Nico, You are Gettin on Dads Nerves!

[JennKerry]

My husband, my poor husband, he cant stand Nico anymore. I dont know what to do. Nico, he is our Jenday and our first bird purchased together just over 8 years ago. For the first 2 years or so he was loving with both of us and developed a bond mainly with me but with my husband Kerry as well.

Over time, he became more and more aggressive especially during breeding season. It has gotten to the point that I cannot be around him when my husband is or he will literally attack him. The only word Nico learned was "Come here", sounding like "Come-ere", and let me tell you, he KNOWS what that means. He screams it at everyone, especially my husband, then lundges at them, breaking skin and scaring anyone who dares come near. It doesnt matter who you are, your going down! He hates EVERYONE EQUALLY!

Why has it gotten so bad? I am the only one who can handle him and my husband is almost ready to give him up to our breeder. I dont want to do that, so I really need some advice. The screaming is non stop as well, and it seems that he does it to hear himself scream. He is in a room with 4 other birds, so its not loneliness or bordom. I cant think to handle another 30 some odd years of this. Is there a way to change this aggression or am I stuck?
Please help!
Jennifer

[holcomb76]

my sun conure did the same thing to my wife. we all were great pals, until sam got mad at her for clipping his wings. he would attack her for no reason. she eventually won his trust back, by making an effort to give treats, and be nice and slowly over a year she can now handle him. i dont think i will ever be the same though. however, because of sam, we now have a great dog. sam and the dog (kona) dont get along but now deal with each very well. good luck.

[Cindy215]

I posted on your other thread about the water drugging stuff. Unfortunately these birds are complex and needy and hopefully your family will be able to support him through the stages and try different things to calm him down. Breeding season is entering molting season now so with following a strict natural daylight schedule (on the other thread) he should be better as the days get shorter.

No stroking feet, backs, butts, no nesting in dark places, lower the protein and vitamin e (nuts, seeds) raise the dark leafy greens and grains and fruits and vegs, give a long dark uninterupted sleep following what is going on outside where you live.

FIRST I would have a good vet check. Calcium deficiency looks like this. He isnt happy and it's a shame so please try and support him until you can put all the pieces together and see some improvement. It'd be sad for him to lose the only family he ever knew....

[JennKerry]

I read the responses from my other post, and I can absolutly see how all of that would play a huge part in bird behaviour. All of my birds, except my Cockatoo are free roaming in the spare bedroom. Always have been. Now its not what you think, they cant get into anything or get hurt because this room is THERES, so everything is bird proofed. All 5 of them (2 Cockatiels, 1 Parakeet, Jenday and Cockatoo) live in this room and get attention, not too much, not too little, well balanced.

They have cages which they sleep in and go in and out of during to day to eat and drink. I attached a picture so you can see that they have all natural sunlight, which does shine in on them in the morning. They are def on a strict morning/bedtime schedule. They are up no later then 7:30 am and its a strict 8:00 bedtime in the summer, earlier in winter. I believe this is why 4 out of the 5 are very well behaved, disapline.

Nico loves to eat his greens, and basically every fruit and veggi offered. Its the tiels that turn their noses up at healthy food. We just started adding a vit suppliment to the water just in case. I look at some other bird owners and compared to us, we are the crazy bird people! LOL! Our birds are our kids, we give them everything and then-some! So, this is why Im so distraught.
They get all the food they could desire, have 100% freedom whenever they want, stare outside and yell out the window to the outdoor birds, have human interaction. Even for the parakeet, HE HAS GOT THE LIFE!!! And to boot, they stay put on there playsets, no wandering, no problems. Except for Nico, problem child. I dont know, maybe I'll make him an appt at the vet. Somethings gotta give!
Here are some pics of there room and our tiel Baby, looking out the window.
[IMG][/IMG][IMG][/IMG]

[cbalvino]

love the room! my tiels are free flight as well,my grey,nanday,sennie, are out all day too but my jenday is not he has never adjusted to not biting not "really" hard but constant, sit nip nip sit on arm nip nip he is also the loudest all day,the nanday loves him and sits all day with him,I have tried alot of stuff, although I have to say that most of my more aggresive ones ,never really learned to "play" it seems as if there sole purpose is to wait for a biting

[JennKerry]

My husband and I dont have kids (dont want any), so the birds get the spoiling! When we bought our house, I had to make sure they had large windows to look out of and their own room. As you can see, no neglecting here!
Nico is content when he is with me, but that cant be ALL the time. He has to have time apart from me, and he cant stand it! I guess cause he claimed me as his "mate". He always trys to vomit on me and rub the butt all over me too. Hey, its love right! LOL! I think that this is the way he is. Conures can be this way, and I guess I may have gotten an over aggressive/possessive male. We know there are men out there like that, so why cant animals carry like traits?

[Mongobizzaro]

I'm no conure expert but when my budgie would not stop tweating I would put a towel over his cage. He would be so silent. You never even know there was something in that bird cage! Maybe this can calm Nico down

[JennKerry]

Since he has been mainly a "free" bird his entire life, the cage (unless its bedtime) is probably the worst thing I can do to him. Thats my fault, I should have caged him more when he was a baby.
I have to put him away when people come into the room to see the other birds. I cover him with a black sheet as well, he knows ppl are in the room, he screams bloody murder.
I think we just have to live with it, change his diet a little and a vet visit wont hurt either

[Bonesy]

I try to deal with screamers with a plant mister set to jet. Not as a punishment per-se, but as a surprise tactic. I usually aim for the tail, lower abdomen or back, never the face of chest.

The key is, to give a squirt, he'll stop thinking "Wuargh... what the hell??" and you use this sudden silence to praise him, and as soon as he starts up again, squirt, silence, praise.

Using this along side clicker training can work wonders. I've cured some serious window-rattlers with the squirter and the clicker.

Clicker would also help him get used to other people, starting with him accepting other people in the room, just walking through, and you can use the squirt to pause his screams, then while he's paused, get the person to walk out (instead of "I scream to get you to go away" it becomes reversed with training "If i'm quiet they'll go away?"

Covering is fairly useless unless the bird is caged alot, and even then it's a form of positive reaction, as you have to walk over and look at the bird to cover it.