Conure randomly attacking me

[imnotgrandpa]

I am hoping someone can help me. I have two green cheek conures that around about 3-4. One of them has now started to randomly attack me out of nowhere. He will act completely normal and sit on me, kiss me, and then attack out of nowhere. Not just one bite but repeated attacks where I have to fling him off to stop or wrap him in a towel. I have tried to remain as calm as possible, but it’s actually terrifying me. He’ll then try to attack my other conure when he can’t get to me. They usually get along fine otherwise.

Any suggestions please? I want him to be happy, but at this point it’s not even safe for him to be out of the cage because he will come to me, act normal, and then randomly attack. I can’t trust him and I’m truly afraid he’ll seriously hurt me.

 

[Emma&pico]

Hi can you pin point when this started ? Is it all the time he’s out ? As anything changed the routine etc any change to you hair cut etc anything new ? Might help people answers

@Pixiebeak any ideas
@Wardy any ideas

 

[WillowQ]

I wonder if the attacking Conure is pair bonded to the other Conure, and jealous or protecting, or if he’s pair bonded to you and frustrated and confused?

 

[Pixiebeak]

Hi!
I'm a believing you can work this out!

Y? Cuz I've had stuff happen, or made mistakes and had my GCC very upset with me doing all that you've shared. And we moved back into the best of buddies.

It's easy for parrots to develop a sudden fear of hands or loose trust. Unfortunately that's been compounded with you toweling and flinging. So your going to need to build back up the trust bank .

It's late for me here, so I'll just mention a few things and catch back up with you later .

First being locked up is just going to build frustration and energy.

I recommend, spending some time chatting to him and sitting by him in his cage. Dime sweet talking and handing out safflower seeds by hand if takes nice. If not get a small treat onky. Dish that you can drop them in and say good birdie, when he takes them..

Get a perch and attach in the outside of the csfe right by door do can step out to thdt before you interact. After above goes well. Open door and tso perch step back but show your treat. When he comes out give him the treat and chst . I usually need to give mine a few moments to nit be over excited after she comes out before interacting.

Patient, bribes, sweet talk and paying attention to body language will go a long way.

Taking the mindset this is a miscommunication, not a mean bird . Bites hurt, but bites are our fault for not reading and respecting body language.

More later

 

[imnotgrandpa]

Hi can you pin point when this started ? Is it all the time he’s out ? As anything changed the routine etc any change to you hair cut etc anything new ? Might help people answers

@Pixiebeak any ideas
@Wardy any ideas

Thank you for your reply. It’s been on going for a few months. I thought maybe he was hormonal at first but it has only progressively gotten worse. I haven’t changed anything recently physically.

 

[imnotgrandpa]

I wonder if the attacking Conure is pair bonded to the other Conure, and jealous or protecting, or if he’s pair bonded to you and frustrated and confused?

Thank you for your response. He does seem to try to attack my other conure when I show her too much attention. How can I tell who he may be bonded with, and if so how can I stop it? They generally get along super well, he only attacks my other one when he either is angry and can’t get to me or if I talk to them instead of him.

 

[imnotgrandpa]

Hi!
I'm a believing you can work this out!

Y? Cuz I've had stuff happen, or made mistakes and had my GCC very upset with me doing all that you've shared. And we moved back into the best of buddies.

It's easy for parrots to develop a sudden fear of hands or loose trust. Unfortunately that's been compounded with you toweling and flinging. So your going to need to build back up the trust bank .

It's late for me here, so I'll just mention a few things and catch back up with you later .

First being locked up is just going to build frustration and energy.

I recommend, spending some time chatting to him and sitting by him in his cage. Dime sweet talking and handing out safflower seeds by hand if takes nice. If not get a small treat onky. Dish that you can drop them in and say good birdie, when he takes them..

Get a perch and attach in the outside of the csfe right by door do can step out to thdt before you interact. After above goes well. Open door and tso perch step back but show your treat. When he comes out give him the treat and chst . I usually need to give mine a few moments to nit be over excited after she comes out before interacting.

Patient, bribes, sweet talk and paying attention to body language will go a long way.

Taking the mindset this is a miscommunication, not a mean bird . Bites hurt, but bites are our fault for not reading and respecting body language.

