Very aggressive conure all of a sudden....

[Muzzy]

I don't think the situation is exactly the same as mine, but I did have a period where my green cheek went from loving me to absolutely hating me.
I have a number of theories why he got upset in the first place, but regardless, I know what fixed it - when I stopped trying to be his "boss".

You'll hear differing opinions on this, but in my case, trying to position myself as the one in control and using discipline absolutely did not fix my situation. In fact, it only made it worse.

I finally started just being totally compassionate and patient, even when he was being a devil and attacking and biting me. Lots of soft talking, never stern or yelling - even when I said no I did it calmly. If he bit me, I'd try to carefully let him calm down (which can be hard when you've got a bloody bite...) and if he kept at it, I'd just put him back on his perch and let him be. Maybe I'd sit in the same room and talk nicely to him.

Eventually, after about 2 weeks, he forgave me for whatever it was and started really warming up again. Now, months later, I haven't had any more problems and he is very loving and sweet. When he does have his moments (as all birds will), I just remember not to be aggressive - his only way of saying "no, I don't like this" is to bite... and I've found that he has learned the difference between biting to say "no" and biting to do damage. It still hurts, but he doesn't draw blood.

I am confident that with time you will gain his affection back! Don't give up on the poor little guy.

 

[Birdiemom]

Today's update: I've permanently moved his cage to my office. I mentioned the reasons why I think this a good idea in my previous post. This morning I woke up, went for my run, walked the dogs, and only then did I open the door to my office and uncover him. He was aggressive as soon as I got near the cage but I opened it and sat at my desk to check emails. I then went to the shower and he followed me. He was aggressively attacking a candle holder and ignoring me.
When I was making the bed he flew onto it and ended up finding himself under the sheets. Immediately, he calmed down. I noticed this so I quickly grabbed a clean towel and threw it over him and wrapped him up. He went from being a vampire to extremely calm. I pet his head and let him out and back onto the bed. I then asked him to step up onto my arm and he obliged without hesitation. Then got him to step up on my finger and he did so without any aggression at all. SUCCESS! Of course, throughout the day he's gone back to being aggressive but there are periods where I can ask him to step up and he does it. I give him a treat for positive reinforcement. Last night I burst into tears because he was being so awful and today I feel so relieved. This little moody monster has my heart and we're going to keep working on this together. Thank you to everyone for the help. I appreciate it more than you can imagine.

 

[Squeekmouse]

Oh Birdiemom you make me want to cry!! I'm so touched, so moved by what you are going through and how determined you are. I've been crazy lucky with my little Yoda. My husband and I brought him home when he was about 8 weeks old, and he's a sweetheart.... mostly. So it's easy for me to deal with his tantrums and moody times because he's so loving and wonderful most of the time. However, just knowing how sweet and wonderful he is when he's loving and happy makes it TOTALLY worthwhile to go through the moody times that he does have on occasion. I hope that you keep sticking with him and get to the point with Felix where he is 85% angel and only 15% devil, like Yoda.

ALL of the advice that I have seen people giving you sounds like REALLY good advice, even the ones that contradict each other. Things that work great for one bird, don't work as well for another bird. And sometime things that work great for one particular bird at a particular TIME don't work as well at other times. The one thing that I believe is always true all of the time, is that time, love, tenacity, and care WILL work. Thank you for not giving up.

Now my advice, for whatever it's worth. It sounds like Felix is territorial and defensive, mostly inside of his cage perhaps, but even outside of his cage. You said he came from a family where he was poked and dare-I-say terrorized by small children, I'm sure this is why he is territorial and defensive now.

