SUDDENLY AGRESSIVE COCKATIEL- HELP!!!!

[sydneytiel]

Hello! I'm having troubles with one of my tiels, Sydney. He's a male and about 9 months olds, and I've had him since he was barely a month old because his parents couldn't feed him. The problem is that he lately doesn't let me pet him (which he used to love) and bites me. I'm really worried because this behaviour only happens with me because with everyone else is perfectly normal! This has reached a point where today he "attacked" me, he bit my lips and fingers hard with his wings open. What else can I do?? I feel like I've tried everything!
Ps. I don't know if its important information but I have two other tiels, with who he doesn't have any problems.
Thank you all a lot!!!!!

 

[budgieluv3]

Have you towlled him to clip his nails etc.? Are his wings clipped? Could there possible have been a loud noise that he blames you for?
Are the two other tiels new, or have they been with you for awhile?

 

[Ripshod]

9 months? Could he be getting hormonal (stroppy teenager)?

 

[sunnysmom]

Have you changed anything? Hair, glasses, nail polish, etc?

 

[Lady Jane]

Are his wings clipped?

Cutting a birds ability to fly is not a good solution here. It will only frustrate your bird and you further. I am with @Ripshod on this one. Your cockatiel is the right age for hormonal surges. There are a few things you can do but mostly it is a matter of patiently waiting for the surge to resolve, and it will in time.

In the meantime try rearranging the cage interior, move it to a different location, increase sleeping time about 1 to two hours and no feeding of soft warm foods.


Stick-train your parrot. This is very important. You don't want to handle a hormonal parrot, as they can bite very hard.
Decrease the amount of light your bird gets every day. Ensure that your pet is getting 11-12 hours of darkness per night.
Increase level of exercise, in the way of flying

 

[Ripshod]

Cutting a birds ability to fly is not a good solution here. It will only frustrate your bird and you further. I am with @Ripshod on this one. Your cockatiel is the right age for hormonal surges. There are a few things you can do but mostly it is a matter of patiently waiting for the surge to resolve, and it will in time.

In the meantime try rearranging the cage interior, move it to a different location, increase sleeping time about 1 to two hours and no feeding of soft warm foods.

I'm actually thinking @sunnysmom may be right. I have personal experience of what happens when your appearance changes. In my case it was a 5 day beard, and once shaved the bad behaviour disappeared.

 

[budgieluv3]

Cutting a birds ability to fly is not a good solution here. It will only frustrate your bird and you further. I am with @Ripshod on this one. Your cockatiel is the right age for hormonal surges. There are a few things you can do but mostly it is a matter of patiently waiting for the surge to resolve, and it will in time.

In the meantime try rearranging the cage interior, move it to a different location, increase sleeping time about 1 to two hours and no feeding of soft warm foods.


Stick-train your parrot. This is very important. You don't want to handle a hormonal parrot, as they can bite very hard.
Decrease the amount of light your bird gets every day. Ensure that your pet is getting 11-12 hours of darkness per night.
Increase level of exercise, in the way of flying

@Lady Jane sorry, I think there’s been a misunderstanding, I meant that sometimes clipping wings can cause aggression. I am 100% against clipping unless it is for an absolutely necessary medical reason.

 

[sydneytiel]

Have you towlled him to clip his nails etc.? Are his wings clipped? Could there possible have been a loud noise that he blames you for?
Are the two other tiels new, or have they been with you for awhile?

No I haven't and his wings aren't clipped (I could never, I'd feel like I'm taking away a part of him), and he's been with the other two tiels for a while. Maybe the noise? But I don't know what that could be!

 

[sydneytiel]

Cutting a birds ability to fly is not a good solution here. It will only frustrate your bird and you further. I am with @Ripshod on this one. Your cockatiel is the right age for hormonal surges. There are a few things you can do but mostly it is a matter of patiently waiting for the surge to resolve, and it will in time.

In the meantime try rearranging the cage interior, move it to a different location, increase sleeping time about 1 to two hours and no feeding of soft warm foods.


Stick-train your parrot. This is very important. You don't want to handle a hormonal parrot, as they can bite very hard.
Decrease the amount of light your bird gets every day. Ensure that your pet is getting 11-12 hours of darkness per night.
Increase level of exercise, in the way of flying

Okay thank you! I'm thinking it's a mix of his teenager moody fase and my new red nails hahahah He's my first male tiel and you can be sure my girls weren't such rebels!
I will try all the tips you have said, but seriously thank you all (@budgieluv3, @Ripshod, @Lady Jane, @sunnysmom)

I'm way more relaxed now

 

[Lady Jane]

I will try all the tips you have said, but seriously thank you all (@budgieluv3, @Ripshod, @Lady Jane, @sunnysmom)

This is the reason we are here as a team to help out other new members.