Sudden aggression in 1 yr old male

[bugaboo]

My male eclectic is about 1 years old and for the past two days he has been displaying aggression towards me. He has even bit me. He was the sweetest bird and has never done this before. He puffs up and starts pulling his neck back and attacks when I come near. I can't even fill his food bowls up without his attacking me. Anyone know what's going on? I read that he could display aggression during mating age but just wanted to know what I can do to calm him down and how long this stage tends to last for.

Thank you in advance for your help.

 

[labell]

Eclectus have good and bad days, he may also have hit an age where he is feeling more independent and is testing you. Has anything major changed recently? Is he wing clipped (a recent clip can effect them)?

I try not to allow myself to be bit (doesn't always work ), but I feel it sets up a double negative for both me and the bird. One of my girls is more cage territorial than the rest, she will step up on a stick to come out of the cage and then step onto my hand with no issues once she has cleared the cage door but I have made it clear that if I need her out of the cage it will happen. She will also sometimes get poopy when I am filling her food bowls, in that case I take her out of the cage and put her on a T stand then service her cage while she is out of it. I do this to minimize the stress on her but also to let her know that while yep that's her space it is mine as well. I think it is important to work with step up both onto your hand but onto a stick as well.

Ekkies can be very good at bluffing as well and I don't think it is wise to let them have the upper hand. There are people that I am sure will disagree with that but if I had not pushed the issue with Lola my recent female rescue my hands would still be minced meat. This was a different sort of situation and I knew the bites where going to happen and actually needed to for her to understand that she couldn't scare me off. Letting her know I wasn't afraid and wouldn't back away from her has now gotten us to a place where she will step up for me (she was never taught step up before she came here). I can now even pet her! While it is clear I am not her favorite person, she really loves my hubby, she now understands that she can trust me and that she can't intimidate me.

The male rescue was different, he wasn't showing out right aggression he was just scared out of his mind. With him I took a different approach, slow, steady short sessions many times a day. At first I would have to reach in and get both feet and gently pull him out of the cage all the while saying step up. He also had no idea what step up was either. Now he steps up, gives me kisses and doesn't shake or immediately want back to the cage. I have come along way with both of them but as you see each bird had to be handled quite differently.

That said I think since your boy has just started this, by the way is it only near his cage or when he is away from it as well? If it is only near his cage I would work with stepping him up on a stick from the inside of the cage and getting him out to do feedings or cage maintenance as well. We can't stop a bird that has become more possessive of their cage, some will, some won't but you can make it easier on yourself and less stressful on them but just removing them from the cage and stepping onto a stick becomes very important to accomplish this at times.

 

[bugaboo]

Hi labell

thank you for your very detailed response. Nothing that I can think of could be affecting his behavior. He hasn't had his wings clipped in about 6 months. He is although finally growing back his tail and wing feathers from a moult. I've had him since he was about 7 weeks old and hand reared him from that age. He hates my husband and acts very aggressive towards him but has always been the most loving to me ever since he was a baby. His aggression just started about two-three days ago and hasn't subsided.

Thank you again!

 

[labell]

So is it just when he is in his cage or out of it as well? Growing in new feathers could be giving him some big boy pants. I do believe they know when flights are growing in if they haven't had them before it can give them a little new found confidence and maybe a little attitude for a while. It's important to give him extra time right now and work through this so that he doesn't feel he has you bullied.

Mine are not clipped except one that was done before I got her and the two new rescue's, although theirs are growing in. She is the one with the attitude over her cage.
Clipping to me is an individual decision that all parrot owners must make and it isn't for me to say what some one else should do only to say that I prefer mine flighted.

Eclectus are very food motivated so I would begin there, working with him with treats. I am also a little shocked that he is that aggressive with your husband at such a young age. Has your husband worked with him at all and does he have a desire to? He could also start working with treats although for him since there is already some tension I would have him start with talking to him and offering treats while your boy is in his cage.

Was he allowed to fully fledge? What age was he first clipped?

 

[drlisaort]

I find rotating Oliver throughout the day to be quite beneficial lessening any agitation and/or aggression. In other words, in the morning he is out of his cage and placed on his play stand and then when I'm getting ready for work he is with me on his basket (very transportable!) and back in his cage while at work followed by the same routine when I get home. Also, while home all of his meals are on the stand rather than in his cage so he is used to me bustling around him while he eats. I also worked on step-up from his baby days to the point it's second nature for him whether in his cage or not. Now with that said, I do recall when he was one he went through a little moody stage but it was short lived and I believe the culprit was new feathers coming in (sort of like a grumpy baby teething). To date, he is a very, very sweet bird...and entertaining too!