aggression problems

[jehnifertheory]

Hi,
In case you missed my intro my name is Jehn and I have had my bird, Meeko, for all 13 years of his little life. (That is more than half of mine) All has been well until a couple weeks ago when I moved in with my long term boyfriend. Meeko has always "dive bombed" his head even before we moved in together but I thought he was just being curious or something... however, this behavior has recently escaladed to him diving at his head, landing and proceeding to bite anything he can wrap his beak around! He got a hold of his ear Sunday and actually drew blood. Then, this morning, as Ryan (boyfriend) was leaving he went to give me a hug goodbye and Meeko flew for his head once again but this time I blocked him with my hand, Meeko flew back to the banister and perched for a second only to launch back towards Ryan's head, then finally landed on my blocking hand and bit me harder than he ever has, several times. This is extremely unusual for this bird. He is normally the most loving and gentle bird ever! Even if he ever got annoyed with someone he usually only pecks, but never bites. He lets me do anything to him. (Hold him, flip him upside down, ask for vocalizations) How can I get him to stop attacking Ryan? Is there such a thing as birdy jealosy?
Any advice will be greatly appreciated...

[Talk About Tiels Admin]

Jen,

I'm going to get Pat Tucker onto the board. She is our behaviorist.

Leslie

[sarak]

I'd say he perceives your BF as a threat, and perceives YOU as his mate. Just a guess.

I would consider clipping his wings and making it more difficult to directly attack your BF, and then have BF offer him some of his favorite treats, maybe with you out of the room so he can better bond (or start to bond?) with the BF. My guess is he will likely always want to protect you...even if you don't want protecting!

Hopefully Pat will get on here soon with some expert advice.

Sara K

[Pat Tucker]

Hi, Just read your email about the 'dive bombing cockatiel'.

This is classic behavior for flighted male cockatiels that are strongly bonded to their human mate. In addition, you have created an environment for your bird in which he preceives himself to be the dominant partner in your relationship. This is very easy to do when you want your bird to be happy. However, this may not be the best thing for the bird. Your job now is to let him know that YOU are the flock leader.

In order to do this, you must clip his wings immeditely. I know this may seem cruel to you, but it is the only way to let him know that he is NOT in charge of the entire household.

Initially, when he comes out of his cage while both you and your boyfriend are in the room, sit away from your boyfriend with the bird and cuddle with him, etc. while you and your boyfriend talk. If the bird tries to fly over to him to attack, pick him up from the floor and return him to the cage or playstand. Do this WITHOUT any drama attached. Just pick him up, don't make eye contact, and return him to his cage or his playstand. I recommend a playstand or basket for this type of training. What you are trying to do is establish nurturing dominance over your bird. He needs to know you love him but he also needs to understand that there are rules. This will be a new concept to him, so be patient.

The reason that this is happening is because your bird is 'overbonded' to you. This may seem like a good thing when you and he are alone, but ultimately, it is not good for either of you. He needs to understand that there are rules and he needs to follow them in order to earn the privelege of being with you. It's the same with a bird being on your shoulders. There are many behaviorists that believe the shoulder is taboo for ANY bird. I'm not one of those, however, my birds EARN that privilege and it can be taken away as easily as it was offered. They can't run up to my shoulder. They MUST be offered the shoulder by me saying, "Up", and they MUST come off the shoulder when I say "Up". If a bird tries to climb down my back to avoid coming to my hand when I say "Up", they lose their shoulder privileges. this is "nurturing dominance".

The hardest thing for you will be to change your thinking about what is best for your bird. He needs structure and boundries set for him to fit into this new environment. It's also best to remember that he is only doing what is coming naturally to him, protecting his territory and his preceived mate.

To change this behavior, you will have to be consistant. Repetition is the key. When he misbehaves, the first thing to do is to scoop him up and put him on his playstand or play basket. Do this repeatedly. If he becomes frantic, put him in the cage and leave the room. Then, later on, go through this again. You may find that he is accepting of his place in the flock quickly, or it may take some time. This will depend upon how strong willed he is. In either case, you will eventually get the message across to him.

Another thing that people do with a great deal of success with overbonded cockatiels is to get another cockatiel of the same sex. This gives the bird another relationship and if you back off with the overbonded bird during the time that he is getting to know the new cockatiel, it helps loosen up the bond between you and open up another dimension to his life.

Good luck. If you want to email me privately at [e-mail], feel free to do so.

[Just Ask Jan!]

To decrease aggression have the flight feathers trimmed where he cannot fly and this will adjust his attitude.
Jan

[jehnifertheory]

Thanks to everyone for all the great advice! I guess Meeko is getting his wings clipped as of today. =( Sad, but I think it will do him some good. I am running to the thrift shop to try and find him a play basket as well to reinforce those new boundaries. Thanks again!