Aggression with Children

[CASTY]

Hi All

My year old conure has always been very friendly and interested in people. She is the only bird in the house with my boyfriend and I. All of her bonding type behaviour to us has been normal. Although recently she has been trying to feed us by vomitting on us and so on. There is no distress in the vommitting behaviour and she is in great health.
Last week the neighbour's child came to visit. Even before the child came into the room where the cage is, she puffed herself up and began to act extremely aggressively. When I took her out the cage, she bit me furiously, screamed, flew to the child and attacked her for absolutely no apparent reason! In the past, she has been wonderful with the same children, docile and sweet but this is the reaction now.
I thought maybe it is some sort of sexual maturity phase where the behaviour could be related to protecting the nest or flock? Has anyone else had trouble with this sort of behaviour? Much appreciated!

 

[MikeyTN]

She feel threatened with the intruder as she is old enough to go through her hormone period. She will come out of it once she's through!

 

[Wings]

As mikey said, hormones, didn't want an intruder... but if i may put my two cents in, I think the bird had a traumatic experience with the child (holding the bird too tightly rough handling, etc.), and is letting her feelings loose. But i could be wrong...hope I helped!

 

[CASTY]

Hi Guys
Interesting you mentioned the traumatic experience.
The child has never actually held her or squeezed or anything untoward, she usually just sits on their shoulders and walks about.
HOWEVER...we were having a braai (barbecue) outside with an adult friend of mine and she flew off into the neighbours property. My boyfriend scaled the fence and got into the neighbours property but the bird had already gone inside the neighbours house! My boyfriend went inside and retrieved her out from under their couch. She was quite traumatised from all of that and all this has started since then so maybe there is a link there? Thanks for your suggestions...I guess she just needs tome to process...never heard of parrot counselling??

 

[suebee]

1st of all poor kid, my nut has had her fair share of my friends children an my grand daughter and son and all are fearful of her now, thing is i trust her more now, not to bite, but the damage has been done. being attacked/hurt by an animal is scary!!

don't look to much into links with events, just think of it in terms of part of your birds growing up stages.
since my son had a growth spert an is now taller then me, nut is fine with him and has even been nice to him
she has calmed her behavior with children, but for the most part i don't let her out when kids are about at home, its not worth the risk to the child or the parents asking for the nut to be put down, because she bit/attacked there child

i would how ever keep having kids about, even if your birdies in her cage when they are about. your birds still a baby, so you just have to show her she has nothing to be jealous about and so on
this has worked for nut and my grand daughter, she can now visit with the nut in cage, and when its bath time, the nut comes out and the 2 kinda keep a frosty safe distance from each other

keep us up dated

 

[Mudkips]

Hi Casty
This seems to be a common problem. This video may help you to understand what you can do to change it.
I hope it helps!
[ame="http://youtu.be/-IUeroC4g28"]Noah Dupuis presents ...... - YouTube[/ame]