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Incredibly Aggressive Conure. Help? (Sad update post # 102)

Grace_F

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Update. Snuck a few photos while she was out of the house. Here’s a full view of Sassy’s cage. Sleeping hut is at the bottom and is green.
Excuse the mess, she cleans it once a week.
I'm no bird behavior expert, but I have a green cheeked conure and I can tell you that a green cheek should not be in a cage like that for more than a couple hours a day. Green cheeks are high energy birds, it could lead to lots of stress and excess energy (which can come out as aggression). I don't know if the cage is what is CAUSING your bird to have behavior issues, but I can tell you that you will never make progress with him if hes stuck in a cage (especially one like that) most of the time. The most progress is usually made out of cage and in a neutral location in my experience!
Sometimes hormones can heighten existing aggression, and small dark spaces like hide huts have been known to stimulate hormones. Not getting 12 hours of sleep, eating certain foods, and not getting enough light exposure during the day can also stimulate hormones.
make sure you are listening to the birds body language and not pushing their boundaries. Some birds will stop using warning signs before lashing out because their owner ignores them and only listens when they bite. neutral locations are your friend with birds struggling with aggressive behavior. Some birds will act completely different towards ppl in a new location. Target training is a fantastic off hands way of interacting with your bird, and it forms positive associations, I highly recommend it.
It's fairly common for green cheeks to avoid or even be aggressive towards less liked flock members (aka people who arent their "favorite person"). Some of this is natural behavior, and some of it is learned. These behaviors become concerning to me if the bird is OVER aggressive towards less liked people, or if they act aggressively towards the people they normally like. This kind of behavior is not normal and needs to be corrected. A Green Cheeked conure isn't likely to be totally friendly towards everyone, but they shouldn't always be aggressive.

I hope this is helpful to you!
 

EgoLobster

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@MR. Mango @Tazlima @BirbOwner @StormyPica @Shezbug @Pat H @Sylvi_@BrianB @peachypjm @finchly

this is it. Not sure I’ll be back again.

Sassy died. We don’t know how. He was very sick and my sister rushed him to the vet and the vet had him in an incubator.
What I am very unhappy about is that Sassy seemed to be doing better so the vet didn’t bother running diagnostics and closed up for the night, only to come back to a dead bird.

Thank you all for everything.
 

MR. Mango

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I’m so sorry for your loss, but you tried your best to give sassy a better life, thank you
 

Tiel Feathers

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I’m so sorry For your loss of Sassy.:(Thank you for trying to help him.
:sadhug2:
 

Shezbug

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this is it. Not sure I’ll be back again.

Sassy died. We don’t know how. He was very sick and my sister rushed him to the vet and the vet had him in an incubator.
What I am very unhappy about is that Sassy seemed to be doing better so the vet didn’t bother running diagnostics and closed up for the night, only to come back to a dead bird.

Thank you all for everything.
Oh dear that’s awful news :(
I am so sorry for your loss.

Will your sister get a necropsy done to find out what happened?
 

expressmailtome

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I am sorry for your loss.
 

sunnysmom

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I am very sorry for your loss.
 

finchly

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I am so sorry. It is too bad, although understandable I guess, that vets cannot offer 24 hour care.

THANK YOU for all your efforts. I know that you're a great 'parent' to Poppy, and should you decide to get a bird you've already done a large part of the education!

:hug2:
 

webchirp

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I'm so sorry...
 

iamwhoiam

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Sorry for the loss of Sassy.
 