More later

Thanks so much for your response. I just wanna note a few things. I am definitely not keeping him locked up, I could never do that to him, but I also cannot allow him on me while he’s being unexpectedly aggressive. When his behavior first began, I would quietly say ow, no bite, and take him off my shoulder. He would then start to repeatedly attack my thighs, legs or whatever was in his reach. As the attacks got progressively worse, I had no other option but to towel him as he has sliced up my fingers pretty good and deeply to the point where some have gotten infected.
The other note is that I do try to talk to him while he’s sitting in the cage, and sometimes he will aggressively bite and attack his toys.
He doesn’t have any issues coming out of the cage, he will perch on my hand and sit with me just fine, but the attacks are completely random and out of nowhere and I’m not sure what I’ve done to provoke it.

 

[WillowQ]

I had a greencheek that would get wound up and attack out if seemingly nowhere. I had to conclude that EVERYTHING is very exciting for this bird and he can only handle a short amount of out time. So I would only keep him out until he started to be squirmy or bitey and then I put him back in his cage.
Maybe a similar approach would help? This bird was definitely emotionally overloaded and would bite with his very sharp little beak when he was wound up about any thing.

 

[Dartman]

Pippen does the same thing, she can be sweet and loving then just get wound up and bite every bit of exposed skin I have till I get her off of me. Especially when she knows she's going back in so we're very careful with her and how we approach her. They can certainly cause plenty of damage with their sharp little beaks.

 

[WillowQ]

I think tiny conures are kinda like bitey little chihuahuas. Sometimes you just have to put them back and let them calm down. They are very emotional and too excited is just too excited. Even though they love you, they bite.
So if you see signs that the bird is getting too excited, put him on the cage or playgym or somewhere out of biting range.
I didn’t think my Oscar was being deliberately mean, it seemed like he was just too wound up to think. We were both happier if we took a break rather than trying to repair the relationship after a bite.

 

[Wardy]

hope you dont mind me asking you a few questions and i might be able to help.
can you give me a bit more info on your birds daily routine ? do they sleep in the same cage overnight ? How much out of cage activity is available, foraging toys and playstands.

I would say Mojo is a absolute nightmare when hormonal annoys KiKi so much can become quite aggressive to me and my wife and we just start bite training all over again if needed, we had quite a bad time with her where time was limited outside the cage i cant recall what it was right now but i am thinking maybe 30 mins ( i did have a thread updating cant remember what it was called right now but i will tag a couple of people who might recall it and find it for me it might help ) this really helped us all here.
Have you cut your hair ? Started wearing glasses ? got a tattoo ?

I would sit and chat the offender whilst in the cage but wouldnt would star with offering treats through bars if plays nice, i would then make your bird work harder for the treat than playing nice i would start in cage target training it's good engagement and safe for you if you do do this dont just treat fuss the bird.
I am doing this with one of mine now but they are in different cages.

 

[Emma&pico]

Thank you for your reply. It’s been on going for a few months. I thought maybe he was hormonal at first but it has only progressively gotten worse. I haven’t changed anything recently physically.

How many daylight hours is he getting ? You could try make sure he as 12/13hours sleep totally darkness

is there anyone else in house that could take over is care for a bit to reset or is he like this with one in house ?Or is it just you ?

when you get him out are you near his cage when he attacks or cleaning sorting food water out in his cage ?
maybr if you are in room with his cage take him where he can’t see it another room and do some training recall or targeting training etc so every time he comes to you he gets a treat

did you get them both at same time or was he first bird and you added another ?

My female lovebird can be like this today I got her out and she flew straight to my side and bite through my top I know how it feels min I say too bite indie she flys to her treat perch and flips around for a treat I ingore her and she makes kisses noisy I ingore her again she knows she shouldn’t bite I think hormones just some times getting the better of her and she is so much worse when I am sat by her cage today I couldn’t even give her treats near her cage as she went for fingers over treats so I sat by pico and she took them nicely
I’ve up her night time to 7/8 and added more foraging toys to her cage so she as to try harder for the good stuff which helps reset her a bit I’ve found not letting her have as many sunflower seeds as treats help or millet so her foraging treats at min are nurtberries

 

[WillowQ]

Lovebirds are also tiny chihuahua like birds. Very excitable and expressing that excitement by biting.

 

[Emma&pico]

Lovebirds are also tiny chihuahua like birds. Very excitable and expressing that excitement by biting.

My male lovebird isn’t like that at all

 

[WillowQ]

Maybe it’s a female lovebird thing.
Or maybe only some lovebirds are super excitable and aggressive. But most of the lovebirds I hear about and meet have been very busy and some pretty bitey.

