Violent Outburst..I have had it!

[QuincysMom]

This last week has been hell with Quincy. He has been throwing these random temper tantrums, and biting. Last night, he had jumped onto the back of my neck, and got his foot tangled in my hair, when I reached back to help untangle it, he nipped at my face...not too bad but did draw a bit of blood...I calmly told him to step up on my hand and he did, but then when I attempted to put him in his cage for a time out, he flew at my face, when I blocked my face with my hand, he latched onto my pinky, and I heard a snap. I'm pretty sure he broke it. In this last week, he has drawn blood on me 4 times. I've only had him 6 weeks now, and though he has bitten before, he's never drawn blood. I'm at my wits end....I wouldn't put up with a dog biting me like this.
I'm so disappointed in him.

 

[Wasabisaurus]

How old is he? Could he be hormonal? Some birds seem to lose a bit of their minds for a while when the hormones hit. How long have you had him? Oh, 6 weeks. That is no time at all for a bird. Do you not feel able to handle him like this? How was it when he was not behaving so?

Have you had him throughly checked by a vet?

 

[lupe]

This last week has been hell with Quincy. He has been throwing these random temper tantrums, and biting. Last night, he had jumped onto the back of my neck, and got his foot tangled in my hair, when I reached back to help untangle it, he nipped at my face...not too bad but did draw a bit of blood...I calmly told him to step up on my hand and he did, but then when I attempted to put him in his cage for a time out, he flew at my face, when I blocked my face with my hand, he latched onto my pinky, and I heard a snap. I'm pretty sure he broke it. In this last week, he has drawn blood on me 4 times. I've only had him 6 weeks now, and though he has bitten before, he's never drawn blood. I'm at my wits end....I wouldn't put up with a dog biting me like this.
I'm so disappointed in him.

Ok....breath....calm down....retrace all steps. Has Q. been veted? I'm
just saying, I would rule out that he is in any type of physical distress before you automatically
assume it's related to behavioural issues.

I would never reach blindly for any parrot. That is a bite for sure, especially if he is stressing
the situation. I'm sorry, I dont remember Q's story. This could all be that he is hormonal and
frustrated. Perhaps a light clip would be in order to avoid air attacks. Melanie, there a SO many
reasons why he might be acting like this that there is not enough room in this square.

Think, think....what triggered this..analyze..& the other too owner will chime in & give
you even more advice...

 

[Mizzely]

I would try to limit your interactions with Quincy until he can be better behaved. Try to start over from the beginning and take things super slow. Jingo gets into attack mode with me during hormones too; it's really hard not to give up when they are flying at your face to bite you! But if I give him his space, it helps a LOT.

 

[Love My Zons]

OMG a Terrible TOO. You know now birds react by biting when scared. He was probably scared and with this being said you need to keep him off of your shoulder. He one day will get you on the face or ear or eye but good.

Take a few steps back, reassess the situation and the trigger. Hopefully he's just being a bit rambunctious and testing the waters.

 

[Katy]

I would try to limit your interactions with Quincy until he can be better behaved. Try to start over from the beginning and take things super slow. Jingo gets into attack mode with me during hormones too; it's really hard not to give up when they are flying at your face to bite you! But if I give him his space, it helps a LOT.

I'm not a too owner, but have a male Maxi Pi. He attacked me in a very similar way about 6 weeks ago. I have done many things to improve the situation, trying to start over as Mizzely suggests, is one of them. He also got clipped. I learned to read his body language and took responsibility for all interactions between us. I ALWAYS know where I am vis a vis him and his cage. I caged him until I wasn't mad or afraid (he has a big cage) then restarted clicker training. I have made some dietary changes, give him some herbal calming supplements, and cover him earlier at night and leave him covered later in the morning. Things have gotten better, but he can still be cage and playstand territorial. I thought I wasn't going to be able to do this, but I got a lot of help and support here on AA. Good luck.

 

[Ragu]

Could it be that the honeymoon phase is over? 6 weeks is like a blink of an eye to these guys, so he is still very new and learning to trust you and getting used to his new home. Not to mention toos are famous for their Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde attitudes. I know when i was fostering an M2 he was the sweetest bird for about a month, and then bam! Huge jerk lol. I believe he was trying to test me and see what he could get away with since he was kind of settled in at that point. I was so glad when the rescue found his forever home as bad as that sounds. Things did get slightly better in the time i still had him, but never as nice as the first month. I am not trying to discourage you in any way, and i know the long time too owners here will give you great advice. I have never been much of a too person, don't get me wrong i love their antics when they are being cute, but i would never go out and buy one. I would gladly foster another knowing they would eventually be going to a great forever home though lol

 

[jmfleish]

Welcome to owning a Cockatoo! I went through this nearly daily for years with my D2 Reggie. He was a terror from the time he was 2 until he was about 8. Add in the constant screaming and anyone would want to make parrot stew, but I loved him. He turned 12 last March and has turned into a different bird. Some of it may be hormonal, some of it may be that he's testing you. As you spend more time with him, you'll get better at reading his body language and avoiding the bites but I'd be lying if I didn't tell you that they (the bites and the snotty behavior) will still come and there will still be blood letting. Remember, he's not a dog or a cat, he's still very much a wild animal. Give him time and try to give him some room. It will come the more you get to know him and the more time you spend here and realize that we all go through exactly what you're going through!

