A very scary fight between my two birds today

[bpenniman]

I tried putting my conure's cage in the same room as my amazon today. It didn't work out when I tried it before. My amazon tried attacking my conure and bit me up real good in the meantime last time I tried it. This time my conure flew out of his cage when I opened the door and dove at my amazon. She returned with flying onto my back and trying to bite me. She was screeching the whole time. She had no way of staying on my back so she fell down. Then she flew at me again and I ducked. I managed to put a dirty t-shirt around my conure and quickly got out of the room. I had to use a towel to put around Lucy, my amazon. I got them both back in their cages and moved my conure's cage back into the other room. They absolutely hate each other, so I will never try that again. I am still shaken up from that attempted attack by Lucy. I have been debating giving them both away. I can't stand getting bitten and I am now terrified of getting bitten. This has not been a good day.

 

[Kiwibird]

I'm sorry to hear your birds don't get along Plenty of parrot owners deal with the same issue (and hopefully will chime in with ideas on how to better handle). We've all been there (being bitten/attacked) and while I know the 'fear' is still fresh right now, I'm sure you don' actually want to give them away. Being bitten is just part of bird ownership. It happens.

Curious if your amazon is stick trained? Being amazons have notoriously bad attitudes (at times) and big beaks, it is essential they be stick trained to help safely gain control of a potentially dangerous situation. Even normally very sweet, loving zons have their moments where they need to ride on the stick instead of the hand. Dive bombing is an issue best dealt with by clipping. It is an instant attitude adjustment for them and not permanent if you wish for your bird to be flighted long term (just lasts long enough to reinforce better behavior in the bird, a year or so until the clipped feathers molt out). Curious what other training you've done/been doing with your amazon to reinforce positive interactions/compliance with commands? Zons are the type of bird who need to have a leader and to learn acting out aggressively yields consequences (such as a time out or step up drills). They are not like some of the more 'emotionally sensitive' parrots who must have only positive interactions. Sometimes they must be put in their place by the "flock leader" (that would be you) to keep the peace in the home.

 

[jan788]

I would be so shaken up too!!! I have scars from my two Amazons biting me. Now I'm terrified too. How long have you had the conure and the amazon?

 

[thekarens]

Unfortunately it's mostly guaranteed that at some point you will be bitten. It's part of the nature of owning parrots.

 

[henpecked]

I've found that if a zon forms an opinion about another bird,,, it rarely changes. I have several that hate each other and are very clever at finding ways to seek each other out. I've learned to live with it and have 9 zons in the house. it can be done. Another reason i advise only getting a second parrot for your self and never as a companion for your pet parrot.

 

[bpenniman]

She is still mad at me right now. fanning her tail out and eyes pinning when I walk near her. I don't know why she takes it out on me though? The weird thing is I had her wings clipped just a couple months ago and she still flew at me. I guess I'll have to find a new vet to clip her wings. She is still shaken up. Yesterday, I was so mad I was like, "that's it, i'm giving you both away, but I've calmed down a bit now. Any tips on how to mend a relationship with my zon?

 

[JerseyWendy]

..... The weird thing is I had her wings clipped just a couple months ago and she still flew at me. I guess I'll have to find a new vet to clip her wings. .....

Clipped birds SHOULD be able to fly somewhat. If they simply drop to the ground, then the wings were butchered, which is dangerous as they could break their keel bone on impact.

 

[Scott]

She is still mad at me right now. fanning her tail out and eyes pinning when I walk near her. I don't know why she takes it out on me though? The weird thing is I had her wings clipped just a couple months ago and she still flew at me.

They say elephants have long memories. So do parrots! Some of what you are experiencing can be described as "displacement" anger. Your Zon did not have complete freedom to harass your Conure, so the next target becomes you. Illogical perhaps, but similar behavior is apparent with humans.

Being bitten by parrots is part of the experience, but stick training your Zon is crucial. Gonzo, my BFA and first bird turned nasty and remains so. He has a huge cage, lots of toys, and is very entertaining to speak to as he chatters back with pleasure. But I cannot handle him short of a stick, and he is very compliant. He gets lots of time on a playstand by himself. Other birds will occasionally land on his cage and he seems to enjoy the company, but he will never have the opportunity to touch them.

Please don't make an emotional decision to rehome both parrots! Give it time, and condition your Zon to be safely handled, most likely with a long stick!!

 

[SoCalWendy]

My Senegal almost ripped my parrotlets beak off. Kiwi (parrotlet) always instigated every confrontation. But the last one was the worst. She ended up hiding under the sofa with Rio looking for a way to get to her. I was at work when it happend, my daughter was alseep. It was my husbands fault as he left them unattended. He went screaming and running, waking my daughter up with all the commotion. I have since rehomed Rio. She is in a great home with a red bellied parrot as a friend. Kiwi has recovered. Her beak is growing out. It looked pretty bad for a while, but it healed. It is a scary scene when it happens. I've seen them rolling around before. I had kiwi (2 months) longer than Rio, but they were the same age, born same month and year. I got Kiwi at 8 weeks and Rio 16 weeks. They hated each other from day 1.

 

[LeaKP]

MyGCC and CAG aren't friends but they tolerate one another's presence fine. No aggression. I won't ever let them be together alone.

Be with each one separately and always make sure to keep them apart. In time they will get used to routine and it will calm down.

Stick training is key and not letting them be in control, even with biting you are in control. There are lots of threads on training here. Hope it works out!