Long Post, Advice Please!

[TJ Relic]

I know, I know, we get these threads all the time: "My conure bites, screeches, seems bored..." But he was such an angel before.

So here's his environment, most hasn't changed in 8+ months:
Fresh and pellet food that he eats and enjoys, fresh water that he drinks.
Wake at 8am, full spectrum lighting from 8am to 3pm, covered at 8pm.
Average room temp 83 degrees (its 100-ish outside, its the best possible within my budget and the capabilities of the unit, and it is fairly constant) but it was cooler in spring, with the windows open and nice fresh air.
Cage cleaned every 3 days or so.
New toys once a month, rotated every week or so. Including foot toys he likes alot for inside and out of cage.
I got him playstands, but he prefers to velcro to me.
Bath every few days, but he usually only gets "into it" twice a week.
Hours and hours of cuddle and outside cage playtime.

His Lordship the Tyrranical Conure, Rigel. Lately, I can't leave him in his cage for two moments to use my computer, clean my kitchen, eat, or even to use the bathroom without him going with screeching as if I have left him alone for three days with no food and HOW DARE I BE AWAY! So that now I have to use my laptop in the other room, because if I let him out while I use it he will perch on it and become very possessive of it.

Also when I let him out, he jumps directly for my neck sometimes, but usually bites my hand. He's never drawn blood until now. Then he becomes the angel and cuddles like nothing happened.

Thing is, I can't figure out what has changed to make him this way. Maybe it is just because he's a year old now, maybe it is because he can fly now. I can't change the first, and I really don't want to change the other. I thought it would be so great that I could spend more time with him since I'm out of school this summer, and I almost feel like me being here more often is what is pissing him off and making him think I HAVE to be here ALL the time.

*sigh* The clicker training kit arrives soon, right? It will help him feel more enriched and improve his mood, right?

[tielfan]

The internet says that green cheeks reach sexual maturity at one year and it's springtime now so I'd guess that he's hormonal. Clicker training is good, it may help distract him from being so aggressive, and it will help you learn how to reward desired behavior and not reward undesired behavior.

There may be some specific things you can do to bring his hormone levels down. Cutting back a bit on the lighting might help, since light plays a major role in the hormone cycle. I don't have conure experience, but people who do may be able to tell you more.

P.S. Avoid getting bitten! Establishing a biting habit is easier than breaking a biting habit.

P.P.S. There's a clicker training group at Bird-Click : Bird-Click

[TJ Relic]

Wow, for some reason I thought it was 2 years, that's why I was worried that there was another reason behind it. That's kind of relieving. Since his light has always been constant, is it a good idea to decrease it or will this confuse him? I have to change his sleep schedule starting in July, to at least an hour earlier. I'm not sure if I should do that before starting the clicker training, to get the change out of the way quickly...

I'm a bundle, aren't I?

We did have trouble with biting in the beginning, and we kept it from being a habit. Avoiding is easier said than done when the other day I opened his cage like normal and he came out like normal and screeched and lunged off his cage door for my neck and took a chunk out of my finger as I was getting him off. It was totally out of the blue, and rattled me quite a bit. I hadn't changed clothes since earlier that day, and I had only been gone about 1.5 hours. Often, I can see when he is tiffy and would nip, but this is something more and harder to predict.

[bullibirdshow]

Hello TJ Relic,

Decreasing light is a way to stop cockatiels from chronic egg laying. There are usually a combination of factors that promote breeding behaviours - long light hours, food being available, age, seasonal changes etc.

Reducing light can be quite an effective strategy.

I would do it sooner rather than later so your Rigel starts to settle down.

I would also start working on teaching him to play by himself. A very important skill for living life as a companion parrot.

Good Luck,

Cheers,

Bulli

[TJ Relic]

Thanks Bulli. I knew light hours were tied to mating behaviors, but I thought all I needed to do was keep it the same forever. I guess it makes sense, because 7 hours of full light is a bit much for the average day. I started this morning by uncovering and feeding him at the usual time, but waiting to turn on his light until an hour later. We have been sitting for half an hour now with me on the computer and him in his cage with no screeching, so it might be working. I'll also turn it off an hour sooner today. I'll start tomorrow with the earlier wake time, to get ready for my 8am classes coming up.

He was pretty good about playing by himself both inside his cage and out on his tabletop playstand. That was before this attitude change and before he grew in his flight feathers. Now, if he's in his cage and I'm around, he's ticked, and if he is outside of it he flies right to me.