Must vent to others that can understand: I’m very new to the large bird world. New as in February of this year new. George (aka Georgia) doesn’t like me which I know! My husband up until today thought it was all in my head. After a few dive bombs I always keep my eye on her, cautious of her behavior and a good distance. I try my best to respect her space and avoid an attack. Today she was on his shoulder he was walking around doing house work and would walk past me. I kept my eye on her and she was shockingly behaving! When it came time for her to go back to her cage for supper he had her at her cage door. I was in another room but within eye sight. Suddenly she took off for me. As her normal attacks she flew right for my face so I knew she meant business not wanting to be on my shoulder. I turned away she nailed me, I drop to the floor she swoops back around comes for me again so I swat her away expecting her to stop, nope she circles back around so I cover my head where she grabs my hand and rips into my knuckle. I know I shouldn’t have reacted...but I know she means business when she flies at me like that, it’s hard to stay still and calm.. My husband had to get in between us to stop the attack. I’m now left with a swollen, throbbing and bloody hand. I’m also devastated to say the least. Had I knowingly provoked the attack I’d understand...but I was a room away minding my own business. I just don’t know what to do to stop these moments from happening.
Your bird sounds like it is defending your husband as its mate. There is a likely a hormonal component at play here. Consequently, you should try your best to limit exposure to hormonal triggers (shadowy places--under furniture, boxes, huts, in pillows/blankets, under clothing), mushy foods, and cuddles are the main offenders). Also, pay attention to light-cycles (too much or too little sun can mess with hormones and consistent sleep is also important--solid 10-14 hours nightly). Finally, some birds are triggered by shreddable sea-grass-type toys. If you have these in your bird's cage, consider replacing them with the wooden chew-block types of toys (at least until you know whether they could be a potential trigger). Excessive misting with water can even cause a hormonal response in some birds (as it can simulate "spring rains").
Make sure your bird is getting plenty of time outside of his cage and lots of activity to keep him engaged/ provide an outlet for his energy.
The aforementioned suggestions for minimizing hormonal behavior apply to sexually mature birds in general (regardless of gender)--it is always best to avoid hormonal triggers (such a as shadowy places, petting down the body, too much or too little light, too much or too little sleep etc) because excessive hormonal behavior can lead to increased screaming, aggression, feather plucking and, in females, egg-laying (and potential egg-binding).
Even though your husband may be the chosen one, you and anyone else interacting with the bird must be aware of these things because petting a bird in places besides the head or neck can trigger hormones...even if they don't like the person petting them. It is also important that your husband not run to the rescue every time this happens, because then your bird is getting his attention (which it clearly craves). I would suggest that he ignore the bird when it does these things....but that's just me. When you are attacked, do your best to remain as neutral and silent as possible. Your bird WANTS a reaction. Furthermore, following an attack, no one should change what they were doing before the attack occurred--- AKA, if you were attacked when playing Scrabble with your husband, you should go back to playing scrabble with your husband.
If the bird does come after you, your husband shouldn't be picking up the bird etc...but, if he must do something, I would say that the bird should go straight to a time-out cage (following an attack) with as little eye-contact/reaction as possible (for 5 minutes or so---shorter initially, ---and I wouldn't take him out if he is screaming either). I am sure that others will have their own takes on this, but your bird clearly wants to be near your husband, and he can't do that if in time-out. Similarly, by continuing with your lives, you are showing the bird that the attack didn't have an impact.
Another point worth mentioning, is that if your husband has been inadvertently leading your bird on, the aggression may eventually shift towards him (instead of you) unless he is able to re-frame their relationship as non-sexual. Birds sometimes become frustrated and "turn" on the object of their affection.
For now, in terms of who gives treats etc, ask your husband to step back a bit and make it so that your interactions with the bird are largely positive. Try not to put yourself in a position where you know you will be bitten (at least for now). If you get bitten only when your husband is around, then try asking him to leave the room for awhile so that you can focus on the positive side of the relationship...NOTE---You must ask him to leave BEFORE the dive-bombing occurs, not after.