I'm having a lot of "one person bird" aggression issues with my pionus and I'm at my wit's end. She is sexed female, 2 years old.
From the very beginning she showed preference to my husband, though she was friendly with me and I could handle her just fine. Gradually, she started to become aggressive toward me. At first, it was only when my husband was around. Then, this spring, she became aggressive toward me all the time. If I am near the cage, she will hurl herself at the bars, feathers fluffed, and yell at me. I used to let her out during the day, but then she started flying at me to attack my face the moment I moved or entered the room. So I just stopped letting her out. However, if she doesn't get outside time, she will scream all day long. I don't want her to stay in her cage all day, but I can't handle being stalked and attacked in my own home.
I am very scared of her now, which I know can't help matters. I tried target training her from inside her cage, and that helped at the beginning, but now she just flings herself at the bars at me. At it's very worst, I just decided to leave her in her cage all day and let my husband be the one to take her out and give her attention when he came home from work. After a few weeks of this, she calmed down around me. While I had been thinking of rehoming her, things seemed better so I decided to stick it out.
So, today I tried letting her out again, and within five minutes she attacked me again. To be honest, I know I toweled her too roughly to put her back in her cage, and now I'm terrified not only of her, but of what I might do in those moments when I'm really shaken and scared from her attacks.
I'm still really shaken up by it. I just don't think I can handle her anymore. I tried my best to do some training with her and it didn't work. I don't think I have the time, experience, or knowledge to work through and fix her problems. In the fall I'm expecting a baby and I'm going to have a newborn and a toddler and I can't see how I'm going to have the time to work with the bird when I can barely make dinner and keep the house clean along with the kids.
I want to find a new home for her. However, what is there to stop a "one person" bird from just having the same issue at a new home? I've heard success stories about one person birds that were rehomed, but I don't know how that works.
How would I even go about finding a new home for her? I am hesitant to put an ad on Craigslist because of all the unscrupulous people and scammers who "flip" pets for profit. How do I go about finding someone responsible?
From the very beginning she showed preference to my husband, though she was friendly with me and I could handle her just fine. Gradually, she started to become aggressive toward me. At first, it was only when my husband was around. Then, this spring, she became aggressive toward me all the time. If I am near the cage, she will hurl herself at the bars, feathers fluffed, and yell at me. I used to let her out during the day, but then she started flying at me to attack my face the moment I moved or entered the room. So I just stopped letting her out. However, if she doesn't get outside time, she will scream all day long. I don't want her to stay in her cage all day, but I can't handle being stalked and attacked in my own home.
I am very scared of her now, which I know can't help matters. I tried target training her from inside her cage, and that helped at the beginning, but now she just flings herself at the bars at me. At it's very worst, I just decided to leave her in her cage all day and let my husband be the one to take her out and give her attention when he came home from work. After a few weeks of this, she calmed down around me. While I had been thinking of rehoming her, things seemed better so I decided to stick it out.
So, today I tried letting her out again, and within five minutes she attacked me again. To be honest, I know I toweled her too roughly to put her back in her cage, and now I'm terrified not only of her, but of what I might do in those moments when I'm really shaken and scared from her attacks.
I'm still really shaken up by it. I just don't think I can handle her anymore. I tried my best to do some training with her and it didn't work. I don't think I have the time, experience, or knowledge to work through and fix her problems. In the fall I'm expecting a baby and I'm going to have a newborn and a toddler and I can't see how I'm going to have the time to work with the bird when I can barely make dinner and keep the house clean along with the kids.
I want to find a new home for her. However, what is there to stop a "one person" bird from just having the same issue at a new home? I've heard success stories about one person birds that were rehomed, but I don't know how that works.
How would I even go about finding a new home for her? I am hesitant to put an ad on Craigslist because of all the unscrupulous people and scammers who "flip" pets for profit. How do I go about finding someone responsible?