You may have a well behaved lovey because you manage him well. But I keep hearing lovebirds described as “hate birds” or little paper punches. ??

do you find your greencheek to be super active, bouncy, easily overloaded to biting?
My guy clearly loved me and often loved to be pet but when he had too much it was chomp time. There didn’t seem to be any planning or hard feelings, just a chomp when he had too much of anything. I don’t even think he was really naughty, he just expressed himself with his beak.

 

[Pixiebeak]

When my GCC had lost trust for both know And unknown reasons ( we have had 3 big hiccups in our over ten years together, the worst and longest lasting was my screw up during harness training)! She would run it fjy to attack me .

The fix is to rebuild trust , act like you just brought the bird home and do all the treats talk and trust building.

Really you need to take the mind set bites are your fault, they aren't really unprovoked , the bird has a reason . Film interaction, take notes , keep reading up on behavior and body language.

My GCC and I have a really great relationship currently and for most of her life. That said, if she gets over stimulated, tired, needs a snack break , or thinks my hand is trying to kill her or whatever. She will bite, or be willing to bite or attack me , every single day this could happen!! But!!!! She doesn't get a completed bite, because I pay very close attention to her body language . Crouch, snake neck , stomping, back of neck feathers raised and such. I stop, I talk to her, I don't force interaction. Usually in a few seconds she is over it and we go back to hanging out no bites no drama. She can be like a cat , pet me pet, I will bite you! Ok let me again.

But you've got issues now because of the toweling, and flinging. So you will have to never do that again, and build back trust . It can be done! It can take time and patience. My worst took a few months for us to build back trust .

You don't put yourself in position to get bites. Because you are going to do controled , shirt interactions, will postive reinforcement until you gain trust back . Like just saying hi and hand a treat a hundred times a day . A step up and talk and vist fir a few minutes then back to a perch. Do not pet unless it's very very clear that's wanted .

 

[Emma&pico]

Maybe it’s a female lovebird thing.
Or maybe only some lovebirds are super excitable and aggressive. But most of the lovebirds I hear about and meet have been very busy and some pretty bitey.

You may have a well behaved lovey because you manage him well. But I keep hearing lovebirds described as “hate birds” or little paper punches. ??

do you find your greencheek to be super active, bouncy, easily overloaded to biting?
My guy clearly loved me and often loved to be pet but when he had too much it was chomp time. There didn’t seem to be any planning or hard feelings, just a chomp when he had too much of anything. I don’t even think he was really naughty, he just expressed himself with his beak.

Oh hes busy all over place active full of energy but he’s not bitey he normally tells you with a squeak noise if he’s had enough of something a few times before he even try’s to bite and odd time I’ve missed it n he’s bitten me it’s so soft with same squeak noise but saying that I don’t cuddle him he asks for head rubs but it’s hardly ever
Not like my female lovebird who when she that way out she will actively seek skin to bite I don’t trust her even giving her treats if she that way out she acts like she’s going for treat then bites fingers instead she not allowed on my shoulder as she bites ears hard or does into my hair and bites back of my neck don’t get me wrong she can be a sweetheart but then a devil too

my gcc Remi I’ve only had a week so can’t really comment but I can tell when he’s grumpy already I think it’s just reading body language I think working with dementia as helped me with this loads though as most of time body language is key so I think I am a bit more switch onto it my husband says I have a sixth sense for feelings
and olive was so timid and soft natured with most things she was starting to come around before she died

 

[WillowQ]

It’s great that Remi is not a biter. I hope you can keep him that way when he grows up. But maybe he won’t change, or maybe you ARE picking up on his mood well enough to avoid it.
I couldn’t tell when Oscar was going to bite. It seemed he just flipped from wanting to be out and pet or scratched to wanting to make me bleed.

 

[Dartman]

Lurch was originally like that with biting. He didn't bother with warnings, he just went straight to the quickest hardest bite he could give me. I think the leftover family who got stuck with him didn't want him and he didn't trust or like them so he acted out. The signs he gave was they hit him or at least tried to hit him so he learned to bite quick to protect himself from them. Sometimes I'd raise my hand and he'd scream and duck, even after we were friends

 

[Emma&pico]

Lurch was originally like that with biting. He didn't bother with warnings, he just went straight to the quickest hardest bite he could give me. I think the leftover family who got stuck with him didn't want him and he didn't trust or like them so he acted out. The signs he gave was they hit him or at least tried to hit him so he learned to bite quick to protect himself from them. Sometimes I'd raise my hand and he'd scream and duck, even after we were friends

Oh that breaks my heart so glad he as you now to love and protect him