Strange love-hate behavior

Sootie is having some difficulties and I'm hoping someone here with more experience can help explain what's going on.

She is now about 15 months old and definitely going through puberty.

Not long after i moved back to the uk (and back in with my parents) she selected my mom as her bonded person. She would always still hang out with me and my dad, and was lovey with us, particularly when my mom wasn't around. But when all three of us are home and she is out she would stick to my mum like velcro.

A couple of weeks ago she started biting my mum really aggressively. I'm pretty convinced I know the reason; the weather changed and it feels very springy the last couple weeks. My mum has always had a habit of fondling sootie a bit too much- cuddling under her wings particularly. I think Sootie's instincts have all kicked in and she's getting awfully sexually frustrated that my mum's not getting her pregnant!

It started where Sootie would only attack my mum's hands, and then only now and again. But she would sit happily on her shoulder or thigh and blow her kisses and accept some scratches, but then suddenly would turn and lunge for her hands. She has never shown any aggression towards anyone else.

This morning, sootie had just come out of her sleeper cage and was on my mum's shoulder, when she suddenly lunged for my mom's face and connected with her lip, leaving her with a nasty cut.

Since the biting started, we have enforced a strict policy of 9pm bedtime and no petting anywhere but the head, but despite this she seems to be getting worse and now my mum is too scared to handle her. However, she still makes a beeline right for her when she's out of her cage so right now I can't have her out of her cage at all while my mum's around, which seriously limits how much time she can be out of her cage.

I know it's best to learn to anticipate a bite and prevent it from happening. But her attacks are totally random and we can't work out what, if anything, sets her off.

It's just so weird because she so obviously adores my mum and she seems gutted that she doesn't want to hold her now but I don't want to run the risk of putting them together and having my mum shredded again! Especially as she's now scared of her.


Answers on a postcard please!!

Not sure what posting on a post card is, so will just post here.....

Birds, like dogs, can read our apprehension/fear and will sometimes play on that, but while that possibility is being considered, it sounds like Sootie needs some intensive re-training or first time training in what is acceptable attitude and what is not and your mother will need to be involved in this training, actually, everyone in the household should participate, with Sootie getting more timeouts and probably being banned from shoulders.....

I had a nipping problem soon after I rehomed my Patagonian & though it was my fault both times, I forgot she was on my shoulder and quickly turned my face toward her, startling her, but realized what I was doing and only got a bruised bite mark, one time, the other time I ducked as I turned toward her, but she's like having an African grey on your shoulder, but the point is, if she's bitten while on your shoulder, banning is the safest recourse.....blindness does not correct itself.....

Good luck with yours a Sootie's training program.....