ConureGuy

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This whole thread has just blown me away in terms of what I've just had to read, As someone who tried to help the bird and tried to seek out advice to better the birds quality of life I take my hat off to you,

I just hope your sister never gets another bird, The sheer neglect and denial to accept solutions given by members of this fourm with years of bird care experience behind them from her is actually disgusting and heartbreaking all at the same time.
 

barbs0nly

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Hello;
my name is Kenzie. I’m a minor and I’m posting this thread on behalf of my younger sister who has pet birds. I know absolutely nothing about birds nor do I own one myself, but it saddens me to see the state my sister‘s relationship with her conure is in.
My sister bought a Conure from a very respected pet place, and their conures are well raised and they’re home to many birds, including a scarlet macaw that resides there. I have no doubt the conure was treated well, but he’s always been this way.
Sassafras, nicknamed Sassy, was named as he was because he’s a monster. And that’s me putting it in kind terms. Ever since he was a baby, he attacked everyone except for my sister. My sister explained that Conures are kinda one person birds and I let it go. Every now and then I would attempt to hold him under her supervision and come away bleeding, sometimes with scars.
He’s very well loved and my sister knows more about the handling and care of birds than anyone I know, and breeds parakeets. However; this has not stopped Sassy from taking things another step too far.
He is now attacking my sister the same way he attacks us. My sister has used target training and all sorts of other kinds of suggested methods to try and outtrain this behavior, but Sassy won’t stop biting and shrieking. It’s gotten to the point he’s let out of his cage once every two days now, and only for a few minutes.
he smashes his head against the bars of his cage all the time, bites, screams, and nothing we do stops him. He’s been this way since he was a baby but I think my sister has given up trying to fix this untamable bird. Is there anything I can do for the bird’s sake at this point? I don’t want him to be not allowed out of his cage ever again, and frankly, I hate seeing my sister stuck with a bird she raised and loved, only for it to vehemently despise everything and everyone.

He is a green-cheek. We got him at a discount because it’s possible hes part black-capped and was a breeding mistake.
i feel like part of the reason is how stuck in mindset everyone is to him. he honestly probably doesn’t hate you, you have to remember birds are prey animals and being in a predators home can be scary. he sounds miserable (not to sound harsh) and very stressed. him being in his cage all the time will only increase the issue. the best way to avoid getting bit is to bond through training, you can start by targeting and training through cage bars, associating with treats etc. i know it’s hard not to hold a grudge but you can’t. he’s a bird who’s unhappy in the situation he’s in and can’t help how he feels. it could also be a medical issue. what’s his diet like? what’s his cage like? what toys does he have? what was his schedule in the pet store? he might not be getting enough sleep. i bet your sister is an amazing handler but it’s important to ask these questions. he’s not untamable and giving up on him would be a disservice. i hope if nothing you do works out you rehome him because no bird deserves to live their lives in a cage unloved no matter how “aggressive” they are ~ coming from someone who got a “hand raised sweet perfect” gcc from a pet store who took chunks out of fingers when i first got her. this takes time and dedication. the whole family needs to be on board! and like i said, if everyone is miserable surrender him to a reputable place and let him have a home with someone who can give him all he needs :p also idek how reputable a place can be if they have quote on quote breeding mistakes lol but that’s just something to think about! :)
 

Shezbug

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i feel like part of the reason is how stuck in mindset everyone is to him. he honestly probably doesn’t hate you, you have to remember birds are prey animals and being in a predators home can be scary. he sounds miserable (not to sound harsh) and very stressed. him being in his cage all the time will only increase the issue. the best way to avoid getting bit is to bond through training, you can start by targeting and training through cage bars, associating with treats etc. i know it’s hard not to hold a grudge but you can’t. he’s a bird who’s unhappy in the situation he’s in and can’t help how he feels. it could also be a medical issue. what’s his diet like? what’s his cage like? what toys does he have? what was his schedule in the pet store? he might not be getting enough sleep. i bet your sister is an amazing handler but it’s important to ask these questions. he’s not untamable and giving up on him would be a disservice. i hope if nothing you do works out you rehome him because no bird deserves to live their lives in a cage unloved no matter how “aggressive” they are ~ coming from someone who got a “hand raised sweet perfect” gcc from a pet store who took chunks out of fingers when i first got her. this takes time and dedication. the whole family needs to be on board! and like i said, if everyone is miserable surrender him to a reputable place and let him have a home with someone who can give him all he needs :p also idek how reputable a place can be if they have quote on quote breeding mistakes lol but that’s just something to think about! :)
The bird has unfortunately passed away.
 
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