Hello, I am in need of some advice.... I'm sorry, I'm sure there are other posts similar to this one, but I couldn't find anything specific to my situation.
We recently adopted and blue and gold macaw who plucked herself but was otherwise sweet and healthy. She would cuddle, go on walks, help with cooking, etc. Now, about a month later, we are having problems, and I feel that we have tried everything. We are very close to putting her back up for adoption.
Before I explain, I'll let you know that we have three conures in the house, my babies, and have had other larger birds like cockatoos, african greys, and macaws around when roommates share the house. I have had lots of experience with parrots and have read lots of parrot behavior books (Mattie Sue Athan, etc). I am not a beginner aviculturist, but find myself up to my neck in this one!
"Sky" has become very unpredictable. She constantly lunges at little kid's faces (which is unacceptable, since we usually have friends over, and my little sister cannot even walk into the kitchen) and switches "mates" quickly and unpredictably. One day, she loved cuddling with me, purring as I scratched her head, the usual... the next day I came downstairs and she started lunging at me.
- I tried putting her on a lower cage so she is looking UP at us rather than looking DOWN at us... no use.
- I tried "laddering" her (step-ups from arm to arm) every time she lunges/bites (I still do this) but this doesn't work either. She will be laddering just fine then suddenly bite me on the arm, for no reason that I can see.
- I have tried spending more time with her, but this is useless. I spent all day with her once, took her on walks, etc, then my mom (her "mate") came in the house and she lunged at my face!
- Even if I just try to feed her a treat, she lunges at the treat with her feathers fluffed up, then grabs it and flings it off the cage angrily.
- I have tried to take her out of her cage in the morning only when she steps up on my hand or a stick to make her dependent on ME to get out of the cage - no use. This morning, I tried to get her out of the cage on a stick. She stepped up, then ran up the stick to bite my hand.
- I have tried training her to come to me for treats, etc, which I have trained all my conures to do - the flighted maroon belly will fly to my finger! - but this doesn't seem to make a difference in her behavior.
Today I have been doing step-ups from her cage to a stick (with a glove on) but I think we're just going downhill! It seems like a mix of distrust and aggression...
She is on a diet of Zupreem pellets, fruit, and (we are trying to get her to eat more) veggies. We took her to a good avian vet for a checkup, so this isn't a health-related problem.
She didn't used to be like this, but I'm starting to think she's just too much bird for us. Any last suggestions?
We recently adopted and blue and gold macaw who plucked herself but was otherwise sweet and healthy. She would cuddle, go on walks, help with cooking, etc. Now, about a month later, we are having problems, and I feel that we have tried everything. We are very close to putting her back up for adoption.
Before I explain, I'll let you know that we have three conures in the house, my babies, and have had other larger birds like cockatoos, african greys, and macaws around when roommates share the house. I have had lots of experience with parrots and have read lots of parrot behavior books (Mattie Sue Athan, etc). I am not a beginner aviculturist, but find myself up to my neck in this one!
"Sky" has become very unpredictable. She constantly lunges at little kid's faces (which is unacceptable, since we usually have friends over, and my little sister cannot even walk into the kitchen) and switches "mates" quickly and unpredictably. One day, she loved cuddling with me, purring as I scratched her head, the usual... the next day I came downstairs and she started lunging at me.
- I tried putting her on a lower cage so she is looking UP at us rather than looking DOWN at us... no use.
- I tried "laddering" her (step-ups from arm to arm) every time she lunges/bites (I still do this) but this doesn't work either. She will be laddering just fine then suddenly bite me on the arm, for no reason that I can see.
- I have tried spending more time with her, but this is useless. I spent all day with her once, took her on walks, etc, then my mom (her "mate") came in the house and she lunged at my face!
- Even if I just try to feed her a treat, she lunges at the treat with her feathers fluffed up, then grabs it and flings it off the cage angrily.
- I have tried to take her out of her cage in the morning only when she steps up on my hand or a stick to make her dependent on ME to get out of the cage - no use. This morning, I tried to get her out of the cage on a stick. She stepped up, then ran up the stick to bite my hand.
- I have tried training her to come to me for treats, etc, which I have trained all my conures to do - the flighted maroon belly will fly to my finger! - but this doesn't seem to make a difference in her behavior.
Today I have been doing step-ups from her cage to a stick (with a glove on) but I think we're just going downhill! It seems like a mix of distrust and aggression...
She is on a diet of Zupreem pellets, fruit, and (we are trying to get her to eat more) veggies. We took her to a good avian vet for a checkup, so this isn't a health-related problem.
She didn't used to be like this, but I'm starting to think she's just too much bird for us. Any last suggestions?
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