Conure Behavioral Issues

[ProsNConures]

Hello everyone! Just wanted to get some insight if anyone could possibly help on the below issue -

Recently my 2 year old Conure (Zazu ) has been acting a little strange & aggressive towards my parents. She actually grew up with both my parents & I from February 2020 all the way up to April 2021. Eventually I had moved out and now live with my wife about 15 minutes away from them - we occasionally drop Zazu off to my parents every other weekend or so, as we tend to go out of town very often. They're pretty much her second caretakers as she's been very fond of them throughout her last two years and my parents are always spoiling her. However, over the last 3-4 months or so, she started to behave very strangely with them ; especially with my dad. She clings on to him like no other and doesn't even bother going to my mom anymore or just avoids her altogether. But with my dad, she has to follow him around and doesn't let him do anything peacefully - and on top of that, she viciously tries to bite his hands any chance she gets (especially if he's holding something small like chapstick, a pen, a laptop mouse, etc.) It's super strange because we're not understanding as to why she doesn't let him go, yet also bites him very aggressively? If she's not being aggressive, she'll sit on my dad's shoulders or stomach and start tapping him with her beak and flap her wings intermittently. And when she does this, she doesn't even eat or drink anything while not letting go of him. It's either aggression or obsession. What's even weirder is that, whenever we bring her back home to my house once the weekend ends, she acts completely normal with us and mostly behaves as she should (although I will say, we think we discipline her way more than my parents do.)

I'm curious if this has something to do with her getting ready to lay eggs as I know that usually happens around the 2 year mark. And maybe she has formed this strange bond with my dad that causes her to behave like this? Looking for any advice or training tips on this issue as it's just gotten very bad over the past few months.

 

[T00tsyd]

It does rather sound as if your Dad has allowed Zazu to imagine that he is her mate rather than a parent. Anything that she sees as taking his attention from her is viewed jealously hence the biting if he holds anything. My instinct would be that he should put her away from him when she doesn't behave, perhaps somewhere like on a chair back rather than in her cage, with a stern but calm 'NO' and ignore her completely. It would take lots of repetitions for her to get the idea that to hang out with him is a privilege rather than a right, and that he is not her best friend or life partner. My only worry would be that if this behaviour continues the jealousy might spread to your Mum as a threat to her relationship to your Dad and he attacks her. Much better to be a little tough now before it really sets in.