My blue front is attaching me!

[Birdfish]

We have a 4 1/2 yr old Blue Front female who seems to have a split personality. One minute, she is sweet and singing, talking and whistling. Then she will fly across the room at my face squawking and trying to bite me. I have had some BAD bites.
I immediately put her in her cage...she'll step up on an oven mitt and bite it on the way to the cage. I don't make eye contact. I refrain from yelling. I cover her and say sternly "don't bite!". I leave her there about 10 minutes, then go back and pretend it never happened and talk sweet again. It's hard, but I'm trying to do what the experts say to do.
My gut feeling is it's hormones and/or she is fighting for my husband's attention and sees me as a threat. Ok. So, how do I battle this unpredictable creature and prove I am a "flock leader"? I'm at the end of my patience.

 

[Tammy]

How long has this been going on? I'm not sure what age they start sexually maturing as my OWA was 11 when I got him & already there. If it is indeed hormonal, I'd have to go with the expert posters on here & limit out of cage time & handling, earlier to bed & lights out to get her out of the breeding time.

I love the mental picture of the oven mitt. When Mr. Precious decided he hated my mother & started announcing "Hurt! Hurt!" prior to attack, she would grab a metal mixing bowl & put it on her head, drop a blanket over her face & run around screaming! I still can't stop laughing about that one.

 

[suebee]

reads like a hormonal thing, my nuts gettin hormonal, so the bites have started again, she'll be hormonal till feb an worse over xmas, its no fun an can cause ALOT of tension. but i do find after watching nut carefully i can spot her intentions an divert it to something less agressive, or give her more space or i tell her don't even think of it!!

i do agree increased cage time as a new routine, not punishment and at least 10/12 hours uninterupted sleep time, nut now only has about 2/3 hours out of cage time in the afternoons and it includes the family meal time before she gets put to bed around 7pm till 7am, when she attacks during her out of cage time, i just tell her off and we all ignore her (leave her be) for a bit, but if she is particuarly hyper, in the cage, till she is over it

certain toys are brilliant for helping your bird release there anger! they will attack it till all there energies are spent, so find out what your bird likes to attack other then you! and place plenty in cage, have some on hand when she is out of the cage to keep her busy and focused not on you!
i let nut have her parrot zooms when she'll fly maddly around the house, for what ever reason, she is a good flyer, so i have no worries about her crashing, this way she can get rid of any excess energy, she has lost interest in toys recently

also have you thought of clipping your bird, over this period, mainly to protect your eyes? the feathers will grow back when they next molt


i just see these few months as my birds gone mad, avoid any triggers that'll cause her to attack, as after the attack, there is always tension and bad feelings from both sides, your bird may look and behave normal after an attack and you be the same but the feelings are still there, so always best to avoid the attack in the 1st place
your bird will grow out of this, its not personal even though it'll feel it!
on my calendar i write PMT over 1 wk per month, to remind my partner if over this said wk he does not pick up his socks etc after himself, all hell will break loose!

 

[oled]

Yes it sounds like hormone

 

[lene1949]

How long has this been going on? I'm not sure what age they start sexually maturing as my OWA was 11 when I got him & already there. If it is indeed hormonal, I'd have to go with the expert posters on here & limit out of cage time & handling, earlier to bed & lights out to get her out of the breeding time.

I love the mental picture of the oven mitt. When Mr. Precious decided he hated my mother & started announcing "Hurt! Hurt!" prior to attack, she would grab a metal mixing bowl & put it on her head, drop a blanket over her face & run around screaming! I still can't stop laughing about that one.

Too funny... lol

 

[MikeyTN]

IF that's the case, I would suggest you to clip her wings! They can be quite dangerous during this period! Especially if she's already doing the fly and attack thing right now. Either that, or just don't be around if your husband is taking her out. If you don't want to clip. I'm not a huge fan of clipping, but I will when it's necessary!

 

[mtdoramike]

I agree with Mikey, get her wings clipped. But by an experienced groomer or vet. Once they clip the wings, she will be looking for someone to console her for at least 30-45 minutes afterward. THAT PERSON NEEDS TO BE YOU AND NOT YOUR HUSBAND! While they are clipping the wings, also have them file the very tip of the beak just enough to knock the point down a little. It doesn't help the biting a whole lot, but it is a tad less painfull. Also get her nails done. This way, if your walking or holding her on your arm and she tries to bite you, twist your arm slightly to throw her off balance. She will be more concerned with trying to get a better grip and less concerned about biting you.

 

[henpecked]

I would suggest not handling her when your husband is around.Make friends with her when he is gone.When with her only give her very short spans of attention , always leave her wanting more from you and don't give her the chance to say she's had enough. There're no guarantees to becoming the flock leader,however a flock leader is usually confident,trustworthy and out going (not to mention fun).

 

[awdee]

OMG I so feel for you. Mine BFA is just like that! This is even before he's mad at me for going on vacation. 1 min he's all sweet and then all of a sudden with no warning...BITE. And a few minutes lately he'd sing or ask me "what are you doing!?" as if nothing happened. OMG I honestly thought he was psychotic. Seriously if this is hormones how long does it last!?!??!

 

[Birdfish]

I would suggest not handling her when your husband is around.Make friends with her when he is gone.When with her only give her very short spans of attention , always leave her wanting more from you and don't give her the chance to say she's had enough. There're no guarantees to becoming the flock leader,however a flock leader is usually confident,trustworthy and out going (not to mention fun).

Hello. Thank you for your advice about my blue-front, Kayla. I'd like to ask you if you've ever had a parrot go into a seizure when toweled for clipping? When Kayla was 3, she had a seizure that started with fast blinking of the eyes, then a long period of constant no-stop squawking, then paranoid, aggressive behavior and walking as if drunk. The vet said he almost had to euthanize her because he felt her body temp was getting too high.
The vet put her on an anti seizure med. She still does the fast eye blinking and goes into a crazed, paranoid state followed by a couple of hours of starring or just being out of it after subsequent nail trims. I'm so afraid of taking her in again for nails for fear of possibly losing her. I tried to trim them when she's real relaxed on her perch, but that only worked twice. She's on to me now. Any suggestions or past experience with this? Thank you!

 

[henpecked]

No i haven't had birds with seizures. Several of my pet zons will play on their back and i take the opportunity to clip a nail or two before they know what's happening.We also use the "safety perches" that are smooth on top and rough on the sides to help wear their nails down.There are many vets who don't towel but use an assistant to hold the bird on it's back. Can you hold the bird? Could you trim nails without it being so traumatic on the bird ?I'd avoid the towelling if it is causing shock or seizures.I don't have an issue with anesthesia , i do this with my breeder and pet birds and have never had an issue, they wake up and have no clue. Wish i could be more helpful.

 

[Dankybirb]

OMG I so feel for you. Mine BFA is just like that! This is even before he's mad at me for going on vacation. 1 min he's all sweet and then all of a sudden with no warning...BITE. And a few minutes lately he'd sing or ask me "what are you doing!?" as if nothing happened. OMG I honestly thought he was psychotic. Seriously if this is hormones how long does it last!?!??!

Did the bird ever start liking u back again

 

[texsize]

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