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Post by kristin on Sept 11, 2014 15:29:24 GMT -5
Hi There,
Every time my 4 year old Quaker is let out of his cage he has taken up to flying and dive bombing people, (mainly my husband and me if he is mad at me) and biting them on the face or neck. Dodo bird definitely favors me although lately all he is constantly biting me even after the step ups and even when done in neutral territory. I have gotten his wings clipped in the past but he can still fly. We have a great bird store in Oregon and I have asked them why he can still fly even with clipped wings and they explained that it is because when I got him as a baby they did a straight across clip on all wing feathers and it took over 1.5 years to get his feathers to the point that they could finally be clipped properly. As a result he developed his wing muscles to the point that he can fly with clipped wings. So from that point on, I haven't even bothered clipping him. Because of this dive bombing behavior he rarely gets let out. Does anyone have any recommendations on how I can correct this behavior and comfortable let him out of his cage again? |
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Post by msdani1981 on Sept 11, 2014 18:03:46 GMT -5
First off, welcome to the forum!  Second, ummmm......good luck?? LOL In all seriousness, I would have advised you to clip his wings....however, since his wing muscles are so well developed...well, that won't help, now, will it? Hmm....I *think* what I would do is towel him every single time he dive bombs you and stuff him (gently but unceremoniously, without speaking to him) back in his cage. See if that changes anything. He just might realize that dive bombing you results in some pretty unpleasant handling. |
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Post by easttex on Sept 11, 2014 19:33:09 GMT -5
How long has it been going on, and how do you respond to it? Is there anything in his environment that has changed recently? He sounds like he is unhappy about something, and parrots often don't deal well with sudden change. It could have been something that changed around the time he started the dive bombing, and he wound up liking the reaction he got to that. If you can figure out what might have prompted the dive bombing, it would help in trying to correct it. If you can't think of anything, I'd recommend trying to eliminate health issues first. Illness will sometimes cause a behavior change.
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Post by benegesserit on Sept 13, 2014 19:45:24 GMT -5
Happy dive bombs our children at times. She does it and BITES when she's hormonal (which is an indicator to us that we need to give her more sleep time,) or sometimes without biting as a game (the kids act like it's tag. I've tried addressing this, but this is how they like to play with Happy, and Happy loves it, so I've had no luck.)
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Post by kristin on Sept 15, 2014 15:13:42 GMT -5
Thanks for the advice. I got him when baby #3 was just 2 months old. But since then we have had 2 more children and I think the dive bombing started to occur when baby #4 was about six months old about 1 year ago. So it has been going on for some time, it just seems like it is getting worse and occurring more frequently baby #5 is now 9 months old. It is definitely worse when Dodo is hormonal and I know that he is mad at me, because prior to the dive bombing he would only be in his cage at night time. He has a regular bed time routine, and he is in the midst of the chaos of the household. I can see the reaction thing - the kids start screaming when dodo is flying around. So I am sure that is contributing to the behavior. I try to be as calm as possible when he dive bombs me or bites me, but other people not so much. If he lands on someone other than me especially the kids they freak out. So I am working on that. I am going to try toweling him and see if that helps curb the behavior. I am thankful for finding this forum and thank you for all your help. Dodo is a really cool bird and I would really like to get him back to the point that he can be out of his cage without fear of him attacking people. now to gather up the courage to let him out again, he did collateral damage to me last time he was out and wounds are still healing. :-)
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Post by easttex on Sept 15, 2014 19:38:56 GMT -5
Tough situation. Small children and parrots are not an easy combination. Parrots generally dislike the boisterousness, unless it is their own.  Your bird might actually be fearful of the children. If that's the case, toweling her might not be the best approach, but you're in the best position to know. If it was me, I would try to repair the relationship. I would only take her out when things are calm and you can give her some one on one time. I know, with five children that's easier said than done, and it means less time out of cage for her, but I'd work on quality over quantity. |
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Post by biteybird on Sept 23, 2014 22:10:55 GMT -5
Definitely - they only enjoy their own chaos creations! Is it possible to give Dodo some out of cage time in an enclosed area away from the kids? Even half an hour every day or two might be enough to reassure her that she doesn't need to compete with your kids for affection. |
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Your bird might actually be fearful of the children. If that's the case, toweling her might not be the best approach, but you're in the best position to know. If it was me, I would try to repair the relationship. I would only take her out when things are calm and you can give her some one on one time. I know, with five children that's easier said than done, and it means less time out of cage for her, but I'd work on quality over quantity. 