Iβve been wanting to make this post for awhile now for the sole purpose of educating those that are new to parrot ownership or even to those that are just scrolling through the forums.
Although there are always going to be great experiences and deep honor in knowing that we get to give our feathered friends our love and care, this post is going to highlight one of the ugliest points of parrot husbandry, aggression. No one wants to deal with it, but this is always going to be an inevitable aspect of parrot ownership whether we are equipped to encounter it or not.
Why do parrots get aggressive? Many reasons. One of them being the onset of puberty. Puberty for parrots is similar to that of a human, but in a birds biological timeline. Parrots that enter puberty are experiencing rapid bodily and emotional changes due to raging hormones that can also alter their behavior for a brief period of time as they transition from baby to adult. Puberty in parrots can make them bitter and more reluctant to cooperate in normal routine and even leads to aggressive behaviors toward their caretaker simply due to the fact that they can feel their bodies change in a way they havenβt experienced before, causing them to lash out and get out of character from the once innocent baby bird we knew.
Maybe your parrot is older or already finished with puberty? This sort of cycle between sweet and bitter changes with birds as the seasons change. When the weather is changing from warm to cold or cold to warm, or the daylight cycle alters, parrots (just like their wild brethren) can instinctively feel this change and act accordingly with it through hormonal behaviors. These could be nesting, mating, or acting more aggressive. Especially with mating behaviors, parrots seek out a favorite person in the household and try to mate with them, and if the favorite person doesnβt accept their advances, then the bird will most likely bite or attack because their wants are being denied. Additionally, parrots molt during these times where their old feathers fall out to form new ones. These pin feathers are pretty uncomfortable for them and is also another reason they seem more finicky and angry.
Parrots can also be aggressive due to them being poorly cared for. This can include poor or improper avian diets, improper housing, unsanitary housing, no out of cage time, or even as far as abuse or neglect. While all unfortunate, parrots have emotions and reactions just like humans do. They can sense, feel, and see. So if their most basic needs are not being met, then they are going to feel that and react in a negative manner as they get older and keep living under poor conditions. Parrots in small cages, with no out of cage time, or lack important nutritional needs, are more likely to become aggressive to others simply because they associate humans with continuously putting them in these sort of conditions, which makes parrots very scared and vulnerable. Some parrots also have a history of abuse or neglect which can make them more untrusting of humans to even handle them, thinking everyone is going to keep treating them the same way. Itβs very sad.
Finally, parrots can also be aggressive due to disruption in routine. Parrots are super sensitive, and by personality, some more than others. Someone in the household has probably done something that ticked off the bird and they can get aggressive and start biting or lunging simply because they are one to hold grudges. Parrots can also lose trust in their humans because of small nuances that they simply do not like. Because what we may think is not a big deal, is everything in a parrots eyes. Fear, such as being in a new environment, can also factor into their aggressive nature and should also be considered when taking in a parrot.
While very heard of, it is so important to reiterate the ways in which to stop or minimize aggressive behaviors with pet parrots.
The main way to get parrots to minimize aggression is to redirect those aggressive behaviors onto something else. Get your bird to be interested in something other than getting at your finger. This redirection of behavior and interest takes some time for very aggressive birds, but patience is key. For some, this can take as little as minutes. These ways of redirection can also get your parrots more opportunities of enrichment and mental stimulation, which is crucial in their care.
Some ways to redirect aggressive behaviors are:
1. Target training
2. Foraging toys
3. Getting parrots used to shredding and destroying toys
4. Outside time
5. Trick training
Just to name a few.
The last thing I wanted to discuss was the lack of education in our part as the caretakers of these birds. This lack of education and unawareness of parrot aggression and their level of sensitivity makes us doubt or question ourselves or blame it on our birds, leading to the birds ending up rehomed. With a lot of birds already being rehomed due to many reasons, it all mostly stems from our lack of education, which should not be the case. Itβs important to research, itβs important to volunteer, itβs important to gain experience with these creatures so as to make sure that sending them off to another home or an adoption facility is the last thing on our minds. For the sake of our feathered companions.
