Aggression question on a 13 month old

[Suzysmilez]

I’ve been searching the posts and can’t seem to find what I’m looking for…Kiwi was great at stepping up and coming out & about all over in the house without biting since we’ve gotten him mid-February. The last week he had been biting me hard, I try not to show it hurts but today he wouldn’t let go and drew blood. I put him back in his cage with his fresh food for the day and closed his cage.

My question I guess is would the bluffing stage be starting again since he is now comfortable with our house even though he is supposed to be over that stage? I am guessing that it could be a slightly different time range for birds. Or maybe because I got him at 10 months, he is now trying to bluff me? He is great about going into the bathroom with me every morning, sitting on his play stand while I get ready. Could it be that this is a routine so on days I have off, he’s thrown off and angry?

I am fine with him being part of the flock and not having much to do with me but I do enjoy his kisses and silliness when we do our morning routine. And I also know that he won’t be sweet and cuddly like my little cockatiels and that is fine as I knew this before I bought him. He was pretty much a “free bird” before I bought him but seemed to be happy to interact with me up until about the last week. The previous owner did handfed him but wasn’t sure when in April of last year he was hatched so I’m going with April 15th making him a solid 13 months. He is a DNA tested male, has a big cage with lots of toys and things to do, is allowed out whenever we are home. I will say that our routine has been a bit off the last couple weeks as school is winding and have things after when we’d normally be home. I know they like their routine.

He also has started trying to bite me when I close his cage after I put him back.
Any help and advice would be much appreciated.

 

[ctwo]

I would stick with it and be prepared for a long testing of your patience. I have read that some will go in and out of bluffing, or that a bluffing "stage" is a misnomer and is just another form of communication.

My IRN came to me at ~5 years age and I would have no way of knowing how the bird was raised or treated, but he was obviously trained to step up from the back side as approaching him that way usually causes an instant leg out. I've noticed a steady improvement in our relationship over the two years I've had him, and being home for the past year has allowed me to leave his cage perpetually open so he flies to me regularly and is actually a bit clingy.

The advice given to me here was to not allow (or avoid) being bitten. It was hard to do and still is, you just have to notice his mood and gestures/body language before he goes to bite. I think it took about a year before he stopped lunging at me from inside his cage when I walked by, but that has long stopped and any biting now is much more gentle and is usually just a reminder that I better behave. He is easy to set off in a bad mood and I can tell by the way he looks at me whether he is happy or not, afraid, or angry.

Also, I usually never force him to step up but rather let him tell me when he wants attention, and that's fairly often. He'll call for me, or fly out to find me, or sometimes he just wants to see me and that's enough, for now.

This was a funny one, he was sitting on my monitor enjoying himself and I made the mistake of popping my lips while I was engrossed in some work. He jumped over to my shoulder and scooted over to look around at my mouth, and then gave my lips a little love squeeze. Then he popped back over to my monitor and went back to enjoying himself. So, duly noted, he doesn't like lip smacking. Little things like that, swirling my coffee around, or certain gestures will get him in a touchy mood.

 

[Suzysmilez]

Thank you for your help. He was such a good guy when he first came home, eager to be with me and step up. But he has changed so I was wondering if he’s now testing me because he’s more comfortable or maybe hormones? He was in a small cage with not one toy before and now he has a ton and is in the living room instead of a makeshift aviary with little human contact. I was surprised he was such a sweet little fellow. I won’t give up on him but just looking for some reassurance or help in trying to figure out why he’s gotten aggressive.

 

[ctwo]

Mango did not bite me when on my shoulder for roughly the first year, but he would lunge at or bite my hand in the beginning. That died down and I was getting comfortable with him, but it took a long time. Then he went and bit my face and neck a few times, but when I did something like reach into the cupboard. That was around 12-18 months and I thought we would be done with shoulder time. However, he's been very sweet since. I will not be surprised if he bites me again some time. Mango is my first IRN and I've read that bird's personalities vary.

It could be hormones or a general mood that he just doesn't want to interact now. Make sure he is eating well and his stools look normal.

 

[mbenkis]

Ringnecks do extremely well with target training. My female went through a period of time where she was aggressive, and we just started to do more target training with her. It helped us bond a bit more and it redirected her attention into something very positive. I saw you mentioned that you are ok with yours not being as cuddly as your cockatiels. I applied the same basics of target training with mine to desensitize her to my hand being over her head and worked her way from a single head pet to where she is now where she demands neck rubs and head pets. Ringnecks just take some extra time than other birds from my experience. Keep on it and he may surprise you. My female is by far the sweetest bird I've ever owned but it took some time to get her there.