Bird aggression...

[mariec]

The new addition to my little flock is a lorikeets named Sunny. She is three years old and a total doll, I love her to pieces.

However, she is extremely bird aggressive, not a little- but a lot. She will target and hunt other birds and she is a bird that would fight to the death.

I've taken measures to make sure she can't escaped her cage when I'm not looking so she and my other birds are safe, but I would like to come up with a training plan that would eventually allow her to be out on a play stand away from other birds without her going into "seek and destroy" mode.

Since any accidental over-sight might be harmful to her or another bird I really want to put some thought into how I might go about this in a planned daily training session.

Anyone have any experience or thoughts with birds this bird aggressive?

Sunny had her wings clipped before fledging so even though she is three and technically fully flighted, she has no idea what wings are for. I had wanted to teach her flight but I will not do that until I've calmed the bird aggression down a bit.

My goals aren't very high, she doesn't need to ever like birds, or even want them near her; I would just like to have her be able to be out in the same room on separated stands without her fixating on ways to go and hurt them.

 

[Sadieladie1994]

The first thing that comes to mind is the recent video/'blogs by Barbara Heidenreich about the Kakapo Sirocco. This bird became so imprinted on people that he would attack them in an attempt to mate with anyone who came within distance of him. The training was to teach him to station in a certain area and he would get a treat. Birds are into "what's in it for me". Find something that makes it about him and staying in a certain area. It could be a treat or praise or something else but it has to have meaning for him.

 

[mariec]

The first thing that comes to mind is the recent video/'blogs by Barbara Heidenreich about the Kakapo Sirocco. This bird became so imprinted on people that he would attack them in an attempt to mate with anyone who came within distance of him. The training was to teach him to station in a certain area and he would get a treat. Birds are into "what's in it for me". Find something that makes it about him and staying in a certain area. It could be a treat or praise or something else but it has to have meaning for him.

Yes, I've seen those videos! I love her and subscribe to her stuff. I have an open floor plan in my home and a basement aviary, that I bring the birds up from.

I was thinking I would put one bird on a stand on one side of the room and reward sunny for ignoring/tolerating the other bird across the room and staying on her stand (which she does no problem if their isn't another bird loose) and then slowly bring the other bird a little closer. I'd like her to ideally tolerate/ignore another bird that is about 4 feet away.

I hate having her locked in her cage downstairs while the other fids are upstairs playing while I do house chores in the morning. I just can't trust her while I run around the house and I'm not right there to keep her from trouble. I've seen her jump three feet high in an attempt to snatch a bird out of the air. My other two are flighted and used to "stand-hopping" and little flights around the room.

Then the days I work everyone gets less time out because she has to have a block of time all to herself. It's only three days a week but still...we can do better

I know with time any behavior can be modified for the better.