Terrible Two behavior??

[Big_Squishy]

BoBo turned two in Febuary and I have really noticed some changes in his behavior. The first thing is that he seems to be afraid of everything. Every sound he hears or any movement that is not made by me he gets on the defensive and although he moves closer to me for what I assume is protection, he ends up biting me. After that I will put him on his perch to go wash the blood off andbefore I even get 5 feet away hes trying to fly to me. (trying = wings clipped which I am considering not doing again on a trial basis) I will pick him up and he will want to be all snuggeld close and then he bites me again.

 

BoBo has begun throwing his food everywhere, not anything like he has done before. Him and my son eat the best in our house and nothing has changed with his diet, Very well balanced and makes me wish I could afford half the veggies and fruit I feed him for myself. BoBo still eats well, he will hop down on the floor and eat what he has thrown down not to mention what food we regularly hand feed him.

 

BoBo has also begun to fight with his toys. and I mean fight. I thought at first it was fun but am really not sure not being he will make the same sound ( quaks and screeches) he makes when he is scared out of his mind. Very violent and destructive, he will even attack them so much that he will get scratches on his head and around his beak.

 

He also has an over developed desire to climb on our hurricane fan and sit there. If I wasn't worried about his feet I would only have a problem with how far the fan flings his Poo and where, The fan is normally ppointed at me Grrrrr

 

I am not sure if these are normal terrible two behaviors but it has been very hard to adjust to him acting this way. Any Ideas???

[danmcq]

These are all normal behaviors for a grey in the 2 year range. They will increase in frequency and also in determination on their part to start establishing themselves as an EQUAL member of the flock.

 

I know the food tossing routine very well as most Parrot owners do. They just fling items out of the way to get to what they want at that moment. Their alertness and fear of somethings like loud or strange noises and sudden movements by something like a dog, cat or outside they may see through the window will set them off on fly or die trip. This increases as they age and mature. I can only assume until they hit their 18 to 24 months age that they figure the "Grown Ups" are watching out for them. But, once they come to the age of truly feeling the need to fend for themselves, they are naturally understanding their true instincts for survival that is deeply imprinted upon them from thousands of years of survival in wild Africa.

 

The fan would be a worry for certain. I don't know how far the fins are from the cage enclosing them, but these greys have fairly long talons that might just hit the blade.

 

It's great to be hearing from you again.

[Dave007]

 

BoBo has also begun to fight with his toys. and I mean fight. I thought at first it was fun but am really not sure not being he will make the same sound ( quaks and screeches) he makes when he is scared out of his mind. Very violent and destructive, he will even attack them so much that he will get scratches on his head and around his beak.

I am not sure if these are normal terrible two behaviors but it has been very hard to adjust to him acting this way. Any Ideas???

 

 

Just an add on-----all of the extremely aggressive behavior, squawking, screeching, smashing toys, banging them around, getting bruised or scratched or slightly swollen spots on the face while battling those toys are all perfectly normal. It looks pretty scary but the worse thing you can do is try to stop it. He'll bite you. When a bird is finished, they normally relax and sometimes nap. That's one of their ways of playing and it'll continue for a long time. They're venting and expending energy. Many times, when nap or bed time comes along, it's not unusual to see a bird snuggled up to one of those same toys/bells he just tried to *destroy*

Edited November 24, 2010 by Dave007

[Barbara2]

I'm surprised it took this long! Neo is a baby and he has his moments where he attacks his toys and makes his jungle noises! But at night he snuggles in my lap and purrs. It's not really a purr. It sounds more like an "ahhhhhh". I know I have to enjoy the moment much like a baby child when they like to snuggle. Then they reach the age when that's just not cool anymore. I'm ready to enjoy each age as it comes.

[Luvparrots]

When Ana Grey gets aggressive or into a battle with her toys, I just laugh that she has that much energy to enjoy herself, what a treat to watch!

[Ray P]

There is no sound like the sound of a grey fighting with their toys.

[Birdnut]

Hi Squishy. Thanks for starting this thread. This is the kind of discussion that is really helpful for us with young greys growing up. It gives us a good heads up to what we can expect.

 

Moussa is 9 mos old, and he goes crazy attacking toys and screaming. My husband will think he has gotten his foot trapped, the way he goes on so violently screaming and flapping. So far, he has been a very calm and confident bird, but it certainly makes sense that they would become more hyper-alert as they mature.

 

I'm wondering how these frights would be affected by whether the bird is clipped or flighted? I know Dayo is flighted, and from what Dan has said, it sounds like he also gets a fright and panics at times. But perhaps the fright can be dispelled more quickly if the bird can react by taking to the air. I'm also wondering how this would be affected by the company of other flighted birds in the household? (I'm doing a lot of wondering, aren't I? ) It would seem like the presence of the other birds, who are calm, would be reassuring to the grey.

 

So is this a stage they pass through, or is what Squishy is describing pretty much what a mature grey will be like?