Sudden aggression, any advice is appreciated

[WhitneyDeann]

I am a first time bird owner. I got my Green Cheek Conure Dean 1 week ago today. She(could be a he lol) is 14 weeks old and shes been very cuddly and lovey, she nipped occasionally but with a correction she usually didnt do it again, and it was never agressive. Well yesterday all of a sudden she became very aggressive. She steps up nice and easy and then all of a sudden she will screech and bite. Or when I try to let her she will screech and bite. Its like any interaction with any of us causes her to be aggressive. And corrections are not working, she just keeps on biting. I thought maybe yesterday she was just in a bad mood because it's such a drastic difference in behavior. But this is day 2 of her being nasty.

Anyone have any ideas? Is it a phase? Could she just be cranky for no reason? Any idea on how to correct it?

 

[GaleriaGila]

Hi, and welcome...
I'm sure people will advise and support you here.
Meanwhile, here is a wonderful thread that makes great reading...
http://www.parrotforums.com/conures...rt-about-aggression-contradictory-advice.html
I have lessened my bites to almost zero over the decades... not because I've changed the bird, but I have changed me. And a lot of that has involved giving up on a lot of my desires/expectations. After years of battle, I surrendered. I don't do stuff that gets me bitten. I don't scratch his head much, ever... tail is okay, go figure. In some ways, I swallow my disappointment at having a pet that bites me and screams at me.
So I guess what I'm saying is...wherever the dust settles... please let it be okay. Don't do stuff that gets you bitten... take whatever ridiculous precautions needed. At this point, you might just want to use a perch to pick the bird... if it's on your shoulder, make sure your hair's down over your ears. Stuff like that. I get my bird back into the cage by tossing a green chile in and he hops after it.
Others will have more and better advice. Good luck!

 

[plumsmum2005]

Just out of curiosity has anything changed - you, her cage, your home, your family, building work next door?

If nothing you can think of go back to basics following tips on building a bond with your bird and see if this improves?

 

[Dinosrawr]

A few questions myself to add:

What exactly do you mean by "correction"?

How do you have her step up onto your hand?

Did you have any interactions with her prior to bringing her home, or is this her first while interacting with you?

Are you near a window when you are asking her to step up?

 

[Notdumasilook]

Yeah id like to know what kinda "correction " too... that can be the issue. That bird is a baby and u should expect love nibbles.. no biggie. Sounds like you are getting a protest screech/bite. Are you being too pushy with that lil youngin?? Back off and let the bird initiate contact when he/she wants to. You are losing the birds trust in a hurry by whatever you are doing. Trust once lost is hard to get back. First bird?? Its an awesome responsibility ... like raising a kid... but in some ways harder. Birds are hardwired with a lot of instincts and you need to start looking at yalls friendship thru birdie eyes. Nothing is more rewarding (to me) than to have a give and take relationship with 100% trust going BOTH ways. Tons of info on this site can be found on why/when birds bite ya ... study up on that a bit before YOU start triggering the bites with that lil cutie and end up like some folks... having a lil vampire you can only handle with welding gloves.