Hormonal 10 yr old CAG?

[Bowden]

Hello! This is my first post other than the 1st "hello" post, so bear with me - I have not yet learned the lingo here. ��

Anywho on to the issue- I just recently within the last few weeks traded a mini colt for a ACG, because the family has a young son is is very sick with a left ventricle of the heart problem that has resulted in many open heart surgeries - they are currently in Ohio at a specialized children's ward. (they live in NC here by me in S.E. Virginia. He -the ACG has for the last few years gone back and forth between the mom, and her sister while the baby boy (he will be 4 years year) and the mother spent weeks/months at a time in the hospital. It is my understanding that the Mom has been Griffins' owner for the last 10 years other than the time at the sisters. Apparently after the last stay at the sisters (in Ohio) Griffin"fell in love" with the Dad, and took to biting the Mom for the next 6 months. Flash forward about 4 months, and he is here. Fantastic with my husband, and friendly with my 7 year old who has to keep his fingers to himself, but pretty shut down, and biting me unless talking to me when he can not see me. He is also highly "cage aggressive" with me. In order to separate him from his cage I have to wait for him to come out, then I lock the door, a little while later I put the nighttime blanket on the top to force him to the side of the cage so I can tell him/her (no DNA test) to step up, and then move him to another perch somewhere where I can pick him up when I am at his side, but not face on.

Now I do raise chickens, and know the signs of a broody hen, and when she squats. Griffin does this. Goes into a trance like state while swatting, and fluttering tight looking wings. He is 10. Is this hormones, is this why he/she bites women? Griffin is totally social with the "men folk"? My Sun Conure is a different beast completely. She is wonderful with everyone. Of course even wild they have completely different natures. If it is hormones - we do have egg incubators full of chicken eggs, and the last hatchlings just moved outside 2 days ago, and I wonder if this is a trigger.
How long will it last?
How can I end the cage aggression?
How can I change the biting females behavior? He has taken a good chunk out of me.
I don't want to give up on him, and living happily with him. He is especially awesome during his daily "music times" filled with Italian Opera, Motown, Soul Train, James Brown, B. B. King,Baby Huey, Michael Jackson, anything with a funky beat! Lol!



My husband while being of good nature didn't sign on for a parrot. That's a me thing, and I need to be able to make the vet runs, ECT.
Help is appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Flboy]

Here is some great stuff to ponder. Both Mark and Monica are well respected, and a study of each will put you where you want to be!

http://www.parrotforums.com/congo-timneh-greys/59366-cag-101-a.html
http://www.parrotforums.com/training/48616-types-biting-behavior-mods.html

 

[Bowden]

I thank you for the reply. Maybe I wasn't clear. I was hoping for personal experiences, and opinions. I've been reading, and reading, and reading. I am at the point where I am ready to hear from other non-experts. Ya know? Maybe it's moral support I am after at this point, but definitely interaction with others who are, or may have experienced some, or all of this.
Hopefully. ��

I will check out the links too. ��
I mentor many new chicken keepers, and find it can facilitate their experience when there's human interaction too! ��

 

[Bowden]

Actually let me revise that. I think the posts are wonderfully written, but are not at all helpful for this situation. Like - can hatching eggs, and chicks (all chicken) cause her/him to go become hormonal, and why does Griffin prefer men to women? Even boys over females. What can we do to change that?

 

[Printer bird]

Hi hi! I don't have experience with african greys but I do know that some parrots can prefer one gender over another, sometimes for no reason whatsoever. Sometimes there's not much you can do but I will offer some of what I've heard and what worked for my bird (whose temperament is much different than a CAG, though!). My new pionus pretty instantly bonded to me so to make sure that she bonded to my husband as well, we made sure they had alone time together and that he was the one to give her her treats. She accepted him pretty quickly but I think that is her nature. You can try something similar, have you give the treats, spend time with her by the cage singing favourite songs, anything that she likes and any type of experience that gives him/her a positive interaction with you. It could take months, years, or she might always be just barely lukewarm with you. I know that african greys can be selective and stubborn birds! I wish you the best - perhaps just knowing that you aren't doing anything wrong is helpful and that there are other birds like yours.

This is also hormone season for most parrots (mine is clucking a lot) and might make them more tempermental (territorial with their cage, protective of their "mate", grumpier) but is unlikely to have anything to do with them preferring one gender over another or anything to do with the chickens other than they might have the same breeding season. You can try training the bird with stick and target training to make them more consistent in terms of stepping up when asked and to minimize the risk of getting a good chomp around the cage (you can use the target or the perch to get them off the cage and they can bite those as much as they want if you get them trained on it). Try to make sure you enforce a consistent bed time to help with hormones (later bed times can trigger hormones). A sleep cage can help as well to make sure that they are in a quiet, dark space for 10 - 12 hours.