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HELP!!!

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SarahL
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« on: April 10, 2013, 02:43:32 am »

I need some help. I'm having trouble with my parrot. This will be a long post but I feel like you need his story.
I'll give you the background:

I got Ade 10 years ago (nearly 11) as a 2 month old, hand-raised Sulpher Crester Cocktoo. I was 14. I spent a lot of time with him, training him to step up and down etc, taught him pretty fast to say 'hello'. He had (still has) a pretty big cage that a fully grown person can stand in and not touch the top. I have natural branches in here, usually have a big leafy branch from one of the gum trees in here for him, as well as toys.

When he was young he didn't like males. He loved me and not many other people - was distrusting of other people and he would often bite if people tried to pat him. I could do anything I wanted to him though, he never bit me out of the blue.

He was often noisy when I lived at home which the rest of my family didn't like, and they'd often scream at him to shut up.... When I moved out it was just me and him and he was no trouble at all. I had him out of his cage the whole time I was home and spent a lot of time with him.

A few years ago I worked out to say, "scratch" and wiggle my finger, and he'd put his head down - and if anyone said scratch and made the gesture, and he put his head down, they were safe to pat him. So this was cool.

All throughout this time were pretty normal parrot things, some noise to get attention etc. He doesn't screech very much but makes this piercing copy of the phone ringing.

BUT. About 2 years ago something happened. I work full time (and already had been for a year before he changed) and my routine would be that I got him out of his cage at sun up, he's spend the morning with me while I had breakfast/got ready, then I'd put him in his cage as I was leaving, and then upon getting home I'd get him out again. But one day something happened where he literally ATTACKED me while I was getting for work. This happened about three days in a row and the third day was actually very traumatic, he was running at me to bite me, and I had to throw a towel over him to get him back in his cage and protecting me. The bites were bad though - I still have the scars, they took months to heal. So my solution was to just stop getting him out in the morning. Every time he's out and I'm getting ready to go somewhere, he knows, and he tries to bite me. Like he's jealous or angry that I'm leaving. If I'm getting ready to have a party at my own house, I have to stay away from him until a few guests arrive and he realises I'm not going anywhere. I tried giving him more fruit, veges and variation in his diet, got him a new curtain so he'd get a full night's peace, gave him more toys...

When I uncover him in the morning to go to work he looks like he wants to KILL me.

He was always his normal self by the time I got home and would come out of his cage, no worries, happy... EXCEPT the last two weeks or so, this isn't always the case. He's bitten me about four or five times when going to get him out. Not usually drawing blood, but breaks the skin and has given me some impressive bruises.

Just today, I tried to get him out, he wouldn't come out (this happens a lot, sort of plays 'games' with me, only comes out if I walk away etc), but seemed normal, but then he got that crazy look in his eye and tried to bite me. I tried to calmly talk to him to get him to calm down and come out, and he did calm down, let me pat him, but then suddenly went crazy again and I closed the door on him. When this happens he does anything he can to bite me. I have to close the cage with a thing protecting my fingers because he WILL do damage, I can tell.

I'm at my wits end! I don't know what I've done to upset him and what I can do to fix it! I know parrots need an owner who doesn't work full time but I didn't know what when I got him - I was only 14 (my dad had a cockatoo when he was younger but didn't have any troubles with him). But I can't give up on him now. I need some advice.

When he's his 'normal' self, he's sooo sweet. Funny, cuddly, entertaining, I love him. When he's being vicious I just want to squeeze his little chest.. ugh, and that brings me close to tears because you should NOT feel like that about a pet.

I guess I should also say he has to share me with my boyfriend, a dog, and two cats.

Any advice?????  2sadk
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Sondra
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« Reply #1 on: April 10, 2013, 04:30:07 am »

He needs a vet visit to rule out any medical problems first and foremost, a complete blood work-up as a sudden change in personality can be caused by a medical problem. Many people will tell you it's a hormonal problem, but I'll tell you it's more than that. In the wild Toos take 12-18 months to wean, at around 3 years of age they move away from mom & dad, around 5-7 they become sexually mature and around age 10 they have a mate and move off starting their own family. Since living in our homes they need a variety of stimulation, 10-12 hours of quiet dark time, good nutrition. It doesn't matter if you work or not, Toos need these 4 things.

