I know all birds bite for various reasons, and I'm ok with experiencing the occasional nip or chomp from a bird, especially a conure, because it comes with the territory. But I'm definitely noticing some behavioral issues in Ella that I think need to be addressed.
As she continues to grow and bond in our household, she has become extremely attached to my fiance, who is terrified of her. He will allow her to perch on his shoulder, but won't ever go get her out of the cage/take her off a perch/engage her etc. because he's seen the damage she's done to my hands and fingers in the past couple of weeks. However, she has selected him as "her person" and with each passing day her aggression just seems to grow. Recently, it has developed to where if Paul is in the same room I cannot handle her whatsoever. If I try to make her step up from her perch, she will gladly step up onto my offered finger, and then start tearing at my flesh. She will also fly and attack me if I enter the same room as Paul and she is out. She got a good hunk of flesh out of the side of my face then other day, and if it was a little bit bigger I probably would need stitches.
I have been attempting to use the "time out" method, where everytime she bites me, I put her back in her cage, cover her up, and we all ignore her for 15 minutes. I then am the one to go and fetch her from her cage, or give her a treat. Since Paul is so scared of her, everytime we take her out, I am the one who has to put her back, so I get bit EVERY TIME we take her out. My hands look like they have gone through a meat grinder.
Any recommendations on curbing some of this aggression? We know nothing about her age other than her leg band says MN three letters I can never make out and then the # 74. I don't believe she is 35 years old, the people I got her from said she was around 3. Advice would be greatly appreciated.
As she continues to grow and bond in our household, she has become extremely attached to my fiance, who is terrified of her. He will allow her to perch on his shoulder, but won't ever go get her out of the cage/take her off a perch/engage her etc. because he's seen the damage she's done to my hands and fingers in the past couple of weeks. However, she has selected him as "her person" and with each passing day her aggression just seems to grow. Recently, it has developed to where if Paul is in the same room I cannot handle her whatsoever. If I try to make her step up from her perch, she will gladly step up onto my offered finger, and then start tearing at my flesh. She will also fly and attack me if I enter the same room as Paul and she is out. She got a good hunk of flesh out of the side of my face then other day, and if it was a little bit bigger I probably would need stitches.
I have been attempting to use the "time out" method, where everytime she bites me, I put her back in her cage, cover her up, and we all ignore her for 15 minutes. I then am the one to go and fetch her from her cage, or give her a treat. Since Paul is so scared of her, everytime we take her out, I am the one who has to put her back, so I get bit EVERY TIME we take her out. My hands look like they have gone through a meat grinder.
Any recommendations on curbing some of this aggression? We know nothing about her age other than her leg band says MN three letters I can never make out and then the # 74. I don't believe she is 35 years old, the people I got her from said she was around 3. Advice would be greatly appreciated.