulary that exceeds some people I know...but man can she be a handful! She’s still flighted..and will still fly at my wife, land on her reach out, bite and take off! The ruse is...she will fly to wherever my wife is and sit and watch her and adoringly look and chatter with her...it seems that she only goes on the “attack” when my is doing something...eating, reading picking up her tablet etc....She HAS to be the center of attention! Frustrating to say the least...and she still yells constantly if we leave the room and she can hear us...
Note that if we leave the house she quiets down and goes about her routine in her cage...we have cameras set up so we know this s the case...lol
Still need to figure out what to do...we did clip her wings sometime after my last post...settled her down but...really would rather her be flighted and healthy...

 

[Squeekmouse]

Trigger just turned 2 years old and he's got all kinds of hormones happening. His behavior is a lot like what you describe with Debbie, including the amazing vocabulary. Perhaps some of what we have learned with Trigger could help you out:

1. Trigger flies at me and gets VERY aggressive if I approach or touch anything on his playgym or inside his cage if he is nearby. Seems very territorial but only with me. He doesn't mind my husband doing the same things, at all. So I try to avoid reaching into his cage or touching anything on his playgym when he is nearby. IF I absolutely must, I do so moving very slow and carefully, any quick motions set him off immediately.

2. When Trigger is excited (especially when he first comes out of his cage) he is most prone to launch at me if I am not looking at him. So I make a point of looking at him and talking to him for a while when he comes out, usually my husband will help him focus and calm down by doing some target/clicker/trick training with him for about 10 minutes. This usually helps him to chill out.

3. I've worked on some target and clicker training with Trigger myself, it was like a miracle. After 5 minutes of this, Trigger is like a totally different bird. No aggression, no flying attacks. It's like he got his 'fix' from me and then he's happy.

4. Finally, last emergency option. If I wear a hat, Trigger will not fly at me at all. He really hates people wearing hats and will avoid me if I wear one.

I hope some of this helps.

 

[noodles123]

Your bird COULD be hormonal, but TAG/CAG parrots usually mature slowly in that department. That is not to say that there can't be some hormones mixed in, but sexual maturity if not near at this point. THAT HAVING BEEN SAID, you want to establish a non-sexual relationship now (abiding by the same rules you would at sexual maturity) as they are sensitive to change, and if something will eventually become inappropriate, you do not want to encourage that dynamic, even if they are too young to be fully sexual. 4-6 years is official sexual maturity, but hormones kick in earlier...and old habits die hard, so remember that when relating to your parrot (even if he/she is young).

 

[thegars]

Been very careful to only mess with Debbie’s head area and feet....never back, wings...etc...she doesn’t buzz me, only my wife...and only if she isn’t paying attention....my wife can pick her up, get hand shakes touch her head...pretty much everything I can do..even scratch her head if she sings to her...lol...Debbie will yell and go looking for her when she leaves the room...btw...Debbie is out of her cage most of the day...
We do have work arounds...and can keep her from biting...it would be nice to know that the sounds of her wing flapping was because she just wants to be with us..not a nip and fly off...also...the nips are not always the end result, just sometimes...

 

[thegars]

Btw...Debbie will be 4 in about a month...

 

[Squeekmouse]

I know just how your wife feels, I hate flinching when I hear the wings flap.

Trigger only attacks me if I am not paying attention to him. Sounds like the same thing with Debbie and your wife. So really I just have to be sure to give 5 or 10 minutes of attention to Trigger when he first comes out (or I first come into his area). Just sitting with him on my knee and talking to him is all it takes. I also urge trying the clicker and target training, it serves the same purpose: giving him undivided attention for a little while. But the clicker training is even more effective because it calms him and focuses him and it's a very nice bonding experience. After investing that 5 or 10 minutes, I get hours of happy, non-attacking bird time.