Grounding vs. Wing Clip

[Tammy]

I haven't had Mr. Precious' wings clipped in about a year. Since I moved he hadn't been attacking anyone. My brother & his girlfriend moved in with me in October. All was fine until about two weeks ago. He has taken to loud vicious aerial attacks whenever my brother stands up. I have been "grounding" him & giving him 15 min timeouts, but it seems to increase his aggression towards him. I'm leaning towards another wing clip so my brother won't have to live in fear. I try reasoning with him & telling him, "I took your wings before & I will take them again." He calls my bluff & just repeats "Okay, Okay" like a total smartass.

Has anyone else had success with grounding?

 

[aliray]

I personally would get the wings clipped before he causes your brother some damage if you really think he is trying to attack him .That beak could do some real damage. The wings will grow back and mabey in the meantime your brother could start to learn how to gain his trust. But like I said I would not take the chance

 

[weco]

Sounds like you may have a hormonal 'zon on your hands.....you're probably wise to go ahead & clip his wings. He'll probably pout for a bit, but he won't be able to do any arial attacking any longer.

 

[khaiqha]

Have you tried aggression training with your bird? I don't thinking "grounding" is really an effective tactic, as most punishment methods rarely connect with birds.

 

[Tammy]

Thanks for the input. I have had his wings clipped twice in the past for the same reason. I know it's the end of breeding season but I was surprised his aggression started so late. He does perfectly well once he's clipped. I think he senses a weak link & then decides to throw his weight around. Anytime my brother's girlfriend eats, Mr. Precious flies next to her plate & stares her down until she shares with him. Wing clip it is until my brother moves out.

 

[MonicaMc]

Just posted these two links to someone else... I think they could help you out as well.



Stationing « Lara Joseph
Good Bird Inc Parrot Training Talk: Sirocco the Kakapo: What to do about Parrot Aggression

 

[Featheredsamurai]

You should read the book called "the parrot who owns me". It's about a women who has a fully flighted amazon parrot who, during breeding season, would threaten her husband.

 

[Kiwibird]

We "ground" Kiwi when he starts getting excessively loud ( cover his cage for 10 minutes so he can calm down) and it's worked quite well. He doesn't really wake up the neighborhood the way he used to anymore, but it was easy door him to connect inappropriate screaming (which he only did in his cage) with the instant reaction of being covered. However, aggression tends to be a lot harder to deal with than other behavioral issues, especially when it's directed towards one person. I think it will be very difficult for your bird to make that connection that him attacking your brother is the reason he's getting put up. There's a good amount of time passing and emotions flying high between the attack and him being put up. I think a better approach for this issue would be your brother working with him more. Perhaps your brother could start doing some activities with him that he likes (such as feeding him or giving him a bath)? I think learning to tolerate your brother would make more sense to him than trying to connect an action a couple minutes ago with a "punishment" being delivered right now. And since instinct kicks in when were being attacked by an animal, it is probably safer for the bird to be clipped at the moment while your brother works on developing a better relationship. It would be a terrible thing for him to accidentally kill the bird because he was trying to get him off or moved the wrong way during the attack. It would be much safer for both of them not to have a aggressive flighted bird. Best of luck.

 

[Remy]

I would clip him again. It doesn't hurt him, and it helped in the past.

 

[Tammy]

I gave a last ditch effort & trained my brother on how to stand up to him. I know Mr. Precious will push the envelope as much as he can get away with. I worked with my brother showing him how to to put his hand & arm straight out while firmly saying "No" without flinching or ducking. I told him he has to stand his ground & show no fear. Within two days of refusing to duck or flinch Mr. Precious stopped all attacks.

I told him Amazons would take over the world if given half the chance & once he shows no fear then it's no longer fun for Mr. Precious to attack. My brother is all proud of himself now & chats happily with him all afternoon.