Cockatiel Got Very Agressive After Getting a New One (30+ bites)

[bselimb]

Hello everyone,

Our White Face Pied cockatiel was always aggressive and never used to the hand, he just fly in the room and comes to our head or shoulder anytime he wants when not in cage and always bites hard when reaching with the hand, I tried for weeks but nothing stopped it.

Even when he is in cage he gets angry to rope and bites to rope by making weird angry hissing noises.

Recently for the past 4 months he got very vocal and it was impossible to stay at home even though when we release him out of the cage he either goes and bothers our guineapigs, or the dog or us OR just lands on a high place and starts screaming.

Honestly after today I really started hating him, i'm very instinctive when an animal attacks me to protect himself I understand that but when an animal starts to attack for being no threat at all I just got crazy and today that happened.
Note that, we never shouted him, yelled him, always spoke with him with a warm loving voice (my wife is really good at that too but even the damn bird hates him)

Anyways, yesterday we brought a new junior cockatiel that was hand-fed and used to being around humans and no biting issues at all. New tiel spent the night in another cage that our first tiel can see him and so they can get used to each other.

Today I released my first cockatiel from the cage and he directly flew to the other direction (guineapigs cage) and started annoying the guinea pigs, and then we released the other one and laid down some food so they can both fed from the ground (from the desk actually but you got the point) without having need to fight for food so that went well and they were nice for a couple of hours.

When it was evening today I just want to get the new tiel on my hand and as soon as the new bird comes to my hand the first one got completely crazy, started attacking me, flew and jumped on the new bird's back, bit me more than 30 times, created a real mess chasing the new bird in the sofa and basically bullied every single one of us in the house.

It was completely terrible because after five minutes of trying to keep him away and actually try to grap the new bird and put the new bird to the cage the first bird started directing his attacks to our eyes.

Thats when I got angry and I took him, grounded him in my hands and probably he bit the same spot over ten times.

I'm not sure what to do now, they both very chill right now but whenever I pass to first one's cage he hisses me and even bites the cage.

 

[Wardy]

Have you done any training with your original bird ?
How long have you had him/her has this behaviour been consistant during this time ?

Introducing birds to each other isnt just as simple as letting them out together and they will get along.

Please dont let them out together just at the moment its going to be more of the same.

 

[bselimb]

Oh I'm not letting them out together, the guy we got the second said it's okay so we just went with an idiot's know how and it was an instant regret.

We have Zuzu (first one) in the last December, it's almost been a year.

I tried to train him for a very long time, 3 months to be precise. Tried to hand feed him and he just kept biting and flying away from me when I raise my hand with millet branch.

He only allows us to scratch his head ONLY WHEN if he feels like it's okay to lay his head down for 5 seconds exactly. If we exceed that five seconds the rest is a painful process because he just doesn't stop with one bite he usually flies and comes for more bites until he feels like he satisfied his monstrosity.

 

[Wardy]

I tried to train him for a very long time, 3 months to be precise. Tried to hand feed him and he just kept biting and flying away from me when I raise my hand with millet branch.

Have you done any target training ?
Step up training ?

He only allows us to scratch his head ONLY WHEN if he feels like it's okay to lay his head down for 5 seconds exactly. If we exceed that five seconds the rest is a painful process because he just doesn't stop with one bite he usually flies and comes for more bites until he feels like he satisfied his monstrosity

Stop scratching his head if the outcome is bites stop doing it, this has created a behaviour that will continue.

More info on your original birds daily routine and diet, details on his cage setup and out of cage set up would help.

Can i ask why you have got another bird considering the problems you have with your original bird ?

 

[Pixiebeak]

3 months is nothing in bird time and earning trust.

When I got my last young quaker from the pet store...she has a huge fear of hands . She couldn't even see a hand without screaming running away or trying to bite. It took 6 months before she would step up took a year before she would cuddle and let me pet her. Now 2 years latter a very sweet bird who loves kisses and cuddle.

