What to do for fly by attacks

[Leo1865]

UPDATE:
We finally decided to clip her wings. I really didn't want to, but everything else we had done so far had not helped. She seemed to be getting worse rather than better. And then she would fly away when I would try to get her. Then play the I will fly to top of the cabinets and the to the cage, back and forth. I had enough.

We clipped her wings and we noticed her behavior has improved. She still has some issues with my husband but she can't go at him from above. She has also been more compliant with going in her cage and such. I hope that when they grow back she will continue to be good. One good thing, she can't fly up and eat my cabinets anymore. lol

Our male U2, now he is a handful. He hates me, not just dislikes, but hates me. He lunges at me and tries to bite me anytime I get a little close to him. He will lunge at me so hard sometimes it sounds like he is going to knock the wall down. I don't know what to do with him, do you thing he will ever turn around.

Thank you everyone for your help and support.

 

[Betrisher]

Well! Coming in late on this thread (like, a year late! LOL!), but I've had/am having the same problem with my cockatoos.

Our dear, deceased Dominic (galah) absolutely hated me and loved my husband and son. But he LOATHED and DETESTED my poor daughter as if she had caused all the ills of the world. He would hasten to be where she was, just so he could rip a chunk off of her flesh. Now, the sight of Dom galloping across a table as only a galah can do was pretty funny. But poor Ellie still has scars from where he got to her and managed to get that hunk of flesh he was after. Nothing we did would stop him and so it became a matter of keeping Ellie far away from Dom whenever he was out of his cage (which was often).

With me, he wasn't quite so bad. He would bite me out of irritation that I wasn't one of the men in the house, but he would also let me handle him (ie. he would step up grudgingly and with a token bite and step down likewise). He would take treats from me, but absolutely refused to play or interact in any other way. With the men, he was an absolute trollop for affection! He would fluff up his little face and beak all over their hands and love them to bits. He would groom my husband's beard and fall alseep on his chest with a piece of beard (still attached to hubby, thankfully) in his beak. He was an adorable old bird, but still had pretty awful manners when it came to ladies.

Now, we have Rosetta. OMG. She has been doing all the things you have described of Chevy. Recently, she began flying in people's faces with her undercarriage deployed so that I've had to refuse the rest of the family access to her until I've sorted her out. It's no problem for me to watch and anticipate her next move, but the others aren't quick enough to protect their faces. We've had two torn eyelids in as many days!

Having said that, though, I had a really good, productive session with Rosetta today. She played nicely (and very LOUDLY) and then actually stepped up and paused on my hand for more than five seconds at a time. This was major! Finally, she actually came to me when I called (and waved a sunflower seed at her) every time. Our play session was a pleasure and it took a full hour before she went feral and began savaging my hands to the point where it was 'back to the cage for you!'

Since our nice playtime, she's been playing quietly with her hanging dumb-bell and doing her darnedest to unscrew a stainless steel wingnut from off of a long bolt. This is unheard-of. By now, she's usually bellowing her little lungs out and can be heard by anyone standing at the corner of our street! I can't tell you how peaceful our house is today. Yesterday was not quite so peaceful with 'setta's screeching!

Just FYI, a cockatoo's voice is louder than those of TWO Alexandrines by a factor of about ten.

I guess what I'm saying here is that cockatoos are highly intelligent and highly social. They have 'ways' with which they natively interact and I suspect that includes bull-dozering tactics as well as taking an instinctive dislike to another individual 'just because'. I don't know why our Dominic hated me and wanted to delete my poor daughter from the earth. I don't know why Rosetta feels the need to shred my hands and, presumably, drink my blood. All I know is that I'm responsible for my birds' behaviour and I have to make it work.

I'm sorry you had to clip Chevy's wings. It's not something I believe in doing, but Blind Freddy can see you had tried everything in your power and it was a matter of safety. I'm glad it has had an effect and perhaps she'll be more mellow for you by the time her flights grow back.

One last thing. When Dommie first came to live with us, I spent a lot of time with him just sitting and chatting and feeding him far more sunflower seeds than any bird has a right to. I believe that's what enabled me to have any sort of relationship with him. You could arm your husband with treats and let him be the *only* one who gives treats to Chevy and see if that has an effect?

Do stay in touch! I know the awful, defeated feeling when a precious bird just doesn't seem to like you or your family member. At least we can all be moral support for one another!