I would get him to a vet, preferably an avian vet, give him shredding toys, lots of wood, & foraging toys. You can make many of his toys, but he must always have enough to keep him busy while you are at work. How do you react when he comes at you? Do you run, raise your voice, scream, flail your arms? If you answered yes to any of theses questions you are giving him negative attention. Any time you are handling him have a towel near-by, if he attacks say NOTHING & simply drop the towel on him and place him back in his cage for no more than 5 minutes (any more than that & they forget why they are in the cage). Repeat as needed, when he does not attack make a big deal of him being a good boy. Just remember never react to his attacks or bites, place him in a safe place and walk away, then you can react as long as you are out of his view.

Birds will react to a change in our appearance - change anything about yourself, hair colour, hair cut, hair style, nail polish? They will also react to certain colours, some they like others they don't. Keep a diary for a couple of months noting what you wear, how you style your hair, nails, etc, plus weather conditions. when he attacks make a note of exactly what you and he were doing just before the attack, how you reacted. You should see a pattern, or a trigger, and yes it will take time.

Sulphur Crested Toos are very high energy birds. Getting them to burn that energy off is not easy. Most people I know with Sulphur Crested Toos keep them in macaw size cages  and have taken all dry foods out of bowls and placed it in foraging toys hidden throughout the cage so that they have to use some of that energy finding their food. You can use tissue paper, medicine cups, raffia, grass/reed mats filled with shredded paper, pellets, nuts, dried fruit. Clean Pine cones can be filled with almond butter and then pellets, dried fruit, & nuts stuffed here and there  between the tines and then hung in the cage. You can use almost anything  as a foraging toy, small paper bags, unwaxed cups, small boxes. When you first start making these do so in front of Ade so he can see what you are doing, give him one after it's made. As he becomes more competent at opening items to get his pellets and other dry foods get more creative in what you use as a foraging toy. A busy bird is a happy bird.
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SarahL
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« Reply #2 on: April 10, 2013, 04:54:04 am »

Wow, thank you. I will make an appointment, there is a highly regarded avian vet near me. I'm afraid he'll tell me I've done everything wrong or something but I know that's silly - I'm sure he's there to help. I definitely think I need to give him more to do. We have a bowl of keys that I sometimes put in front him and he LOVES pulling them out. I put them in, he throws them out. I seriously think he would do that for hours. So I agree, he probably needs more stimulation.

What do you think will happen when I have kids? I'm wondering if its a good idea to build him a massive aviary and maybe get another parrot to be his number 1 instead of me. I think that could be a very good or VERY bad idea. Im going to ask the vet his opinion on that too. But I don't know how he would even make that transition having been with me for so long. I'm quite distressed over it because I want him to have the best life. It's weird though, most of the time, if I am doing something relaxing like playing the piano, sitting I'm bed, watching tele, he is content to sit in the same room for HOURS on his perch not doing anything. But as soon as I go into another room he starts making noise. Is that normal?
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« Reply #3 on: April 10, 2013, 01:48:56 pm »

When you are relaxing have Ade sit with you. Another bird could be trouble or they would get along GREAT, but if the get along great he won't want you.

When you pet him make sure you stick to his head and legs - leave the back, under the wings, and vent (Tail close to body) area alone as petting these areas will sexually stimulate him.
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« Reply #4 on: April 14, 2013, 10:06:09 am »

I am sorry I am late responding Sarah, I have been away.  First off- Welcome!!

Sondra has given so much great advice I don't have anything to add.   thumb  Sondra has a too so she gets it totally!

If he enjoys tossing out the keys you could try a long bowl, like a 9x13 pan or shoe box lid and put some toys in there to toss out but add in treats and pellets to make it a foraging opportunity as well.  I do that with Yoshi (my qp) with a shoe box lid- which he also shreads lol.  I put in some seed, pellets, dried fruit and shreaded paper or raffia.  Keeps him busy for hours!   clap
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