Help! Im at a loss !

[Jundaylovins]

Two years ago my 96 year old grandmother asked me to take her 35 year old Jenday parrot. When he was a baby he was attacked by a dog and she nursed him back to health. I've had extensive experience rehabilitating birds including African Grey's and Crows with much success.
I was confident I could slowly gain his trust and give him a good life.
We had a rough slow start but things began to look up. I was the first human he allowed to touch him and perch on in 15 years. He would ride on my shoulder or hangout while I painted.
I have no idea what changed. I feel like I've failed him. He bites himself so hard and screams if anyone even speaks to him. I give him treats and he lunges or bites himself. And he just screams endlessly.
I'm at my wits end. My husband is furious and feels like he can't even be in his own home. After a year of screaming I could pull my own hair out.
I'm afraid if I find him a new home he will hurt someone.
Or they will eventually hurt him.

What on earth can I do???
Thanks

 

[EllenD]

Wow, I'm so sorry you're having to go through this...I know it's probably a nightmare you're living right now, but I implore you, actually beg you to not re-home this bird, because at 35 years-old and with these serious issues she already has, if you were to re-home her it will no-doubt result in either her death (for any number of reasons), or she will spend her remaining years bouncing from home to home to home, and most-likely the homes she will be in will be awful, because if she screams like this for people who don't know her and care about her, these people will most-likely just neglect and often abuse her...i cannot tell you how many bird cages come into the Rescue with parrots that are surrendered and where the complaint is that they scream a lot, and their cage-bars are dented, bent, and actually broken from the people throwing things at them and beating them with things like baseball bats. And I'm talking huge, solid metal cage bars bent-inward...That's unfortunately the normal response to a screaming parrot, they literally physically abuse the bird...So please don't re-home her at this point, I know it's frustrating and difficult, but please talk to your husband and explain this to him as well, because the rest of her life would be just simply a horror...

We can help you with this, but we need a little more information if you could...

-How long have you had her total?
-How long had you had her when things were good at the point where she started exhibiting these behaviors?
-Did these behaviors just start all at once suddenly, or did they gradually progress over-time?
-Did anything at all, and I mean ANYTHING, change around or just before she started displaying these behaviors? (changes within your household, such as people moving in, people moving out, pets moving in, pets moving out, diet changes, changes to her cage or the location of her change, etc....ANY changes at all, no matter how small and petty they might seem to you).
-What part or parts of her body is she biting? Is it always in the same area, or just random, new spots every time?

*****Have you had her to a Certified Avian Vet or Avian Specialist Vet for a complete Wellness-Exam since these behaviors started? If not, then this is exactly where you need to start ASAP!!! And the full Wellness-Exam absolutely MUST include full Blood-Work, a regular X-Ray, and a Fecal-Smear, and you must request/demand that all 3 of these things be done, especially the X-Ray, because often Vets will not suggest anything unless you bring them up, and an X-Ray isn't often done at first, but on a regular X-Ray of a bird her size, you get the ENTIRE BODY in one X-Ray, and this is the ONLY WAY to rule-out things like masses, severe arthritis, spinal changes that are horribly painful, lung/air-sac issues, liver issues, kidney infection/issues, etc., all of which are extremely painful. All parrots hide any and all outward signs of illness and pain for as long as they can, it's an innate, natural survival instinct that protects them and their flocks from predators, as predators target flocks with a "weak" or sick member...However, a lot of the time severe pain in parrots comes-out in the form of aggression, constant screaming, violence, and Self-Mutilation since they will refuse to just show common signs and symptoms of pain and/or illness. Sometimes they actually Self-Mutilate the area(s) that are causing them pain. So you absolutely must start here first before doing anything else, because until you completely rule-out a physical injury, illness, or underlying-condition as the cause of her behavior (especially if it started very suddenly out of nowhere), there's not much else you can do. If it is a physical/medical/health issue, it obviously isn't going to stop until it's taken care of, or until she's medicated, etc. She could be in very serious, severe pain all day long, every day, and you wouldn't know...It's not your fault in any way, but you do need to get this ruled-out first. She is 35 years-old,, that's elderly for a Jenday Conure, and she could likely have very painful arthritis or spinal changes, sciatic nerve pain/issues, a painful hernia, a painful mass/growth of some kind in her spine or pressing on a nerve somewhere, etc.

 

[Laurasea]

I second Ellen, I worry that pain is causing this. I would have a vet check first.
There instances more often than you would think .....that someone in the house is harassing the bird. If it's easy to put a camera pointed at the he bird you can try that.

And seconding the above posts, changes in routine, cage placement can be enough to upset the bird.
At this birds age please don't rehome..

 

[noodles123]

Ditto to all of that---also, any huts/tents/dark spaces/cuddles/boxes/ paper piles?
Is he getting enough sleep etc?
The two questions above can have a serious impact on hormones/aggression, but get him checked by a CAV 1st.

 

[HEEDLESS]

I'm with everyone has said above.

Take your bird to the vet.
​

 

[YSGC]

... He would ride on my shoulder or hangout while I painted.

Perhaps your paint (or the fumes from the required solvents) are harmful to your bird.
Perhaps this harm explains his issues.

I don't know what kind of painting you do.
Perhaps you are a painter of of homes/walls.
Or, perhaps you are an artist, painting in the media of oil, acrylic, gouache, tempera, or other.

I ask because I am an artist who paints only in the medium of transparent watercolor, on paper.
Fortunately for my Conure, watercolor is much less volatile (hazardous to birds) than is other media with their required solvents.

 

[noodles123]

Oh yes---- I didn't even see that.
No fumes around birds---period.
No turpentine, stains, polishes, oils, chemical cleaners, PTFE/PFOA/Teflon, candles of any kind, air fresheners, smoke, aerosols, burning food, hot glue guns etc


They are extremely sensitive to respiratory issues. They have a super efficient respiratory system that makes very common household items super harmful to them...