1. When he's in his cage, he's thinking: "This is my home, I own this, I'm the boss here, and anything or anyone that comes near my cage is scary and probably going to do something I don't like so I'm going to chase them away." .... if he succeeds in chasing you away, he learns that it works. He's rewarded. Yoda sometimes gets like that if I reach into his cage, because of his time at the pet store where people reached in and grabbed him all the time, so I try to avoid reaching in to get him, and instead I hold a treat over my finger and call "Come here Yoda!" which he mostly responds to quickly. If not, I just leave the door open until he comes out on his own and then we can go from there. I only reach in to grab him I really need to get him out of there (cleaning cage, time is critical, or he's just not cooperating with the other methods). I almost never need to resort to that anymore.
2. When he's out of his cage doing his own thing and you are nearby but not TOO close by, he's probably perfectly fine and happy. He's thinking "I'm safe and warm and my flock is right there where I can see her, but nobody is messing with me. This is good. I think I will take a nap." However... eventually he'll get bored or hungry or lonely or maybe just very itchy because of all those pin feathers coming in. At those times he wants more from you. He might come at you or call out to you, and then you have to figure out what he wants. He will probably come at you while trying to inform you that he is the boss and you need to do something for him. Strutting, puffing up, trying to look tall, squawking and biting are all ways that he can "put you in your place" as he lets his demands be known to you.
3. When he's out of his cage and you get close to him, he doesn't know WHAT he wants you to do or what you WILL do. He's going to start with his default behavior above, to let you know he's the boss. If he's bored or hungry, he wants you to give him food or toys or just entertain him as he squawks and bites and threatens you until he's done with you and you go away and leave him alone. If he's lonely or feeling really itchy because of all those pin feathers, he wants you to cuddle and love him and give him attention... but he doesn't know that's what he wants. Sure, he HAS cuddled and been petted and loved by you, but he's still expecting that anything or anyone that comes near him is going to be scary or poke him or grab him. This is just the trust and bonding that will come over time.

Keep showing him that you will NOT be driven away and intimidated, but also that you will NOT be scary, pokey or grabby. He'll learn in time that when you come around it means love, cuddle, treats, itch-relief, and is a good thing. He also needs to learn that YOU and your SO are the Alpha and not him. You're not afraid of him, his bites will not get him what he wants. Either by putting him on the floor until he is sorry (NOT a reward, because the floor is not his favorite place, it's not his cage or his favorite perch), or by holding his beak (NOT a reward, obviously), he will eventually learn bites don't work. Keep him nearby while you are home doing your own thing (like you are, sounds like the new cage location by your desk is perfect!), and he's learning that you are his flock and you provide food, warmth, love, and safety. Keep encouraging his good behaviors with treats, as that seems to work for him, try associating the treat with a sound or vocalization. Some people use clickers, but I prefer to just say "Good boy!" in a really super-sweet almost baby talk way. He likes that sweet soothing sound, and Yoda is certainly learning that hearing me say "Good boy!" that way means all good things, even when I don't have a treat handy.

For me, Yoda is molting and he gets cranky sometimes because he's itchy. He's got pin feathers all over him and it can't feel very nice. He's crabby and nippy and doesn't SEEM like he wants me to hold him, but I encourage him onto my hand (treats helped train him to Come Here!) and gently rub his face, his cheeks, the top of his head, and he melts into a pile of VERY VERY happy happy loving warmness. Just don't pet or scratch too hard, sometimes if I accidentally pet into a pin feather and it gets pushed into him, that does NOT feel good and he yells, and sometimes that results in a full-blown angry bird. Petting with the grain or gently zigzaggering back and forth with the grain is safer. As Yoda has grown to trust me more, I'm able to gently scratch his pin feathers to help them open, which he is SO grateful for, but I have to be careful and not hurt him of course. Baths and humidity can help him with his itchiness, but nothing beats some gentle, helpful petting.

Good luck! Keep at it! Felix is SO lucky to have you, and in time he'll be worth every minute you spent earning his trust and his love.

 

[Birdiemom]

Another update: Today I enjoyed my morning coffee and breakfast alongside Felix. He's following me everywhere again. He still has bouts where he's aggressive, mainly in the morning when I uncover him but it's a huge improvement. I think moving his cage to my office really helped. The strategy of setting him down on the floor and walking away when he bites has been working, too, I think. A big thank you to everyone who replied with stories, suggestions, and encouragement.

 

[KateMyshkin]

You did say he was molting ? Maybe he’s grumpy because of that

 

[LordTriggs]

sounds good, although I would stick away from toweling him as you did. that's a good way to lose trust/favour with him which of course won't help

 

[dhraiden]

Another update: Today I enjoyed my morning coffee and breakfast alongside Felix. He's following me everywhere again. He still has bouts where he's aggressive, mainly in the morning when I uncover him but it's a huge improvement. I think moving his cage to my office really helped. The strategy of setting him down on the floor and walking away when he bites has been working, too, I think. A big thank you to everyone who replied with stories, suggestions, and encouragement.

I'm gladdened to hear of the progress you've made! Changing scenery definitely helps - Mochi's (our GCC) cage is..not so portable, lol, even though it's on casters. But would probably be a great work-out shifting it around downstairs everyday. Great job BM!