Green Cheek's Behavior has 180'd - please help

[Minalec]

Hi guys. Im new here so I apologize if this isn't the right forum location for this question. Our lovely Green Cheeked Conure is currently around 3 years old and we've had him for over 2 years. He is my best friend and has always been super cuddly and happy. If I leave the room, he follows! Always wants to be together with my wife and I.

But for whatever reason, Friday night out of the blue if I tried to get near him, he'd fly away. Once landing he'd be shaking with fear and very jittery and paranoid. If I finally caught him he was acting as if a predator was about to devour him...

It's been 3 days and his behavior has not changed. When he first wakes up he acts back to normal, which is falsely reassuring because after a few minutes he reverts to being scared to death and fleeing.

I've only ever seen him act like this when I catch him doing something he knows he shouldn't, like eating the houseplants, which has only happened a few times over the years.

Nothing I can think of has changed environment wise. Likewise my wife and I haven't changed either. No new clothes, scents, acitivies, foods. Nothing. He acts equally as scared of both of us.

I'm getting so worried I'm sick to my stomach. I have no clue what's going through his head so I'm not sure how to fix this.

Have any of you seen such a fast change in behavior before? Is this a sign of anything health related? How can I combat this? I'm giving it until the weekend and then I'm making a trip to the vets. Thanks everyone I really appreciate your advice.

 

[noodles123]

Have you taken him to the vet and gotten blood/x-rays/gram-stains etc?
That is important if you haven't.

Are any light bulbs flickering, or is anything ?

You said he cuddles. I feel like I am always on my soap-box about this, but "cuddling" a bird sends a very sexual message to the bird. Often times, holding a bird in your lap or against your chest is also very suggestive to the bird (allowing prolonged nuzzling under your neck where there it is dark etc). Do not allow any access to huts/tents/caves/blankets/pillows/boxes/under furniture/shadowy areas...all of these things stimulate hormones and nesting behavior...Many people establish sexual habits with their baby birds (unknowingly) and then at puberty, these become problematic. Furthermore, much like teens, a pubescent bird will often "rebel" or change alliances.



According to a few websites, sexual maturity occurs between 1-3 years for conures, so you are likely going to have to change a lot of your behaviors if this is related.


Stick to petting on the head and neck only and no snuggles...also, remove any cave-like/shadowy structures in or around the cage (including low-hanging food bowls that cast a shadow). Also---paper piles/shredding of paper can also stimulate a hormonal/nesting response (and it doesn't take much of any of this).

If this is hormonal and it is unchecked, it can lead to screaming, aggression, plucking etc etc (and in females, egg-binding, which can result in death or emergency surgery and/or prolapse).

 

[Minalec]

Have you taken him to the vet and

gotten blood/x-rays/gram-stains etc?
That is important if you haven't.

Are any light bulbs flickering, or is anything weird/new going on? New picture on the wall etc?


You said he cuddles. I feel like I am always on my soap-box about this, but "cuddling" a bird sends a very sexual message to the bird. Often times, holding a bird in your lap or against your chest is also very suggestive to the bird. Do not allow any access to huts/tents/caves/blankets/pillows/boxes/under furniture/shadowy areas...all of these things stimulate hormones and nesting behavior.

How old is your bird. This could easily be hormonal---Stick to petting on the head and neck only and no snuggles...also, remove any cave-like structures in or around the cage. Also---paper piles/shredding of paper can also stimulate a hormonal/nesting response (and it doesn't take much of any of this).

If this is hormonal and it is unchecked, it can lead to screaming, aggression, plucking etc etc (and in females, egg-binding, which can result in death or emergency surgery and/or prolapse).

Thanks so much for the reply. He has never been to the vets before so I think we may just do this.

No lights flickering, no new decor, nothing! Doesn't matter what room either.

He is a male, would that still cause nesting behavior? I apologize, I guess I shouldn't say cuddles. He rests on my chest and enjoys having his head pet and being preened. The only object you mentioned we have or let him near is a coconut with a hole in it that he sleeps in at night in his cage. He's always slept in it - should we still remove it?

 

[Laurasea]

Hi, very thorough post, as I was going to ask about haircut ect.
My GCC Ta-dah did do a turn around into a biting beast. Three things I found caused this, Changi her cage, change I our routine, and useing my hands to shoo or wave her away from one of birds and her cage.
I fixed those. Fed lots of treats by hand, slowed down my interaction with her making clear my intent. She is right back to sweet 90% of the time again.
You can work on trust, if something only the bird knows spooked him. Sometimes you just have to start over.
Hopefully no health issues, but always good to have a vet check when things are different.
Keep us posted!

 

[noodles123]

Have you taken him to the vet and

gotten blood/x-rays/gram-stains etc?
That is important if you haven't.

Are any light bulbs flickering, or is anything weird/new going on? New picture on the wall etc?


You said he cuddles. I feel like I am always on my soap-box about this, but "cuddling" a bird sends a very sexual message to the bird. Often times, holding a bird in your lap or against your chest is also very suggestive to the bird. Do not allow any access to huts/tents/caves/blankets/pillows/boxes/under furniture/shadowy areas...all of these things stimulate hormones and nesting behavior.

