I am so torn

[jbsmomto1]

Storm is just over 3 years old (July) he up until very recently has been quite an amazing bird, I am not sure what has happened but the past few days he really has been a demon parrot, he is taking off after people, he has bitten people and yesterday I walked out of my bedroom and he flew at me and started biting me and OMG does he have a good grip.Really it didn't hurt physically as much as it did emotionally, he is such a sweet guy and always gives me kisses and snuggles etc etc but yesterday morning he hurt my feelings more than anything else. The bruise will go away and my feelings were less hurt after I stopped taking it so personal, but I don't understand why he is doing this. He is seriously flying after people they duck down to the floor pretty quick and he is just a split second to slow to actually get them, but then he does it again and again ....

 

So I have been trying to figure out what the problem might be, nothing has changed in the house, no new pets, no new furniture or placement of furniture, nothing has changed for him. I think its probably just hormones but I also wondered if its because he is flighted, its been about a year since his last clip and I really wanted to let him have free flight in the house, but if the sudden aggression is partly due to his not being clipped, I just don't think I can leave him unclipped. Does full flight cause or lead to aggression?

 

What do you do with the sweetest grey ever normally and suddenly starts being a meanie butt?

[SRSeedBurners]

I'd try getting him with a spray bottle before I'd resort to clipping. You can also slightly trim their flight feathers which will just slow them down a bit but does not prevent flight.

 

Our Jardines flew up into my mother's hair and swung down and bit her good on the cheek two weeks ago. Then he went after my aunt and got her finger. He's on serious probation and that's what we're going to do if he doesn't get a handle on himself. He thinks he's a little punk thug that runs the village around here...when he's not being as sweet as can be.

[jbsmomto1]

your Jardine and Storm could be related by the sounds of it lol. He is so loving and so sweet , he has always been with me, not so loving with other people but he would never take off after them like he has done for the past few days, I don't want to clip, there is something about watching him do something as normal as flying that makes my heart melt, he doesn't fly all over the house either is in one of 3 places, the kitchen, the bathroom (if I am in there) and the bedroom, ok 4 I guess bc the living room is a room but its his man room. I guess I am thinking clipping will take some confidence away but really I don't want to take that away from him, or give him reason to lose it or not have an abundance of it....

[SRSeedBurners]

Don't clip. Especially if you can have control of when he is in contact with those he'll chase. Our Rio is not allowed to roam freely anymore with visitors. If he does, they are armed with a spray bottle. He quickly does a U-turn when he sees they are armed. Typical thug.

[Luvparrots]

My TAG, Ana Grey, 7, and my CAG, Sterling Gris, 5, have never been clipped (Sterling as lightly sniped when I got him but could still fly). Neither is aggressive and never has been so being flight I don't believe as anything to do with it. Perhaps someone, unbeknownst to you, mistreated Storm a little.

 

I would be calm and try to keep things "normal" in hopes Storm will revert back to his sweet self. Good luck.

[jbsmomto1]

I don't think he was mistreated, I know he has never been since I have had him and he was almost 5 months old when I did. His handfeeder is amazing also so I am fairly certain it has nothing to do with neglect or poor treatment. He is very bonded to me, I have tried to help him to enjoy other people but he really doesn't care for people other than me, its been just about the last 6 weeks or so that he has finally allowed himself to have a lot more interaction with my 12 year old, it's obvious that they DO enjoy each others company and she plays with storm differently than I do, which is what I think he likes.

As I said he is very bonded, he needs to see, hear or be with me, if not he hollers for me by name. I am pretty sure my neighbours must hate me, my dog howls something awful when I leave the house and of course I don't always shut the windows and than now about 2-3 weeks ago Storm started going to the window and hollering my name out the open window. If he can see me he just says "c'mere" or "c'mon lets go" but if he can't see me he hollers at me until I answer. LOL, I do feel bad for the neighbours but yet I find it crazy hilarious that he does that, my neighbours told me that one point they heard someone calling me from a window and when they looked they saw the bird there but they hadn't made the connection that it WAS HIM doing the hollering...lmao again I think it's funny,

 

Maybe I have loved him to much or maybe the wrong way? Maybe I have done nothing and he is just as someone described earlier " a young punk" or "a thug"....Maybe he is growing up and testing waters to see what happens....

