Buddie thinks he is a pit Bull

[Buddies_mommy]

My heart is breaking. Buddie my Sun Conure is 2 years and 3 months old now. He was 4 months old when I bought him. I know they go thru the terrible 2s.
He is my bird. He tolerates my husband and oldest son. He hates everyone else. I have 3 other teenagers Buddie screaches at. He flew off my shoulder and attacked my youngest son yesterday twice. Even when they walk into the room he screaches at them and bites me. I love my bird, but am seriously worried about his temper with the kids. Please give me a magic solution.
Buddie spends a lot of time on my shoulder and out of the cage, but his cage time is increasing due to not being able to have him out when the kids are home due to his behavior.
My husband wants me to give Buddie up, that will break my heart.

 

[Terry57]

Maybe you could have your kids that Buddie is attacking to take turns sitting by his cage and talking quietly to him, and offering treats (while he is in his cage). Hopefully he will come to see that they are not threats to either you or him, and stop attacking. It sounds like he is trying to protect you.

 

[sonja]

Argh, why would you call this behavior "like a pit bull"?? Sorry, pet peeve of mine. Pit bulls are generally gentle, people-loving creatures, who do not attack when someone walks in the room.

I hope you find an answer for your bird, but please stop propagating false negative stereotypes of the world's most maligned dog breed.

 

[Kiwibird]

It sounds like the onset of puberty to me, which is a perfectly natural, normal and manageable part of owning a bird. Lots and lots of threads on how to deal with hormonal behavior, especially hormonal aggression. Buddy is essentially becoming a "teenager" and is "acting out" as such. The way parrots experience puberty and hormones/mating instincts is very different from how other pets like dogs and cats do. They can be aggressive and at times, just need to be left alone or they WILL bite/attack you or a non-preffered human. They are behaviorally VERY different than dogs and cats, who have been bred down thousands of generations to only display desirable traits. Parrots are typically only a couple generations out of the wild, and as such, are still very much wild animals. It catches many parrot owners off guard when the bird "suddenly turns vicious" after several years of being a "well behaved and sweet bird" when it was a juvenile. Before rehoming him, please research the topic. I think you will find there are probably several things you may not realize you're doing that could exacerbate this kind of behavior, and that Buddy really needs to be socialized so he can 'tolerate' ALL household members. Most birds who pass from home to home are rehomed the first time around the age they hit puberty because many owners have no idea it's coming, nor what to do about it. A lot of people also don't understand how important socialization is so the bird is at least not aggressive towards everyone but the 'favored' human, and at best is friendly to everyone. I would also strongly suggest you look into some training programs, and get the whole family involved in re-training Buddy so he can be a feathered family member instead of an "aggressive feathered nuisance".

 

[Kiwibird]

Argh, why would you call this behavior "like a pit bull"?? Sorry, pet peeve of mine. Pit bulls are generally gentle, people-loving creatures, who do not attack when someone walks in the room.

I hope you find an answer for your bird, but please stop propagating false negative stereotypes of the world's most maligned dog breed.

When I think of a "pitbull" behaviorally, I can only think about my MIL's pit who's only goal in the world was to play with her favorite ball. Never barked and certainly never bit. She didn't even enjoy 'roughhousing' with the other dogs (a lab and 2 lab-mixes). She loved EVERYONE and was a kind, gentle creature until the moment she passed.

 

[OneHorseRanch]

My vet warned me of the hormonal change. He told me when he gets to that stage in life to just let him be for a while. Maybe a couple of weeks. He'll get over it and feel a bit lonely and will want company again. He is mostly in the kitchen area, so he wont be totally alone. Vet was more concerned with pushing the handling issue and losing his trust in use. Sheldon is just over a year old. I think we have a few months till we hit the terrible twos. Hope I'm ready for it.

Keep us posted on the progress.

 

[Anansi]

I agree with Terry. While the situation is likely exacerbated by the onset of hormones, the fact that he is leaving you, your husband and one of your children alone and going after anyone else who approaches you leads me to believe that this is, at heart, either a protective behavior or one fueled by jealousy.

While in this hormonal stage, you might not be able to completely cut out his aggressive antics, but hopefully you'll be able to curb them to a more acceptable level.

Unfortunately, I fear there is no magic solution. It will likely take some time. Reward good behavior. When he acts out aggressively, you will have to be the one to take him and put him on timeout.

If possible, and if one of your "targeted" family members is willing, let one of them be the "good guy" who let's him out after 10 minutes or so. This likely won't work overnight, but if you're consistent it may eventually bring things under control.

Good luck, and please keep us updated.

 

[Buddies_mommy]

Thank you for the advise! I am going to try to get the youngest to work with Buddiewhile he is in his cage giving him Grapes..his favorite treat! I also plan on him opening his cage so maybe Buddie will think he is a good guy.
Who knew Parrots were complicated. My heart led me to a pet I knew little about.

 

[drj130]

Who knew Parrots were complicated. My heart led me to a pet I knew little about.

That has happened to use all