The terrible two's...in birds???

[froggfeathers]

Hi. If I sound a little desperate, I am. And thanks in advance for your help oh wise bird people.

Indi is a 2 yr old sun conure who has been with us since he was a wee babe. Up 'till now, all has been well. Now, not so much. I have read and read the posts here and have been learning quite a lot, but I need specific help before this bird and I have to see a counselor.

The situation is this. He normally spends his days with my daughter in her *office* where she spends most of her time. He has a separate small cage for sleeping in her bedroom.

Well, she is about to leave for college and much to her dismay, he can't go.

I don't want him alone in her room, so I bought a third cage and put it in the living area where I spend most of my time. His bed-time cage will move to my room and he will stay in her *office* when I am away because I can close the door and ensure his safety. Sounded good to me. Indi doesn't think so.

The problems:

Since moving him to the living area cage, he has become a scoundrel for sure.

He's actually showing some aggression and

he is screaming constantly. He does his *where are you* scream even when he is looking right at me and then he has this tantrum thing that he throws.

He yells at me when I go into his cage to do food and and water and sometimes even when I offer him my finger to come out and play with me.

He's even starting to bite a little and before he does he does this little grunty squacky thing that I relate to a dog's growl.


Attempted solutions:

My daughter says to not talk to him when he screams. I've read many takes on that intervention here on the forum, but it doesn't work.

When he throws his fit, I will cover him for a time out and that seems to work, but it's not my favorite.

The nipping? I have no idea.

The yelling when I go into his cage? Not a clue.

One thing I have been doing that seems to be helping is playing with his toys with him in his living room cage. He likes that, but I can't just stand there for hours doing that.

The last thing to tell you is that he and I have always gotten along just fine to the point where my daughter has whined that Indi likes me better than her. I don't know if that's true, but we have been spending time together since he was a baby.

Oh, also, in case it matters, I don't know if Indi is male or female, we just decided he seemed like a he and he is on a pellet diet with little nut/fruit/seed treats. He won't take treats from your hand, so food is not a training tool option.

Thanks so much. Any help is appreciated.

Mel - Indi's soon to be surrogate mom

 

[suebee]

you are doin fine!!! the terrible 2's are nothing to be laughed at!

for now go slow, his cage = his space so they can get defensive over that

growling as with dogs is a very clear warning to back off, so at the 1st signs back off! if you keep ignoring this they will attack! if letting him out of his cage, let him step out etc put a perch on the inside of the door etc
(signs, turning of head or body = passive, lowered head wings parted = don't you even think about it, growling = i told you so!)

he is still adjusting to his new routine

i have tried many techniques with the nut, some worked for so long an then she reverted back to being the winged demon she was!!!

is indi clipped?? or flighted

as for him throwing a fit?? what do you mean, i generally leave nut be when she's on one, as once its outta her system, she's over whatever it is lol

try to continue playin with him with his toys with him, he feels safe when you do this, hence his interaction with you, and when he is relaxed then try taking him out of his cage, if he does not want to, then let him be, or just ask him to step up but continue playin

try introducing some fresh veg as well, corn on cob is a wonderfull thing! its a food, time killer an toy, plus a shredding toy for anger release

as for screaming, depending on nuts scream i will chat back or just ignore when i am in the room with her

also 10hrs sleep!! leave in your daughters room covered while she is away, they really need there sleep!

when your out leave him in his main cage, i wheel nuts cage in front of our main window every day lol and back at night, cage position is also important

i've had to increase nuts cage time as she got so aggressive, for what ever reason, she still gets 3hrs out of cage time, this has worked out excellent for every1, nut no longer does her flyin attacks, only the odd nip nothing like what she was doing, she would stalk my son or me to attack, nothing worked, i had to slap her off my shoulder as she flew an repeatedly bit my face

when they get whatever thought in there heads they will act it out an then forget, but when our face is cut its a tad hard to forget, let alone forgive, so when we are standoffish, it annoys them an so the circle goes on

but there will be a time during the day when he is less

try interation then, as nut was always good near dinner time lol

good luck an keep us up dated, little steps and patiance

 

[mtdoramike]

First off, he probably doesn't like the NEW cage. Try putting him back into his old cage. Birds don't take change very well, especially where they live. Also try moving him back to where you kept him before for a few days and see how that works. Either of these two things may have some impact or not. They are temporary at best, because sooner or later you will want to move him to be in a community area and not closed off in a bedroom and possibly in a bigger cage.

Sun Conures are noisy birds to begin with and some can be a bit aggressive at times. He may also be missing your daughter as well. I say give it some time and see if it works itself out. Good luck,

Mike

 

[froggfeathers]

Thanks for the input. To answer the first question, he is clipped. We have fans and my daughter was utterly distressed at the idea that he would get hit by a fan, so he has always been clipped. He can glide, but not fly up high.

Also, he is a chicken. Well, actually he is a conure, but you get my meaning. When we go outside he has to be touching one of us. He likes his cage door open, but he rarely goes out on his own.

I am going to try that idea of going back to his old cage. The new one is much prettier, but oh well. I will try putting him back in his white cage for a few days and then move the whole cage instead of just his toys out into the living room.

The sleep thing could be an issue too. I hadn't thought of that, but he may be tired. He usually gets in his bed when he is tired, but maybe there is just too much going on. Maybe just like a little kid he needs to go to bed even if he doesn't want to?

Sometimes he does this yawn thing. He did it often as a baby, but now he does it when faced with something new. What does that mean?

Oh, and his fit is a screaming flapping shrieking banging tantrum. If he were a child, I would snatch him up and give him a solid memorable reason to be crying. Can't really do that with a bird. I will not lie, though. I have considered my options :54:

 

[Kokihi]

Tori got a bit antsy when I moved his cage too. He used to be in the living room/entry way, but I didn't like that he kept getting woken up by people comeing hom/leaving for grave yard shifts, so I moved him to the hallway near my bedroom. From there he can see out a window, anyone who is in the dining room, and anyone in my room, provided the door is open. He got used to it and doesn't freak out anymore.

I seriously think sleep could be an issue. When ever Tori doesn't get enough sleep he does the exact same thing. He gets all poofy and glares at everyone. If you try to get him to step up he will instantly bite, then scream for a few minutes until he is left alone. He has a cuddle corner that he loves sleeping by, and he occasionally naps during the day, but that is never enough if he has been woken up during the night. I always cover his cage at the same time every night, and uncover him in the morning when I get up to help my boyfriend get ready for work. Doesn't matter if he's sleepy or not. That has helped keep him getting the right amount of sleep, and kept him from being so cranky!