[Talon]

I went thru this with my Rikki, she was always clipped until I got get and allowed her wings yo grow as I don't believe in clipping. I was at a point of considering a small clip, but was fighting it, she loved her new found freedom. I finally in the advice of a friend, put her in a schedule of allowing her out in the aim, then putting her in her cage around lunch time and allowing get the afternoon time for a nap or just chillin in her cage. I then let her out later in the day. She did really well being in a schedule instead of all free time.

 

my Amazon will go after people , so whenever I have visitors, I make certain all my birds are in there cages so there is never an opportunity for a bad reaction from my guests when a bird flies on or near them causing a new habit for them to enjoy

[jbsmomto1]

Won't spraying him with water cause emotional damage and\or trigger a fear of water?....he would never bathe again

 

ETA: wouldnt it also cause him to lose trust in me?

Edited August 12, 2015 by jbsmomto1

[tankaray]

Won't spraying him with water cause emotional damage and\or trigger a fear of water?....he would never bathe again

 

ETA: wouldnt it also cause him to lose trust in me?

 

Not sure on causing emotional damage enough to thwart his normal bath routine if he's a consistant bather. I will say though that they do have good memories. Our TAG has always received the spray bottle during baths so when I adopted our little Caique back in Jan I just thought it was normal to spray him down during his bath as well. Once he saw the spray bottle coming towards him with my finger resting on the trigger he SCREAMED like a woman (no offense ladies) then bolted and hid under the couch. Not sure, but my wife thinks the previous owners girlfriend may have lit him up a time or two with the bottle. It's his only real FEAR other than empty brown boxes or brown paper towel rolls. Guess he's not down with the brown. To this day if he sees any spray bottle with the exception of a windex bottle (he like the bubbles) he's outta there...

[Greywings]

I would also suggest cage time when people come over that exciting adrenaline rush does not need to be part of his personality. The more times he can get you or others to duck, squeal or show aggitation the more fun it is for him repetition ingrains the behaviour so try to avoid the situation entirely.

[Echo's Mom]

This is a tough one. Echo is 15 and has only been clipped twice in her life. Once when I brought her home (for whatever reason the breeder decided she needed to be clipped). The second time was about 8 years ago.

 

I was living with a friend of mine for about a year and a half. There were four large dogs in the house and two cats and Echo. There were no worries about anyone eating anyone, so life was good. UNTIL Echo decided she was going to dive bomb the dogs while they were sleeping on the floor.

 

Four dogs (a bernese, a lab, a husky and a shepherd mix) sound asleep on the kitchen floor and Echo would dive bomb them screaming WOOOWWWW as she went about 2 inches over their heads.

 

The first time she did it, I took her off the top of the door frame gave her a talking to and put her back on her cage.

 

She did it two more times (thankfully nothing happened, except the dogs got the crap scared out of them). I told her on the second time - if you dive bomb the dogs again I will clip your wings. Did the talking to, put her in her cage and reminded her what would happen. 10 minutes later she did it again.

 

I picked her up, put her upside down in my hand and did a VERY MILD clip - like an inch off three feathers.

 

She was ticked - don't get me wrong. She pouted on her cage like there was no tomorrow. But she never did it again! (And trust me, she could still fly).

 

I know this is contrary to everything you are hearing / reading from other people, but I just wanted to present another option (of a very very mild clip) that could perhaps help you with your situation.

 

I don't know anything about you or your parrot ... just putting out MY experience with Echo, and the outcome I had.

 

Good luck on whatever you go with.

 

Marion

[Greywings]

She got the message and feathers do fall out and regrow so not a permanent change. You each have to decide what is right for your bird and your situation so not to judge unless you have walked that mile in their moccasins.