eclectus bitting

[karak]

hi I have a 3 year old female eclectus, and I have had her for about 2 years, she can be a very loving bird has only bite me once, but latley she has been bitting my children and grandchild she also lunges at them as they walk past her cage alot,she has also started screeming more than normal not sure why, I have not changed her diet or surroundings as I know this can be disturbing for them, so not really sure why she has started doing this, any help I can get on this matter would be great i can only let her out of the cage now when there is no one here as everyone is scared of her how do i solve this please help kara .

 

[c3honey84]

Welcome to my world! They say at 2-3 years old, they are going through the parrot version of "puberty." I was lucky enough to actually get my parrot at the age of 3, so I have been dealing with this for a few months. Plus, it's spring which is mating season, so my Roxy is going a little crazy. Anyways, when I first got her she was great and did not bite. Then she started biting about a month later. She also gets aggressive when someone goes near her cage. What has been working for me is training her to step up. She already knew how to step up, but I found a treat that she likes (sunflower seeds), and every time she steps up correctly, I give her a seed. (Make sure it's something that you only give her once in awhile, or else it won't really be a treat.) I do this when she steps up out of the cage and when she steps up onto her stand. We practice stepping up on different things. I usually spend about 10 minutes a day. What this does, is get her to realize that when she does something good, she will get a seed. So, I have noticed that she is not as cage aggressive when I go near her cage because she wants a seed. What I would do, is have each of your family members give her a treat when they go near her. Eventually she will realize that they mean no harm. Then you can move on to getting her to step up, etc. It really does work. Just make sure that no one is bothering her by poking her or anything. Sometimes parrots are not in the mood to be touched, and poking or sticking fingers in a cage to touch a bird can actually create cage aggression.

It really stinks when they are so good, and then their behavior changes, but that's a parrot for ya! You just have to try to keep the peace by not letting them become the boss. Training sessions are a great way to do this. Just remember, if your parrot doesn't do what you want them to do, do NOT give them the treat. They have to understand that they get those treats for a reason. Good luck!