Aggressive Bird

Coffeelover

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My bf has a sun conure (named Pedro) that lives at his parents house and is VERY VERY attached to his dad. His dad let Pedro do WHATEVER he wants and even takes Pedro outside with NO LEASH. But for the past couple of months Pedro has gotten aggressive. Pedro will bite anyone that isn’t my bf or his parents I understand he is attached to them because he lives with them but now Pedro is starting to dislike my bf’s mom a little because she is the only one who punishes him when he does something he isn’t supposed to do. He likes my bf’s dad because he lets Pedro do whatever he wants and when we told him to get a cage for him so we can put him in it for when he is misbehaving he was totally against it. At thanksgiving Pedro bit a child and bit a family member on the lip and they didn’t do nothing to the bird. My bf wanted to put Pedro in a separate room away from everyone else but his dad didn’t want to AND Pedro didn’t want to either. Pedro even attacked the tv thinking it was a person in the house. I can’t even get near him anymore because he will just attack me and I’m one of the first people to take care of him but I can’t even put my finger near him or else he will just bite my finger off (and he has bit my finger before when I was try to touch him). I’m worried because his dad takes the bird EVERYWHERE with no leash what so ever and I’m scared he might fly to a person and bite them and they ended up killing him. Also Pedro HATES being in any cage and I’ve never met a bird that doesn’t like their cage. He will make a bunch of noise and try to chew through the bars.
 
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charmedbyekkie

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Oh goodness, any response to this cannot ignore the fact that this issue hinges on your relationship with your bf and his family.

We can give advise on how to work with a bird, but you need to decide how you want to handle your relationship with not just your bf but also his dad in addition to the impact on your bf's relationship with his dad.

Not sure you want relationship advice...?
 

Jen5200

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Wow, sounds like Pedro is having some issues. Do you know how old Pedro is? It could be hormones if he’s hitting puberty.

I’ll share my thoughts, this is only my opinion though. I have several concerns after reading your description.... it worries me a LOT that Pedro goes everywhere with no restraint, so easy for a bird to get scared and attack or take off (both could result in a hurt or dead conure).

I strongly believe that birds need boundaries to understand acceptable behaviors - they’re much like toddlers in my opinion. Most punishments don’t work very well with birds in my experience. I would start de-sensitizing him to his cage - it feels pretty necessary to be able to put him in it on occasion for his safety or others. If it’s used only as a punishment space, it is unlikely to ever be somewhere that he likes or goes willingly. Perhaps feeding him all meals in the cage, with the door open, or his favorite treats are only available in the cage - and taking baby steps towards it being a place where good things happen and he doesn’t get locked in every time he goes into the cage. Curiosity - does he sleep in a cage?

The biting behaviors are tough - I have 2 conures that were terrible biters when I got them. There’s lots of threads here with different strategies to tackle biting. Mine are both mostly reformed now, and seldom bite anymore. It takes a lot of time and patience, and consistency to establish new boundaries. Your bf’s dad would have to be willing to help set those boundaries since he appears to be the favorite person. Take a read through some of the biting threads - most of them are in the conure sub-forum. Not sure what to suggest for a strategy, as he lives with parents that may not be on board with trying to correct the behavior....please let us know how we can help....
 
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Coffeelover

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Any advice is welcome, me, my bf and my bf’s mom try to tell his dad to keep the bird home and don’t take him out the house but he doesn’t listen and about the biting problem, his dad does not punish the bird at all it’s crazy! My bf tried talking to his dad but he is too stubborn to take any advice
 
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Coffeelover

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When I tell you Pedro hates his cage, he REALLY HATES his cage he won’t stop unless he is out and will keep chewing the bars and if we leave the cage open he will just come out and won’t go back in. He doesn’t even sleep in the cage, he is sooo used to being outside of it and he used to like being in his cage months ago now he absolutely hates it. He would even sleep on the couch. I don’t understand why he all of a sudden behaves like that because nothing happened to him when he used to like his cage
 
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Laurasea

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Do NOT punish a parrot! Biting is a parrot communication , because all other communication has failed.

It sounds like this parrot has no safe place, no place that is his own and that he can relax.

My parrots who are well socialized, would not be able to handle a large group of unknown people either. Parrots are not dogs. They make individual assessment of who they like and don't like. They do form strong bonds to their people. They can be socialized to accept respectful new people within limitations.

