15 Year old Conure--Territorial problems

[Vivica]

Hi, my name is Vivica and I have been a parrot owner for 15 years. I am currently 23. I've been having some sort of issues with my bird as of late. I am wondering why he attacks flashlights and soda cans, and bites the hand that feeds him, basically. He tolerates me and Sean (my fiancee) but he can NOT tolerate cans in any shape or form. He'll fly at you and attack you with a large bite. Now, i'm beginning to think it's his hormones... This behavior just started a few months ago, and he CANNOT tolerate you moving boxes away from his cage (we give him boxes to chew them up) He also sleeps in them. I'm starting to think that the boxes are a bad idea, because he'll run at you to bite you when you even touch them. He has his full flight feathers and follows us by flight into the other room and lands on power cords. Very very dangerous. I've been considering clipping his wings at the vet but I don't know if it will hurt or harm his psychological disposition if he can't get to our hands where the cans are located. He's 15, so probably he's going through a mid life crisis. I've even seen him fly at my mother and father in law for getting too close to the room. I always give a brisk "no" after he does these things, but NOTHING seems to get this bird from stopping what he has in his mind. He's a golden capped conure and in his baby years would climb on anyone. Now he'll fly at anyone and try to land on your shoulder. I don't know if i'm starving him for attention, because in the morning he flies to my computer chair and poops. I don't understand what any of this means, and why he's doing all these things.
I feel helpless because he used to be so good with people, and now he's a recluse. Should I take the boxes away? Is that nesting behavior? That's what i'm thinking it is. But he's progressively growing more dangerous as the months pass. I don't want an electrocuted bird or an aggressive bird.

I'm at the end of my rope and i've read so much about conures. I LIVED with the conure for 15 years...I would NEVER give him up. I just need some help. What can I do in this situation?:11:

 

[SharonC]

For starters, I'd remove the boxes. I would guess that he's defending them. He may be hormonal, but not necessarily. If he's intent on getting into unsafe things, such as wires, then wing clipping would be a good idea. It would also prevent him from flying and attacking.

 

[bogo1]

Agreed ...clip wings (its not forever and will keep you all safe through this phase) and get all boxes out of picture. Does sound hormonal ...but a vet check along with wing clip would be something to consider. You sound like you are a great owner ...hold on and you should get your old bird back.

 

[Quantumcat]

Why not cut the boxes up into pieces so they are not homes to defend, but he can still use them for chewing?

Is it possible to tape the power cords down and/or rearrange your electrical appliances so he can't land on them?

 

[Vivica]

You see our addition room has half the door blocked because of the huge entertainment system (wires). I will talk with my fiancee about moving the system to another wall. (it's pretty much you have to squeeze by to get through. Of course then, all the wires are exposed and he loves to fly and hang on them upside-down just so he can get a glimpse at what you're doing.

As for the boxes I really don't want to take them away from him, but if he's territorial over them, then I'm just going to have to find another way to give him them, like Quantumcat suggested, like cutting them up. There's a cable line right next to his cage--but if he chews that, it can always be replaced. Plus it's been like that for the four years i've lived in this house, and he usually leaves that alone. That's mommy's connection to the world! lol

Thank you all for your kind words of encouragement. It's about time he goes to the vet for a clipping. My fiancee hates when I do it because it takes away his freedom, and then he walks everywhere. We'll just have to keep the door to the addition closed for now until we find a solution. Also, we have a ferret in that other room, so I REALLY don't want him near the ferret. He's already been attacked once with a torn nostril because my fiancee let both of them out at the same time--he learned VERY fast that ferrets HATE birds. Luckily it was only a torn nostril.

 

[bogo1]

You really need to do some parrot house proofing. Please (!) don't be affronted by my gut clenched response but your setup sounds very dangerous for a fully flighted bird. Please don't believe that since the space has worked for four years it will be okay day after tomorrow. Conures know no limits and can suddenly decide that something that they have ignored for years suddenly needs to be dismantled to its basic parts and then tested to see if it is a witch by determining if it will float in the aquarium. (19 y/o cinnamon GCC + second generation Christmas tree angel + about five minutes of maneuvering room while family talks to Russian loved ones via long distance = 1 trashed ornament + one seriously disgruntled gold fish and one puffed up parrot. ) My point is that it sounds like there is a lot of potential risk and I can tell you would crushed if something happened. Consider PVC tubes to keep parrot from extraneous wires, a backup plan to make sure parrot doesn't meet ferret (a friend uses a hanging screen on a door between a room that houses two flighted birds that hate each other. Whatever you think best...but try to think like a mischievous bird with a little time on their wings. Sorry to be so opinionated.

 

[Vivica]

I understand what you are saying, bogo1. I appreciate the concern. My conure is getting a little too adventurous, so we usually keep the door closed, now. He actually flew onto the bed in the other room, and that's the first time he's done that. So I don't want a dead parrot when the ferret goes to bite at his claws on his cage. It's only a matter of time before he lands there, if we keep that door open. I will stress this to my fiancee and we'll both work together to make sure that the door stays closed. Also, I want to get my parrot clipped since he loves landing on doors that you open. That's how this all started anyway... he'd peek in the other room by hanging half way off the door, probably evaluating what's in there.

Don't worry, I'll take the right precautionary measures to keep my bird safe. He's my everything.