Help needed with very aggressive Jenday Conure

[gibson2503]

I need help with a VERY aggressive female jenday conure. She shares a 30 deep by 30 wide by 42 tall cage with a female sun conure during the day. They also share a night time cage that is 18 deep by 18 wide by 40 tall. I also have a goffins cockatoo who has her own day and night cages. There isn’t a problem during the day in the bigger cage. I don’t even close the cage door unless I am out of the room. The problem happens when they are in or on the night time cage. The jenday becomes VERY aggressive. If anyone (including me) gets close to the sleep cage, she goes after them and bites. Her bites draw blood almost every time. In the morning, when I go to get all of them out to the day time cages, the jenday is aggressive again. I can’t even reach into their cage to get the sun conure without getting bit by the jenday. I have to wait until they come out and I can catch them far enough apart when I can get the sun and take her to the day cage. Once that happens, the jenday will fly out to the day cage on her own. Then everything is fine all day. I spend time during the day talking to her, trying to train her, giving her treats, etc , trying to gain her trust. I don’t know what to do. Should I re-home the jenday? Should I shell out for another night time cage?

 

[Gemster]

I don’t think this is a reason to re-home a bird, cage-aggression is quite common in a lot of birds.
First of all rule out what caused this behaviour.
If all food, toys and accessories are in a cage, birds will think that everything they need to live is inside causing them to protect the ‘only’ source of life. (That could be one reason out of many).
If you disturb and wake them from their ‘beauty’ sleep, then try and take them out, some birds will bite because they were just woken and want to sleep in! My budgies hate it when they are resting or sleeping and I disturb them. They will bite and bite and bite...
Gemma on the other hand, will step up and whistle when I wake her up.

 

[Laurasea]

It is natural to defend the roost.
My GCC is a monster in her cage, anything that touches her cage gets nailed fast as lightning.
My Quaker Penny looses her mind if you put a hand in her cage, but the moment she is out of the cage you couldn't find a sweeter bird. Neptune my other Quaker will yell and mock charge if I out my hands in his cage, out of the cage lovely bird.
I put perches on the door so when it swings open they are out of the cage and sweet. And I have perch's on the outside of the cage.
So for me this cage aggression is just normal..
I just let them out for cleaning..

 

[BIRDIGIRL]

I know you may all laugh at this but dont knock it 'til you've given it a go...try singing softly something like Brahms lullaby to the birds as you aproach the smaller cage in the morning and offer them a treat while continuing to sing...its a little trick that has worked for me even on wild birds, and Im hoping it might work for you too.
Vary the words of the song to include their names and they get so intrigued by it...also dont rush ...move slowly and deliberately and if the jenday aproaches, get a small piece of wood and when its beak touches the wood then make a mouth click and offer the Jenday a treat...the idea is to offer him an occupation to keep him from attacking you as you move to open the cage, so timing is everything ....be ever so gentle and patient, and initially just wait for him to come out ...later when he gets used of this routine I'm hoping you will be able to have him step on a perch and come out of the cage to you...when you get to the point of offering him the perch, just hold the treat a ways off so he has to get one foot onto the perch to reach the treat...later he will put the second foot on the perch but onr foot is good to begin with, at this point have another treat ready to offer him so he stays on the perch for a moment...slowly you can build duration on the perch until he is ready for you to carry him on the perch to his destination ...keep the progression steps small and move very sliwly taking your time with each step even if it takes weeks to accomplish it...for now just sing and offer the Jenday a treat and place another one a little ways outside the cage where he can see it but has to leave the cage to go get it ...I hope this works for you as it has for me with my parrot ♡

 

[SilverSage]

Is there a reason she can’t stay in the larger cage at night?


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