I will link some on learning to read body language and behavior. Its something we all have to learn, and be continually conscious of .

Adding a new bird, your original birds behavior and reactions are normal. It can be complex, one behavior is for a bird to attack its mate or friend( you) to protect and drive them away from the invading new bird. Or jealous. Or fearful, or protecting territory. I've created a mix species flock, but with careful attention and thoughtful observations, and taking things slow, with lots of positive reinforcement.

No one likes to get bitten. But as the human, dealing with intelligent and unique creatures, we have to use our intelligence, empathy, and emotional maturity. We have to control ourselves, use our higher conscious. Plus our size and strength is monstrous compared to a little bird that's probably 100 grams . You can not use force, you can not use punishment.

As example, I worked training horses. You can not overpower a horse. You use your mind, you build trust, you reward. You shape behavior.

So it takes commitment, reaching out like you are, and reading up , time and patience

 

[Pixiebeak]

This is a good article to start. Briefly touches on bites.

Pet Bird and Parrot Behavior – Pet Birds by Lafeber Co.

Pet bird and parrot behavior information.

lafeber.com

 

[Pixiebeak]

While this is titled stress in parrots, and I'm sure your bird is feeling stress, its an all around great introduction to parrots. Helps in understanding where the parrot is coming from, covers the importance of cage, environment, and nutrition and sleep and observations. Observations aren't going in with preconceived ideas , but taking the time to really see . Its with reading, and reading again. I've read it many times and gone back for refreshing.

Stress Reduction for Companion Parrots – Pet Birds by Lafeber Co.

To put it bluntly, keeping companion parrots is similar to trying to pound a square peg into a round hole. The fact that they do as well as they do is testimony more to their adaptability than it is to our husbandry efforts.

lafeber.com

 

[Pixiebeak]

Reading Parrot Body Language: An Essential Skill

Why is it so important to be able to read your parrot’s body language? Because a finely honed ability to read body language is necessary to a relationship that works. Body language is the only way …

blogpamelaclarkonline.com

Excerpt from article:
to read your parrot’s body language? Because a finely honed ability to read body language is necessary to a relationship that works. Body language is the only way your bird has to communicate with you. You can’t just blunder along as you live with your parrots, not understanding what they are trying to tell you. If you do choose that route, you will be one of those people who post pictures of their most recent bites on Facebook"

 

[Pixiebeak]

I know so much reading! But experts have taken the time to write these professionally! So worth talking the time to read them. Even after 20 years with a life shared with parrots I'm still reading up.

Its never to late to build a better relationship with your parrot. Often in situations that have gone south we advise going back and starting over. To pretend this is the first day you brought your bird home. Wipe the slate clean in your mind. Staet over earning trust. This often works by going to say hi to your bird a million times a day and handing out a treat. Often a single seed works best as a treat, or a little pinch of apple, or a known favorite. Taking time to create a routine and explain to your your bird everything that you are doing. Like hi I'm going to change your food and water now.

To not force interactions. But to build and shape.

This is a sticky thread under our behavior forum worth reading as well.

Changing problem behavior in birds

I wanted to write a post that could help people understand how you can go about changing or modifying problem behavior in their parrots. It is good for people to know this because once you get the concepts, you can apply it to anything. Behavior doesn't just "happen", it happens because of...

forums.avianavenue.com

 

[ode.to.parrots]

This sounds like such a stressful situation. Cockatiels are typically very docile, and when they are startled, they usually fly away from the thing that scares them. I don't think I have heard of a cockatiel chasing down and attacking anyone...

Where did you get your original bird from? Perhaps some background knowledge can help us to understand what led to this behavior.

It sounds like either this bird is extremely hormonal or has a history of his body language being ignored and feels that attacking is the only way to defend itself...

What is your current cage set up? What sort of diet do you offer your bird? Certain things like soft toys or warm, soft foods can promote hormonal behavior.

All of the training resources posted so far are super helpful, but the cage set up, diet, and daily routine are your foundation for success.