Reality Storm
Moving in
So, I have 4 1/2 year old male (DNA-tested) Bronze-winged Pionus named Loki. Loki is my first bird, so I only have google and forums like this to guide me. Since this past Labor day (2016) he has become exceedingly aggressive, and I don't know what to do and am seeking any advice from more experience Pi owners.
When this began, he was 4 years, 2 months. Up until Labor Day, Loki had never done anything that even resembled a bite. He was always been nothing but super cuddly and sweet. That weekend, he was boarding while I was out of town. When I picked him up, the vet tech told me that he had managed to escape his cage over the weekend. She'd gone back there and saw him on top of the cage, and when she tried to recover him, he attacked her and bit and scratched the back of her neck. I'd never seen him have any behavior like that before. We went home and he seemed fine.
The very next afternoon, I got home from work and let him out of his cage and he immediately attacked me. I was completely taken aback. Ever since then, this is his same behavior ever single afternoon. He is not like that in the mornings. When we get up in the morning he is his old usual sweet self as we make his food and I get ready for work. When I get home, though, he charges at me if I come near his cage.
Today, he was out all morning, sweet as usual. He decided it was bath time and was trying to bathe in the little bowl on his playstand. So I got out his big bowl and he proceeded to have a grand old time bathing and throwing water all over my bathroom. About 30 minutes later, he was preening and drying off on his perch and then flew over to me and started biting. This is the first time he's ever turned aggressive while I was here. Previous to this, it always happened while I was away (either at work, or even on a short run to the store). I had attributed it mostly to not liking being caged all day (or even for an hour while I ran an errand). Today he wasn't caged at all, and just went from angel to demon without any signs that I could see.
Since this has gone on, I've taken to not letting him out of his cage in the afternoons when I get home. I will site and talk to him in the room where is primary cage is so we do get some social time, but I really miss having him tooling around on my shoulder all evening until he got tired (at which point, in the past, he would take off from me and fly through the house back to his cage on his own).
Everything I've read indicates Pionus hit sexual maturity around 1 /12 to 2 years. This began when he was well past 4 years. I've seen other posts on here about mating season hormones, but those all seem to be spring and summer times. This began in the fall and has gone through the winter.
I don't want to have a cage-bound friend. I don't feel like it is fair to him, but at the same time he can't be out in the afternoons.
What I don't know is if he has decided I am no longer his best buddy, but instead some kind of rival; or if this is merely a hormonal thing that I can wait out. If the former, then I guess I'll have to look into rehoming him. If the latter, I just want to know if I'm doing any harm by not letting him out in the afternoons for the duration.
Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all in advance.
When this began, he was 4 years, 2 months. Up until Labor Day, Loki had never done anything that even resembled a bite. He was always been nothing but super cuddly and sweet. That weekend, he was boarding while I was out of town. When I picked him up, the vet tech told me that he had managed to escape his cage over the weekend. She'd gone back there and saw him on top of the cage, and when she tried to recover him, he attacked her and bit and scratched the back of her neck. I'd never seen him have any behavior like that before. We went home and he seemed fine.
The very next afternoon, I got home from work and let him out of his cage and he immediately attacked me. I was completely taken aback. Ever since then, this is his same behavior ever single afternoon. He is not like that in the mornings. When we get up in the morning he is his old usual sweet self as we make his food and I get ready for work. When I get home, though, he charges at me if I come near his cage.
Today, he was out all morning, sweet as usual. He decided it was bath time and was trying to bathe in the little bowl on his playstand. So I got out his big bowl and he proceeded to have a grand old time bathing and throwing water all over my bathroom. About 30 minutes later, he was preening and drying off on his perch and then flew over to me and started biting. This is the first time he's ever turned aggressive while I was here. Previous to this, it always happened while I was away (either at work, or even on a short run to the store). I had attributed it mostly to not liking being caged all day (or even for an hour while I ran an errand). Today he wasn't caged at all, and just went from angel to demon without any signs that I could see.
Since this has gone on, I've taken to not letting him out of his cage in the afternoons when I get home. I will site and talk to him in the room where is primary cage is so we do get some social time, but I really miss having him tooling around on my shoulder all evening until he got tired (at which point, in the past, he would take off from me and fly through the house back to his cage on his own).
Everything I've read indicates Pionus hit sexual maturity around 1 /12 to 2 years. This began when he was well past 4 years. I've seen other posts on here about mating season hormones, but those all seem to be spring and summer times. This began in the fall and has gone through the winter.
I don't want to have a cage-bound friend. I don't feel like it is fair to him, but at the same time he can't be out in the afternoons.
What I don't know is if he has decided I am no longer his best buddy, but instead some kind of rival; or if this is merely a hormonal thing that I can wait out. If the former, then I guess I'll have to look into rehoming him. If the latter, I just want to know if I'm doing any harm by not letting him out in the afternoons for the duration.
Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all in advance.