Picky attack helicopter

[EllieTheConure]

As of a few months ago I've had Ellie for a year! And it has been such an amazing year with her, but after her 1st birthday (in February) she's become way more temperamental than before. We had biting issues in the past and it was resolved, but she's biting and hissing again (she's never hissed at me before ).

Also, she has gotten very good at flying and she will perch herself on tall thing like blinds, the refrigerator, bookshelves, and she will refuse to come down, hissing at us if we try to have her step-up. She knows step-up is is actively being rebellious (I know she knows because if she's on a counter she has no problem stepping up)

On top of this she randomly stopped eating the pellets in her food mix, and I have not changed her mix at all since I got her. She still eats the pistachios and papaya in the mix as well as treats and veggies/fruit we offer her.

I'm not really sure what's going on, has anyone else had a bird suddenly switch on them? I don't understand she used to be so sweet and agreeable

 

[AprilRobin]

Many Conure owners talk about the "terrible twos" or a difficult phase. Our Sun Conure is currently going through this...being more nippy and bossy about half the time.

Here is a thread by someone who is having a similar problem. I think the comments there might help you:

B

Thread 'She bites a lot!'

Wednesday at 8:12 PM

Hello there. So I did a lot of research before getting a Sun Conure and despite it I feel lost a lot. I got my girl last year in November (she was 4 mos) and she is just wonderful. However, 2 months in we noticed she would chew some off her yellow feathers and just leave the white fluff on her chest. I took her to the vet and they did not find a medical reason (ie sickness) for it. They said she might be stressed.

Here are facts about her living conditions: We have an A/C controlled sun room with 5 windows. her cage is set up there. She has perches and some toys that get changed...

• birbmomtx
• Replies: 15
• Forum: Conures

 

[Vampiric_Conure]

Sounds like the teen phase has started! Expect moodiness, nippiness, and refusal to cooperate for the next little while. I feel your pain! **Glares at her own soon-to-be teenager, Vortex**

 

[wrench13]

All very common personality shifts approaching, during and after puberty. Timing of that varies a lot with each individual. Generally smaller parrots go thru puberty sooner then larger ones, but as you will learn, as far as this goes (and much else) nothing is written in stone with parrots.

 

[nkrbkr]

As of a few months ago I've had Ellie for a year! And it has been such an amazing year with her, but after her 1st birthday (in February) she's become way more temperamental than before. We had biting issues in the past and it was resolved, but she's biting and hissing again (she's never hissed at me before ).

Also, she has gotten very good at flying and she will perch herself on tall thing like blinds, the refrigerator, bookshelves, and she will refuse to come down, hissing at us if we try to have her step-up. She knows step-up is is actively being rebellious (I know she knows because if she's on a counter she has no problem stepping up)

On top of this she randomly stopped eating the pellets in her food mix, and I have not changed her mix at all since I got her. She still eats the pistachios and papaya in the mix as well as treats and veggies/fruit we offer her.

I'm not really sure what's going on, has anyone else had a bird suddenly switch on them? I don't understand she used to be so sweet and agreeable

Hi there. As others have said, it sounds like she’s reaching puberty/hormonal. My lovebird used to fly to the tops of bookshelves, etc. & refuse to come down during that time as well. He was always scoping out “nesting” sites, & would be angry when I’d remove him. That said, I always remove him from these types of situations, as I don’t want to encourage any type of hormonal behavior. I find having a “jackpot” treat that is reserved for these special situations is super important for my birds. On that note, diet is a contributing factor to increasing hormonal behavior in birds. Diets that are higher in fats & sugars can make hormones worse. If she’s just eating pistachios & dried fruit out of her pellets, it’s kind of like the equivalent of parrot junk food. I personally reserve seeds, nuts, & fruits as treats only to reduce the amount of fats & sugars that my birds receive, & also to increase their treat motivation for situations like mentioned above.