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At my wit's end (BHC)

SarahJ

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Sarah Juracich
I adopted Stinker about 5 years ago, so she's about 12 now, I'm 48. We got off to a rough start, but things definitely improved. I have had parrots before, an UC and a grey, and I have worked with tons of other species. I am familiar with all aspects of bird behavior: Positive reinforcement, aggression, breeding, training, you name it. Well, things have gone nuts lately and I just don't know what to do. In the last 2 weeks, without warning, she has pierced my upper lip, just below the nose, bit 2 fingers to the point I almost needed stitches, and just now, on offering her my towel covered shoulder, she stepped up, then latched on to my upper ear, resulting in another piecing. This comes after a healthy breakfast, some together time with no issues, fresh water (she prefers my water to hers, not a big deal), and a bit of friendly play. (I always wear a towel, for poops.)

She has a 30" by 30" by 36" cage, with LOTS of toys and regular toy swaps. Hasn't laid an egg in probably 2 years. 12-14 hours of sleep/covered time. Diet includes Nutriberries, Texas Freeze Dried chop, 1 pistachio, small parrot mix from My Safe Bird Store, fresh water twice a day. Out of cage time for 6-8 hours a day, or more.

I can't keep going like this, she's never been so randomly aggressive. A few people suggested rehoming her, I can't. That would be her 3rd home, and the first time she hurts someone, she's going to be off to another home. I am looking at a much larger cage, but she HATES being out without being ON ME. She will scream nonstop if I just let her out but not have her on me. But I am really tired of the biting. Sat down and had a good cry before coming here. Is there anything I can change, or add to her diet, to help us both?
 

Mizzely

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Any sudden changes in behavior have me at the vet :) sometimes it's nothing, but sometimes it's the first clue something is wrong. If nothing else, ruling out a medical issue can be helpful!

Any changes in your appearance, home, outside the home, routine?
 

sunnysmom

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Yes, I would start with a vet visit too. I also would stop allowing her on your shoulder for now to prevent face bites. Have you ever tried target training with her? If it's not something medical, or hormonal, it may be boredom or biting to get your attention. So having out time with her where she's doing something active may help.
 

tka

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When she's out of the cage, is she on you or trying to be on you for the whole 6-8 hours? Does she play or forage on her own while out of the cage?

To me, this sounds like a hormonal bird who thinks that she has a pair bond with you, and is biting when she is overstimulated. As @Mizzely said, it's a good idea to take her to an avian vet to check that there isn't a more sinister reasons for her to be so hormonal - my instinct would be to get blood tests and an x-ray to rule out physical health issues.

I would highly encourage you to get her off your shoulder/lap/knee and work on interactions that don't involve physical contact. If she's target trained, work on that - get her flying, and you can use the targeting stick to teach her other things. I recently taught Leia to spin using the targeting stick.

Have a read of this article and see whether this chimes with your experience

 

Irishj9

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I have a ten-year-old male who bit me yesterday (out of nowhere). It wasn't bad, but it was meant

But it wasn't out of nowhere. He is hormonal because

a) The extended daylight hours have GREATLY increased his hormone levels
b) He actually has a chick in the nest. He knows I have been checking on his baby, and he doesn't like the nest box being disturbed

There is always cause and effect, but the additional hormone surge at this time of year makes judging behavior difficult
 

2fruitcaiq

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I know this is a late reply, but I hope you didn't give up on Stinker and you were both able to navigate the issue. I just wanted to offer support - my BHC did this to me last year. I adopted him as an adult and we had a good getting to know you period for a few months then out of nowhere he would flip a switch and bite. Really hard. He inflicted nerve damage to 1 finger. Because he's unpredictable and rarely gives physical cues he's rarely allowed on my shoulder and if he lands there I've trained him to hop off without putting my hands near him. Looking back, I believe it was hormonal behaviour. We do everything to reduce it but it still happens. We have a good relationship and can interact safely and he's a sweet little guy but Ive had to learn if he's doing something that could trigger it or he's already triggered, to use safety precautions. He's trained to step up on to a branch and sometimes if he's not calming down he goes into his cage and we drop the covers for a few mins.
 

expressmailtome

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I know this is a late reply, but I hope you didn't give up on Stinker and you were both able to navigate the issue. I just wanted to offer support - my BHC did this to me last year. I adopted him as an adult and we had a good getting to know you period for a few months then out of nowhere he would flip a switch and bite. Really hard. He inflicted nerve damage to 1 finger. Because he's unpredictable and rarely gives physical cues he's rarely allowed on my shoulder and if he lands there I've trained him to hop off without putting my hands near him. Looking back, I believe it was hormonal behaviour. We do everything to reduce it but it still happens. We have a good relationship and can interact safely and he's a sweet little guy but Ive had to learn if he's doing something that could trigger it or he's already triggered, to use safety precautions. He's trained to step up on to a branch and sometimes if he's not calming down he goes into his cage and we drop the covers for a few mins.
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