 

[aisia]

I have a goffins, just like yours. He randomly bites, and attacks. I have learned that with him, he gets NO shoulder time at all. If I do, I would probably loose an ear or eye. I interact with him on his cage. I ocassionally hold him on my lap but still have to be very careful. I hate to suggest this to anyone but if he is flying at you and attacking you....I would personally clip his wings.

 

[Milo]

My guess is that the honeymoon is over. It's difficult, but try not to take these things personally. Remember that they are still very much wild creatures, very much unlike our cats and dogs. I'm sure that getting caught in your hair was very scary for him, and I don't think there are many birds here that would react differently than your Quincy did. Did the rest of the "bad" behaviors start after the incident with your hair?

Biting is usually a last resort with our kiddos, has anything changed in the house or with you that may have triggered it?

I also wanted to add that using his cage as a timeout space isn't the best idea. His cage should be a safe place and somewhere he enjoys being, not used for punishment.

 

[hockeymomwood]

If you are "disappointed" in him after only six weeks for behavior that you would not accept in a dog, perhaps you should rethink your having a parrot. They are still not considered domesticated and their behaviors can be erratic. Parrot ownership is, to me, a most wondrous thing, but do not "own" one to please yourself.

 

[macawpower58]

Calm down and rethink things. What did you know about parrots and cockatoos going into this? Did you do any research?

Even if you didn't, things aren't hopeless.

My Goffin has gone through every behavior stage imaginable. Mostly I have a friendly, funny, snuggle bunny. But there are those times I have a face flying attack bird. You will learn to read the body language. I can tell when Sweden (my Too) is feeling a little too feisty for handling.

During the worst times, (hormones can be especially trying) I have strategically placed pillows and towels lying about. Luckily our Goffins are pretty small and a towel easily envelopes our little feathered freaks. Then they can be gently deposited back in their cage.

These aggressive episodes don't last too long, at least not with my Too. So for a few days to a week or so, I am very careful when handling.

Think of all those big cats that attack. Our birds are doing the exact same thing. Their innate instincts are at odds with something in our manmade world, and they do what animals do. They don't hate us, nor wish us dead. You don't feel bad that your lion didn't act like your golden retriever when it attacked, and it's the same for your bird. It's doing things we don't understand, but we do have to realize that it's part of owning a wild animal. Parrots are considered wild animals, they are not domesticated like dogs.

If you have the love and patience, you can get through this. Goffins are wonderful companions, but they do have quirks that we must learn to live with. Once you start to understand this, things will start to look up.

Hug your dog....and be careful your parrot doesn't bite you!

 

[littletiel]

I am sorry to hear about your problems. I understand it must be disappointing for you, but 6 weeks is not a long time and there is definitely still hope. Also, I don't have a cockatoo, but a cockatiel, so I am not sure about cockatoos, but cockatiels can be moody, so maybe it is just a phase. Don't let him know you are disappointed, keep giving him love, and good luck! Love and patience are the best medicine!
PS: My cockatiel sometimes gets entangled in my hair too, although I do pay attention, but I cannot shave my head! I usually end up cutting the few hairs his foot got entangled in. Luckily he doesn't get mad at me though.

 

[Dartman]

I've had Lurch over 4 years and when he first came here I was giving him a welcome home scritch and he suddenly turned his head and tore a chunk off my finger, since then he mostly thinks I'm OK, but he still has his pissy moments. Like everyone has said six weeks is nothing and you need to learn to read him and leave him alone when he's pissy. I had another Maxi just like Lurch for 31 years and he ended up being my best friend but at first he could care less about me and was easy to deal with and read. I had to relearn how to read Mr Lurch and have been going at his pace and earning his love and trust. He likes me now but still has his moments and I still get the flying attacks from time to time if he feels slighted, or I've done something against HIS Rules. Give him time and take it slow, once you earn his trust and love you'll have a friend for life and he'll be more forgiving and give more warning when he's not feeling social.

 

[Cyreen]

That was the OP's last post and she hasn't posted back.

Poor Quincy.

 

[karen256]

It really sounds like me that that first bite was not intentional - perhaps he panicked a little when his foot got caught or he was not comfortable with you holding him while you untangled his foot. Maybe he has had bad grooming experiences and you holding him while freeing his foot reminded him of this. Maybe the last time he was held like that, he had a claw cut to the quick. Everyone seems to be assuming this is hormonal behavior, and it certainly could be. But it could also simply be him reacting to a stressful situation. You have only had him 6 weeks so he may not really be fully settled in and comfortable yet.

 

[shel]

That was the OP's last post and she hasn't posted back.

Poor Quincy.

yeah. i really hope he finds a home where he will be loved and appreciated for who he is.

 

[MsCreature]

I don't think jumping to conclusions is a wise thing to be doing when someone is frustrated and needs to vent their feelings. Lets be kind, because not everyone is a perfect parront who never gets upset. :]

 

[Katy]

That was the OP's last post and she hasn't posted back.

Poor Quincy.

It's too bad, because I think there are lessons to be learned here, and she needs support. Maybe it's not right to say so, but each time one of these situations gets posted, I am glad in a way. Not that it happened, but that they post. Vent, whatever. But get started engaging. I learn from the posts. Every time. So thanks, OP.

 

[itzmered]

I am pretty sure most people have been disappointed by something one of their animals have done. I was disappointed that Tango chewed up a lamp shade but that doesn't mean I should get rid of him and that I am not a good parront

It sounds to me like the honeymoon period is over and he is feeling comfortable enough to act out. Take your time, have lots of patience and keep working with him. No shoulder privileges may be a good idea until you get things worked out and build up some trust in one another