Although there are always going to be great experiences and deep honor in knowing that we get to give our feathered friends our love and care, this post is going to highlight one of the ugliest points of parrot husbandry, aggression. No one wants to deal with it, but this is always going to be an inevitable aspect of parrot ownership whether we are equipped to encounter it or not.
Why do parrots get aggressive? Many reasons. One of them being the onset of puberty. Puberty for parrots is similar to that of a human, but in a birds biological timeline. Parrots that enter puberty are experiencing rapid bodily and emotional changes due to raging hormones that can also alter their behavior for a brief period of time as they transition from baby to adult. Puberty in parrots can make them bitter and more reluctant to cooperate in normal routine and even leads to aggressive behaviors toward their caretaker simply due to the fact that they can feel their bodies change in a way they havenβt experienced before, causing them to lash out and get out of character from the once innocent baby bird we knew.
Maybe your parrot is older or already finished with puberty? This sort of cycle between sweet and bitter changes with birds as the seasons change. When the weather is changing from warm to cold or cold to warm, or the daylight cycle alters, parrots (just like their wild brethren) can instinctively feel this change and act accordingly with it through hormonal behaviors. These could be nesting, mating, or acting more aggressive. Especially with mating behaviors, parrots seek out a favorite person in the household and try to mate with them, and if the favorite person doesnβt accept their advances, then the bird will most likely bite or attack because their wants are being denied. Additionally, parrots molt during these times where their old feathers fall out to form new ones. These pin feathers are pretty uncomfortable for them and is also another reason they seem more finicky and angry.
Parrots can also be aggressive due to them being poorly cared for. This can include poor or improper avian diets, improper housing, unsanitary housing, no out of cage time, or even as far as abuse or neglect. While all unfortunate, parrots have emotions and reactions just like humans do. They can sense, feel, and see. So if their most basic needs are not being met, then they are going to feel that and react in a negative manner as they get older and keep living under poor conditions. Parrots in small cages, with no out of cage time, or lack important nutritional needs, are more likely to become aggressive to others simply because they associate humans with continuously putting them in these sort of conditions, which makes parrots very scared and vulnerable. Some parrots also have a history of abuse or neglect which can make them more untrusting of humans to even handle them, thinking everyone is going to keep treating them the same way. Itβs very sad.
Finally, parrots can also be aggressive due to disruption in routine. Parrots are super sensitive, and by personality, some more than others. Someone in the household has probably done something that ticked off the bird and they can get aggressive and start biting or lunging simply because they are one to hold grudges. Parrots can also lose trust in their humans because of small nuances that they simply do not like. Because what we may think is not a big deal, is everything in a parrots eyes. Fear, such as being in a new environment, can also factor into their aggressive nature and should also be considered when taking in a parrot.
While very heard of, it is so important to reiterate the ways in which to stop or minimize aggressive behaviors with pet parrots.
The main way to get parrots to minimize aggression is to redirect those aggressive behaviors onto something else. Get your bird to be interested in something other than getting at your finger. This redirection of behavior and interest takes some time for very aggressive birds, but patience is key. For some, this can take as little as minutes. These ways of redirection can also get your parrots more opportunities of enrichment and mental stimulation, which is crucial in their care.
Some ways to redirect aggressive behaviors are:
1. Target training
2. Foraging toys
3. Getting parrots used to shredding and destroying toys
4. Outside time
5. Trick training
Just to name a few.
The last thing I wanted to discuss was the lack of education in our part as the caretakers of these birds. This lack of education and unawareness of parrot aggression and their level of sensitivity makes us doubt or question ourselves or blame it on our birds, leading to the birds ending up rehomed. With a lot of birds already being rehomed due to many reasons, it all mostly stems from our lack of education, which should not be the case. Itβs important to research, itβs important to volunteer, itβs important to gain experience with these creatures so as to make sure that sending them off to another home or an adoption facility is the last thing on our minds. For the sake of our feathered companions.