How old is your bird. This could easily be hormonal---Stick to petting on the head and neck only and no snuggles...also, remove any cave-like structures in or around the cage. Also---paper piles/shredding of paper can also stimulate a hormonal/nesting response (and it doesn't take much of any of this).

If this is hormonal and it is unchecked, it can lead to screaming, aggression, plucking etc etc (and in females, egg-binding, which can result in death or emergency surgery and/or prolapse).

Thanks so much for the reply. He has never been to the vets before so I think we may just do this.

No lights flickering, no new decor, nothing! Doesn't matter what room either.

He is a male, would that still cause nesting behavior? I apologize, I guess I shouldn't say cuddles. He rests on my chest and enjoys having his head pet and being preened. The only object you mentioned we have or let him near is a coconut with a hole in it that he sleeps in at night in his cage. He's always slept in it - should we still remove it?

Good idea! Welcome by the way.
Yes, males are absolutely as susceptible to hormonal aggression etc, as females. They will scream, bite, self-destruct, shred etc if they have to outlet for their sexual angst ----AND NO, do not encourage any sort of sexual outlet LOL. Instead, try to keep him busy (if you notice anything sexual while you are holding the bird, change the subject/distract/ reduce contact immediately)....Take out the coconut and do not allow him to do anything in the shadows (these are major triggers). He can sleep on his perch---you are seeing behaviors and you are within a hormonal window, so it could easily be an issue.

No more chest snuggles. The only contact between you and the bird should be head-hand and neck-hand--with no other parts touching (no chest + hand to head, no head under neck while you pet the head etc...if it happens for 2 seconds, fine, but try to avoid it). In a hormonal mood, my cockatoo will even get wound up over head scratches, so keep it short and sweet. Also, limit soft/warm food (as this is similar to regurgitation) and make sure that he is getting plenty of activity + 10-14 hours of uninterrupted sleep nightly.

 

[Laurasea]

Everyone here is against letting birds sleep in stuff. Not me, all my birds sleep in beds I made with canvas, and inspect for loose threads everyday. 18 years with first GCC , no issues, 8 years with current GCC no issues , give months with quakers, no issues. But if things change, I would think of changing too. But never fuzzy, or fluffy, or if they ever chewed on them, and I mean everyday I look s
At them during cleaning.

 

[noodles123]

Also, read this post if you want more info (there is a good video on hormones, and if you read the whole thing, you will see that the poster found almost immediate relief after removing triggers)


http://www.parrotforums.com/conures/79026-help-aggressive-green-cheek.html


Again- get the bird to the vet, but regardless, cuddling etc is never a good idea, nor are shadowy places.


Also--- shaking can often be hormonal-- here is another resource:
https://birdsupplies.com/blogs/news/144617799-my-bird-is-hiding-under-furniture-its-nest-seeking
Here is an excerpt:

"Even if your bird shows no interest in a potential nest spot, eliminate what you can because any opportunity to nest will trigger your pets body to produce courting and reproductive hormones. For smaller parrots, you have to essentially nest proof your interactions, too, as described in how we think it is cute to let our small parrot nest in your cleavage or up your shirt sleeve. Don’t let the bird ride about on your shoulder for long periods of time. Never let your bird hide inside your shirt sleeves or other private areas that simulate a nest."

 

[bonita]

Dear Minalec I have Paddy my 5yr. old Gcc,I concure with the others Your Bird has most likely come into his sexual maturity. My Paddy got a little unpredictable at just barely3yrs. I am afraid you got him accidently worked up and he didnt know how to handle it. Pet on the head but watch snuggling.You don"t want him to think of you as a potential mate. He should be fine ina few months. A check up might not hurt but I think you have a maturing young man on your hands. Blessings, Bonita

 

[EllenD]

Minalec, I'm so sorry that this is happening, but Noodles has hit everything I would have told you to do. Number one is going to be to take your bird to the vet, and make sure that it is only a certified avian vet, because unfortunately most exotic vets don't really have much education or training in birds or avian medicine. if you need help finding the closest certified avian vet to you we can help you with that. Your bird should have a full wellness exam every year at the latest, some people do it every 6 months. Because birds, all birds, possess a natural, innate survival instinct that causes them to hide all outward signs of illness and pain for as long as they possibly can, this means that most birds have been sick or injured for weeks to months by the time we people notice that something is wrong. For that reason any behavioral changes in your bird need to be taken seriously as possibly the only signal you have that something is wrong with your bird medically.

A full wellness exam should include a complete physical exam and visual exam, a full fecal smear, culture, and Gram stain, and then full routine blood work to check for infection, anemia, liver and kidney functions and overall health, as well as any metabolic or nutritional issues. Having this blood work done at least once a year, every year, will give you baseline levels when your bird is healthy to compared to if he happens to become sick. Hopefully your birds recent behavior changes are not due to illness or pain, but the first thing you need to do when this happens is to rule out any medical problems.

