Evil evil bird…

[Turkey_vulture]

I’ve had my conure for about 10 years now, for nearly four he’s been off and on screamy, lunges and bites, actively chases after members of the family, puffs up and grumbles as he scuttles across the floor looking for ankles or even other pets to attack. I went away for an extended period awhile back and left a family member to care for him while I was away, since then our relationship has been horrible. When something scares him or he feels unsure, he’ll run to me to seek comfort and consolation and be as sweet as pie, but it freaks me out now because it’s hard to tell the difference. I’ve put up with the nearly unbearable behavior for a little over four years on and off because I have a house now and am not so concerned about neighbors. I still take him out everyday. I give him lots of fresh fruit, veg and grains. He has lots to do, he goes outside often. He has perches all throughout the house as well as out on the deck with jungle gyms, he’s very rarely alone or stuffed somewhere but on occasion I simply can’t take it and transport his VERY large enclosure to another space where I can close the door and not want to pry my eyes out. But— I’m getting to the end of my rope here, I’ve tried making amends but I have to go to work or leave the house on occasion; I’ve taken him with me (yea there’s also a perch in my car and he has a travel carrier he’s had forever that’s familiar, spacious and he’s never had an issue) he becomes territorial when he gets near his large cage but he had this fuzzy tunnel he slept in I think he was being protective of so I have since removed it. His cage is covered at night, he’s taken out in the morning when I get up; that is if he’s not up an hour or two before me banging his food dish against everything and anything (I get up at 6am for reference) my husband works from home and it’s just too much and I’ve always struggled with the idea of giving him up but… it’s seeming like I just can’t offer him the life he might be needing… any last ditch advice??

 

[zERo]

Welcome to the forums!

Sorry you’re here under unfortunate circumstances!

First thing, I would stop allowing him on the floor.
First off, the floor is gross no matter how well it’s cleaned, and second, many bird begin to behave this way when allowed on the floor.
I notice when you said his diet you said fruit first, how often does he get fruit? And what kind?
Does he eat pellets too?

Does he have anywhere in house/in his cage that is nest likes? Other than the hut you removed?

Ensure he gets 12 hours of peaceful sleep in the darkest room you can provide.

Green cheeks can be hard to read but once you learn it’s hard to make a mistake!

Have you tried target training him?

Here are some YouTube channels I recommend that give lots of excellent advice:

https://m.youtube.com/@BirdNerdSophie

https://m.youtube.com/@TheParrotTeacher

 

[Owlet]

What EXACTLY is his diet. Give us as much detail as possible.

You took out the fuzzy hut but does he still go to dark corners or under couches or stuff like that since he has mostly free roam of the house?

 

[Turkey_vulture]

What EXACTLY is his diet. Give us as much detail as possible.

You took out the fuzzy hut but does he still go to dark corners or under couches or stuff like that since he has mostly free roam of the house?

He eats Harrison’s pellets, I said fruit first for no other reason than it’s simply what I stated. I don’t think the issue is him being on the floor walking. He doesn’t seem to be particularly set on a specific feature of his cage anymore now that I’ve removed the furry tunnel. He doesn’t like not being able to see me and then when he sees me he wants to bite me. He hates round objects like balloons, helmets and the like. He seems to prefer rap music over most other forms of music, he loves to mimic laughing, enjoys taking baths when he can—he jumps down mostly on his own especially if he sees something he wants—mostly food. If I’m peeling an orange on the counter he will try and get to the orange to take it away from me, sometimes I will give him a piece but mostly I like to try and have him respect boundaries but I do allow him to have food dishes at his perches as well as fresh water so he can eat with me as that’s a social activity for birds. I literally can’t think of a reason he acts like this aside from maybe a grudge he’s holding for me being away from him for a few weeks as this is when his behavior drastically changed. I don’t pet his back, only really scratch his neck and face as back petting tends to be considered “sexual touching” for birds. I hope this answers most of your questions as far as diet and history!

 

[Turkey_vulture]

He eats Harrison’s pellets, I said fruit first for no other reason than it’s simply what I stated. I don’t think the issue is him being on the floor walking. He doesn’t seem to be particularly set on a specific feature of his cage anymore now that I’ve removed the furry tunnel. He doesn’t like not being able to see me and then when he sees me he wants to bite me. He hates round objects like balloons, helmets and the like. He seems to prefer rap music over most other forms of music, he loves to mimic laughing, enjoys taking baths when he can—he jumps down mostly on his own especially if he sees something he wants—mostly food. If I’m peeling an orange on the counter he will try and get to the orange to take it away from me, sometimes I will give him a piece but mostly I like to try and have him respect boundaries but I do allow him to have food dishes at his perches as well as fresh water so he can eat with me as that’s a social activity for birds. I literally can’t think of a reason he acts like this aside from maybe a grudge he’s holding for me being away from him for a few weeks as this is when his behavior drastically changed. I don’t pet his back, only really scratch his neck and face as back petting tends to be considered “sexual touching” for birds. I hope this answers most of your questions as far as diet and history!

He doesn’t go under dark corners, he also does not have free roam
Of the house he has designated areas throughout the house as I stated in my original post. He has play gyms and if he ends up on the floor or counter it’s mostly of his own accord