terrible food aggression - and I mean attacking

[djdancer]

Hey All -

I have 4 Conures, two of which are Green Cheeks. One of the GC's (male) will attack the female if I leave good in the cage with them during playtime. I cannot leave them in the cage together because he won't let her eat so it's only playtime.

Also, if I have good in my mouth or hands he attacks me and I mean terribly. He is the sweetest little thing normally. Very quiet and calm for the most part. I've had him for 11 months. I think that he is mentally challenged because when he first came (like the first 8 months or more) he would be so great and loving and would try to train then the next day he'd wake up all over again and act like he didn't know us and was all scared. He still acts that way a lot. I can live with the "groundhog day" thing but can't deal with the food aggression. I went to get them all treats today and I had him on me and I was attacked pretty badly. All over the head, ears, face and even inside my mouth. They may be little but they really can do a lot of damage.

All of my other birds are trained to station when told, they are all trick trained in that they wave, turn around, etc... He is the hardest bird to train but keeping at it.

One more thing, the two sets of birds don't like one another. The GC's don't like the Suns and the Suns don't like the GC's so I have to take them out of the cages in shifts. Now the female GC has had her beak cracked open by landing on their cage and they got her right through the cage. She learned not to go back. I in no way do I think it's okay to have birds attacking one another and have done all I can do to prevent this. Now he had the same kind of thing happen to him but also they bit his toe and he was in a collar for well over a month while it healed. The vet wanted to amputate we let it heal with the vets guidance. Now even after all that the male will deliberately go on their cage time and again. If he is out with us he will out of nowhere fly onto their cage. Why is he like this?? Will it ever change?

I do not promote wing clipping and had to have one of my Suns clipped for the first time in his 26 years of life because of this behavior. All 4 were clipped so they would stay to themselves. The wing clipping did not work and all can still fly very well. The wing clippings were done two different ways on the two sets of birds and will power trumps all. This little guy is just determined to get hurt again. I'm about ready to rehome them because I can't have this going on. I forgot to mention that I'm disabled and have limited mobility and that's how the little guy got hurt so bad because I couldn't make it to the cage on time. Looking for others who have dealt with similar behaviors.

 

[GaleriaGila]

I have the very same issues with the Rb, but he's an only bird, so the only one he abuses is me, and I have become adept at ducking/avoiding/wearing-hair-down-to-avoid-ear-bites/etc...

I'm so sorry to hear of your bird-issues. I'm disabled, too, and I get how that adds to the mix.

I hope you get some help and some solutions.

Stick with us.

 

[djdancer]

GaleriaGila does he do this all the time or just for food? I have trained my other greencheek not to attack and bite me but she still nips at others. My Sunday Conure flies at my husband and attacks him but it's because my husband doesn't want to put in the time to work with him. He only gives them treats when he comes in from work and that's his part in the flock. He will take the two greencheeks out and let them sit with him but because the Suns don't like him he stays away.

How long have you had RB? I know he's very old. Honestly, if my bird did that he'd stay in the cage for a while and I'd sit and read to him and give him pieces of nut through the cage. Then maybe he'd see that you aren't a threat to him and change his attitude. Has he always flown at you?

I think my problem is that I fed this bird from my mouth at one time. I know it's a no no but I was eating an orange and bit a piece off for him. Now maybe?? he thinks I'm his mom or something?? Not sure because like I said in my post he also does this to our female greencheek. He can sit with my husband while he's eating and never ever attack him. I'd like to change this behavior in him but would like some tips if anyone knows and has been in this situation. I am all about training my flock and would like to see better for him.

 

[itzjbean]

So sorry you are having trouble with your birds. It can be very frustrating, and we feel your pain on this.

My best advice...

-You can eliminate most of the 'food aggression' from the male by not putting yourself in situations to get attacked. STOP feeding him from your mouth. Place him inside his designated cage (which only HE should be in by himself) and feed him only in his cage. That way you, the female GC, and him are all safe and he can eat and not attack.

- I don't think it is uncommon for pairs of birds to want to attack each other. As for the birds getting bit/attacked by the Suns when they land on their cage, why don't you cover the top of their cage with a towel, this way the SUn's can't see the other birds on their turf (the reason they probably attack).

-Having pairs together can also stimulate aggression in birds. They want to defend their cage, their mate, their food, you name it. When birds pair up, sometimes they can revert back to more of their 'wild' behaviors and will fiercely defend themselves against other birds. It's only nature, and different species compete against each other in the wild.

-For the safety of all of your birds, it is probably best to keep on doing the 'shifts', as in letting them out, one pair for an hour, the next pair for another hour, etc.

Hope that helps a little!

 

[djdancer]

itzjbean thank you so much for your reply!! I actually didn't pair them up purposefully. I have the Sun and Sundays cages next to one another and the other two cages for the GC's are on the opposite side of the room. I do cover part of the cage with a big sheet but won't cover the entire cage because if I did that they'd be sitting under sheet for an hour or so while the little one's are out. The little bugger will do anything to get at them and he's quick. I can be sitting like 10 feet away from him with him on me and he does whatever he can to get there. He thinks he's a giant. Anyway, back to not pairing... The Sunday one day over a year of being here woke up in the am and made the trek to the Suns cage. He had never had the door closed on his cage with his previous owner so I left it open when he came here. His previous owner had 3 birds non of which he paired with. So he make the trek every morning then at dusk he treks back to his own cage. Honestly I think he was just using her because she has a double wide cage. Then she said if you're going to be here we are going to preen one another and yelled in his face until he did.

So earlier I went to give the male GC a treat (piece of pistaccio) and he mangled my finger. I'm not sure why he's like this but I won't feed him while he's out of the cage anymore and he won't get the treats if he's aggressive. I had something similar happen with my other GC and she would be aggressive only when I changed her food and water so I taught her to station and stay and she does as well as all of the other birds. I think that he had something happen to him where he is just mentally challenged, all joking aside.