Once you rule out all possibilities of a medical issue, then you need to think about or mental behavior just as noodles pointed out. It makes no difference whether or not your bird is a male or a female, obviously hormones affect both genders just like they do in people. And yes, please remove the coconut from his cage immediately. That may be all it takes to change his behavior back to normal, you just don't know. The bottom line with birds, captive and pet birds anyway, is that they should have no nesting material at all inside of their cages, and this includes any types of bedding, wood chips, shredded paper, or anything similar to the above, nor should they have any types of towels or blankets inside of their cages. Basically nothing that could be taken as being nesting material... In addition, and even more important for male birds rather than female birds, and I speak from personal experience with a green cheek conure who is a male on this one, is that they have no small, dark places that they can get inside or underneath. This causes a male birds hormones to go absolutely insane...And the thing is that your bird may have had these things inside of its cage for a very long time without having any issues at all, possibly even four years and years with no issues at all, and then one day performance just decide to go nuts on them! We just had a member who's 7 year-old female Sun Conure became hormonal for the very first time in her life and became egg bound, I nearly died with the only thing saving her being emergency surgery to open up her abdomen and remove the egg. Her bird almost died from egg binding at 7 years old, and she had never once laid an egg prior to this. She has since removed the bird's "Snuggle/Happy" Hut from her cage permanently so that this never happens again. I'm not exactly what you need to do is to remove any and all bedding and small, dark places got your bird can get inside of or underneath. This includes the coconut with the hole in it as well as any other small boxes, tents, hammocks, "Huts", etc. I would do this immediately regardless of whether it's the cause of his current behavioral change... It's just what is safest and best for his overall health.

And not to disrespect Laura and anyway because I value her opinion and advise, but it really makes absolutely no difference how old your bird is or how long they've lived with no issues from any types of bedding, nesting material, or any types of beds or sleeping boxes, because it can happen at any time, whether they are one-year-old or 20 years old. And our member Sunny, who I just spoke about, is the perfect example of this...7 years old and nearly died due to her hormones finally going nuts and causing Follicles and Eggs to form for the very first time...It only takes once to cause issues. And with male birds they obviously aren't going to be afflicted with follicles or eggs forming, but instead hormonall behavior in male birds is typically expressed in the form of aggression, timidness, and just very strange and unusual behavior that you've never seen them do before, such as sudden fear or anxiety.

And just to make a point, parrots do not need a bed to sleep in, and when you remove the coconut from your bird's cage, he will simply go to a perch and sleep on the perch. He will probably look around for the coconut, but it's not going to be a big deal. We as people tend to "humanize" our pet birds/parrots, simply because we love them, and sometimes the things that we do to them and the things that we provide them with are actually very dangerous, unhealthy, and often cause behavioral changes in them that are unwanted.

I would say that the first thing you need to do is to find the closest certified avian vet to you and make an appointment for a full wellness exam, and be sure to tell them over the phone that you wanted to include complete blood work and fecal testing. And this is the other reason you want it to be only a certified avian vet, because you need to discuss the behavioral changes that your bird has recently displayed and they can help you out with this as well, because they understand changes in birds such as hormonal changes, environmental changes, etc. Hopefully the blood work and everything else from the physical and medical exam will be normal, and then that will narrow down the possibilities of what is causing the behaviors... Removing the Coconut and any other bedding or nesting material, any and all boxes, tents, "Huts", etc. and putting him on a strict " Natural Light Schedule" will rule-out or confirm hormones as the cause...Then it's narrowed down to something in his environment...

 

[EllenD]

Just to add something, I know you said that nothing has changed in his environment or with the people in his house (changes to his "Flock"), but it's quite possible that there is something small, very small, that caused his sudden anxiety and fear fullness....

Is it only you that he is acting this way with, are you the only one who he is suddenly scared of, or is he suddenly scared of everyone who is in his "Flock", meaning all of the people who live in your home with him normally and who he has always been comfortable with?

If he is suddenly only afraid of you, then obviously something has changed with you, whether it be the way you look, the way you smell, your clothing, your hair, your facial hair, your shampoo, soap, mouthwash, the color of your hair, glasses, etc... If he is suddenly afraid of everyone in his flock, meaning the people that live with him in your home which he normally interacts with and is fine with, then any environmental changes have to do with the home and not with the people in the home... This means changes not only to his cage and his areas, otherwise known as his territory, but to the home in-general...This could be changes to the inside or the outside of his cage, changes to any of his stands or play areas, any new toys that you hung inside of his cage or outside of his cage around the time that this behavior started, any new furniture, appliances, any new smells, any news sights/objects anywhere in his home...They become scared and anxious over the smallest things...Any new pets or people, any who left...

Also, did anyone new visit your home right before this behavior started or right around the time that this behavior started? And it doesn't really have to be anyone new, just did anyone who doesn't normally live in the house visit your house right around the time that he started to be frightful of people?

 

[ChristaNL]

by the way...are you stressed? (Or in love, or coming down with a cold?) Because almost every single time I get in trouble with my parrots it is because *I* am off balance. The little feathered psychics pick up every nuance and react (sometimes violently) to it.