Help please - troublesome 3yo quaker

Hi all,

I'm new. I'm in Melbourne and I have a 3 year old blue Quaker called Frankie. We've had him since he was 6 months old. He hasn't been sexed so he's just a he for the sake of it. He is hugely intelligent, funny, talkative, interactive, he plays games and is hugely responsive to human interaction. Frankie free ranges in our house, unless we are out, using baskets as his base which sit on the kitchen bench and dining table, or got moved to wherever we are. He eats seeds, nuts, fruit, veggies, eggs and pellets, plus whatever he sources from our plates. He has regular baths too.

But........Over the past 12 months he has been becoming more and more aggressive. It started with my daughter's friends who come over to play. He would fly at them and chase them around the house. That was easily resolved as I put him in his cage before they came over. Then he started to get a bit aggressive my youngest daughter (8) and my husband. He is fine with me and my eldest daughter 10. When me or my eldest cuddle him, talk to him, pick him up of feed him, he is fine. But if my youngest daughter or husband do, he bites them. Hard. And now when any of us hug, he flies and attacks the person hugging me or my eldest daughter. Or he will torment my youngest by standing in front of her on the bench so she is too scared to eat her lunch or drink her drink. This is a very deliberate action on his part and he is clearly possessive of me and my daughter.

He also does it with my friend and her dog when they come over. He loves my friend and kisses and cuddles her and then deliberately teases the dog, and laughs when the dog can't reach him. The same with our cat, who is disinterested in Frank, but frank will bite at his ears to get him to respond.

He is now becoming destructive. If i leave the room, he files to my handbag and chews it. He has chewed the beanbag, computer, clothes hanging on chairs or the clothes horse. I have tried toys and sticks, grass, branches, balls, bells and other items in his cage but he is not interested. The only toy he likes is his 'buddy' a rope toy that he sleeps with, and boxes with seeds and nuts in them, otherwise he just wants to be with me.

So because he is teasing people, when friends come over I have to put him in his cage because he harasses them, and when I do that he screams intermittently. It's fast becoming a no win situation.

I spoke with a bird breeder in Melbourne a year ago or so (Nikki from Bird Boarding and Brunswick vet) who gave me some training tips. The problem is that he is trained really well and does everything i ask him, or what my eldest daughter asks of him, but refuses with my husband, youngest or guests. I am at a loss as to what to do.

Is this an age thing?

Is this habit possible to break or has it gone too far?

Can I get him a friend, or will this cause further problems?

Or do I rehome him? I think ideally he would suit a single person house as he is clearly territorial with me and my daughter.

Many thanks in anticipation of your help.
Cat

Welcome to the forums, Cat and Frankie! Thanks for an unusually well documented chronicle of the past three years. It may help our experienced quaker parronts give targeted advice.

While I am not at all familiar with the species, (they are illegal in the U.S. state of California) your dilemma may be symptomatic of the transition to maturity. That he was initially well socialized may portend an eventual calming of his disposition, though there are no guarantees! Hormonal activity plays havoc with parrots and can render them obscenely difficult to live with. From the stories I've read, they are incredibly enigmatic little characters. You'll probably enjoy "When Harry met Allee," a remarkable quaker story penned by our SuperModerator Allee: http://www.parrotforums.com/incredi...s-bird-lovers/65239-when-harry-met-allee.html

More to the point are your options. You've well identified the alternatives, though I'm not sure a companion will suffice. I'll let our experienced quaker folks opine. You can also play a waiting game, assuming the culprit are hormones. Certified avian vets can prescribe Lupron injections to mitigate some of the effects. Limiting contact with others and attempting "bite pressure training" may help if you are willing to wait for a change. Last of course, is re-homing. Likely the least desired outcome, but for some a necessity.

You may find some specific threads in the Behavioral section, but I suspect you'll find When Harry Met Allee wonderfully illuminating!

Good luck, and please keep us advised!

Odd, we had a Quaker years and years ago, when my kids were little. At first Brodie loved every one. Then one by one he started bitng the members of the family, until he even would bit me Back then there was no Internet forums to get great advise on,like this one. We ended up re-homing him with a neighbor. PS, we saw him a year later at a block party and he was so tamed he would lie on his back as every one passed him around. Quakers are building birds and build huge communal nests in the wild (one reason they are outlawed in a number of states - there nests can bring down phone and power lines if they get big enough). Try keeping a pile of popcicle sticks in or near his cage - dont be surprised if he barricades himself in one day.

Haha. Can I ask which Melbourne. If Melbourne Australia it's awesome to see another member from here! ! I agree with everything above, it's most likely an age related issue.

Hi William,

Yes, Melbourne Australia....not far from you, Rosanna! We travel between there and spend most of our time in Merrijig.

So I tried the icypole sticks, matchsticks and small twigs today. They were all thrown out of the cage. He really does not like toys which is a bit of a pain. He has never liked them from day one. I always worry he might be bored when we are out.

I read the story about Harry. Frank is certainly not that aggressive (nor does he swear, but he does laugh at inappropriate moments!). But he has his agressive moments. He flies at my husband a lot and shreds a lot of clothes.
Last year, he flew and landed on the floor. My youngest tried to help him by getting him to step up on her finger, which he happily did. He promptly walked up her arm, gave her a kiss and then bit her hard on the face so she bled. Not a great experience for a 7 year old.

We are going overseas for 6 weeks in July. I had entertained the idea of a house sitter, but Frank is a worry. The last house sitter could't even get near the cage. Thankfully it was only 4 days. So I think maybe I might take him to Nikki at Bird Boarding in Coburg. She also takes in birds that have behavioural issues, like cockatoos that screech incessantly, and retrains them and then rehomes them. Perhaps she could do some training with him while we are away. My only concern is that once he is back he will fall into his usual habits, as will we.

Clearly there is something I am not doing right. I think i am not home enough during the day. Or perhaps I don't give him enough attention. With two kids, a husband who is in Melbourne a lot for work, and property/animals to manage, I try to do my best. I'm not sure it is good enough.

Anyway, I guess I'll work something out. Thanks for the input.

Cheers,
Cat