I'm sure something did happen. Parrots are sensitive. See if you can get your freind to join our community. I'm going to post a few links to great articles I hope you read and share.

https://lafeber.com/pet-birds/stress-reduction-for-parrot-companions/

So you think your bird hates you article
https://petcentral.chewy.com/think-your-pet-bird-hates-you/

https://lafeber.com/pet-birds/bird-behavior/
 
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RemiBird

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I think Dad needs to change the way he handles Pedro first. If Dad doesn't want to change, nothing will help.
Pedro probably got overwhelmed with all these people around him. It also sounds like he got overprotective towards Dad. Parrots can become one person birds.
Pedro needs gentle training, no punishments. First off, he needs to learn that a cage is his "Cool off" spot where he can relax, eat, and sleep when he is overwhelmed. Then, is he getting enough sleep hours?
I can't believe that Dad actually takes him outside without a cage or a harness. :eek:At any point, Pedro can get spooked and fly off. No matter how tame he is.
 

noodles123

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Does this bird have access to any shadowy spaces (such as huts, hammocks, tents, pillows, blankets, bedding, low ledges, under furniture, under clothing etc)? If so, cut that out immediately. Aggression is often hormonal and even the slightest cave-like space can trigger unexpected aggression. Get rid of anything like that...
Pet ONLY on the head and neck...same deal (hormones).
Do not ever "punish" a bird (no swatting, covering, yelling, spraying..all=very bad as punishment). They don't get it and covering etc have important places in a healthy sleep routine. Do praise the good and ignore the bad (if you aren't sure what is motivating the "bad"), or, if you know what caused the bad, do the opposite of what the bird wants--only if you are 100% of the behavior's purpose/function (e.g., it screams for a treat, you do not give the treat).
Make sure he is getting proper nutrition and at least 12 hours of solid, uninterrupted sleep nightly (this is key for hormonal regulation and immune system function).
Make sure he has been to the vet recently for a full workup (CBC, possible vitamin panel and gram stain).
Make sure he is eating a proper diet without too much sugar or junk---this can also lead to issues. Is he eating pellets, seeds or both? If so, what kinds?
Letting him outside without a harness is very bad news---it doesn't matter how bonded he is--if something scares him and he takes flight, he will be startled and keep flying and then not know how to get back or be too frightened to do so (MANY BIRDS ARE LOST TO THIS PRACTICE all the time).
 
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Coffeelover

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That’s the thing I would literally just sit next to my bf while he is holding the bird and he would attack me for no reason and I did nothing at all. And this would happen when there is not a lot of people in the house. By punishment I meant being put in the cage but if we do that he goes crazy. He does have a safe space, his dad even told us he is only aggressive when even one person that he doesn’t know comes into the house. Just the other day Pedro was by the window and my bf was just talking to his dad and Pedro out of nowhere flew to my bf and attacked his face and my bf wasn’t even near the bird he was just talking to his dad.
 
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Coffeelover

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Pedro does have a hut which we all told my bf’s dad to get rid of and put him the cage but he refuses because Pedro doesn’t like it.
 

noodles123

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Pedro won't like the hut removal initially because it is like a nest, but it has to go. This is so hormonal and your boyfriend's dad needs to understand that it is emotionally and socially harmful to the bird to allow this to continue (it's like a weird addiction/natural impulse that cannot be indulged without intentions of sex)--- plus, it is upsetting human relationships (and parrots can do that just fine without hormonal influences).

The bird is defending your boyfriend as though it is his mate, which means he is acting partly on hormones and instinct---but the hut and human behaviors can make or break this relationship. You have to remove the triggers and make sure that your boyfriend does not reward these "attack" behaviors with more attention etc. If anything, he should leave the room when it happens, or personally put the bird in its cage without interacting with it during this time (as any attention from him will be a reward/affirmation of the behavior). Mostly though, PRAISE PRAISE PRAISE when he interacts with you properly--- you should give a special treat that your boyfriend does not give...and you guys need to really encourage positive interactions when they happen.
 
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18WheelsOfSteel

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I agree, "punishment" doesn't really work for birds, they don't work like that, denying them social interaction works, because they want that, but really the best way to decrease unwanted behavior is to encourage behavior that is desirable by way of training, plenty of good threads here and videos on YouTube about that topic.
 
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Coffeelover

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We will try but me and my bf don’t live there unfortunately. Pedro lives at my bf’s parent’s house so all we can do is tell his parents but seems like that won’t work.
 
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Coffeelover

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Well you guys got a call and Pedro flew away SMH his dad took him outside AGAIN with no leash. Apparently his dad took him to his uncle mechanic shop and a noise scared him and he flew away while it was raining really hard outside ��
 

noodles123

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:( Oh no...
Try having his dad hang out/call out in that area with treats and familiar items--same w/ bf (anyone he really likes). Also, put up fliers and post on parrot 911 and facebook.
 

noodles123

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he can try at night but 1st sign of light is a must, as that is when the bird will be most alert-- if he does it at night, a bright light will help.
Don't give up-- sometimes it takes a long time...That having been said, do not procrastinate on this one.
 
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Jen5200

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I agree with everything that noodles said...hope you guys can be out there at first light, hopefully with people that he is fond of. Please don’t give up on looking for him, it’s not his fault that he was out without precautions being taken.
 

1oldparroter

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I am 71, married and fairly private. I have PM privileges but prefer the phone. Printed messages, are so limited. jh
I am new here, I am 70 myself and this is firstly about "us" being owned by our pets and people type relations. Your bf left the bird at his parents and "dad" is head of household and its his rules in his house. Does your boyfriend want to own the bird? 1st thing is to decide whose house the bird lives at and then whose rules apply. jh
PS: just an opinion for reference. jh
 

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