New here/owner aggressive parrot need some help!

[coral]

Hi im coral and my beautiful parrot is named marty. i bought him off craigslist (i know bad idea right? but it was the only way i could afford him) anyways he was sick when i got him he had a respiratory infection and the bacteria in his poop was 100% bad. both problems are resolved his diet is good (he has good pellets and veggies, fruits, and nuts everyday were still figuring out the different types he likes) he is 4 years old. he only likes me and my friend (he only tolerates her he doesnt really like her much) he fluffs up and lets males pet him and will bite them or hide behind his cage. he has tried to attack adult women on 3 occasions. my grandma was moving my bed around (his cage is in my room because we have cats) and he climbed down from his cage and tried to bite her feet! then my mom came in and she was waving her finger in his face which i told her not to do but anyways he flew at her (yes his wings are clipped idk how he does it) and went under her hair and bit her ear. he tried to do this again to a family friend. he fluffs up every time someone comes in the room. no one is willing to take the time to play with him or anything. i cant really take him in the other rooms because we have 4 dogs and 2 cats and my house is kinda hectic and pretty loud which stresses him out. im not really sure what to do. any ideas? also he wont try a lot of veggies any ideas for that? and he wont play with toys! have you ever heard of a bird who doesn't play with his toys?
Thanks so much sorry it was so long!!

[zazanomore]

Is this your first parrot? If so, I think you've bitten off more than you can chew. You sound like you are still a teenager, am I right? I'm only 18, so I've picked out birds that will suit my lifestyle in University.

A rescue aggressive parrot may not be your best choice. However, I do think you are capable of taking care of a bird. You have experience with finches, so I think I nice step from them would be a budgie, parrotlet, linnie, lovebird, bourke, cockatiel, or a smaller sized conure. Even one of the pois seems to be a good choice.

Do you think you would be able to give him up to a rescue? What would be most fair for him? Are you capable of giving him extra attention, even though you will eventually need to work or go to school? Can you afford extensive veterinary care (as you mentioned in your post he had a bad infection when you got him)?

From what you've said, you have done a good job. Offering a wide variety of foods, and keeping him separated from your other pets.

Michael has a post on his blog about teaching parrots to try new foods.

As for toys, I think you just gotta keep rotating them and giving him variety. Play with them for him. Let them know they are fun.

I hope my post didn't offend you. That wasn't my intention.

[coral]

Yes hes my first actual parrot but ive had parakeets and cockatiels and some other birds that i found outside that were hurt when i was little like pidgins and a few other birds that i didnt know what kind they were.

Hes a lot to handle but i do spend a lot of time with him. i am still a teenager and i wont get to spend as much time with him when i do get a job but ill still be home enough for him, and if im not hopefully he'll get used to someone else to. he seems to like my brother and best friend. i dont think i could give him up and i think i can provide the attention he needs. i can pay for all the medical expenses. i already have payed a few vet bills for him.

he really likes me and ive had him for about a month he hasnt bitten me in 2 weeks. and he hasnt attacked anyone lately and hes been introduced to new people, he didnt attack them.

the lady at the parrot store where i buy his toys and food at said to keep introducing him to different people some where calm and away from his cage. she thinks he might be cage territorial and territorial over me, which ive read is common.

hopefully he gets used to more people because before he was only around the one guy, and he wasnt home a lot during the day.

thanks for the advice i really appreciate it!

[GlassOnion]

A little budging in here... *budgies and cockatiels are parrots*

[coral]

i didnt know that im sorry if i offended you!!
ill make sure to remember that im sorry

[zazanomore]

I love my australian parrots

[tim west]

My Amazon was the same when i got him and he also used to go for me, as from today he now comes to work with me and he seems to trust anything i do. He does still go for other people and when he does i just pick him up and divert his attention. I suppose i dont mind to much as he doesnt attack me and being i have to do everything for him its just as well. Doesnt really help with your problem, i just tell people he might bite, if they still want to put there finger in his face thats up to them.

[rebeccaturpeinen]

Hi!! Cant really help you with your questions...

Just wanted to say welcome to the forum!!! There is a lot of good advise on here, it has helped me a lot

[Mona]

Hi Coral:

First, it sounds like you are doing a great job with Marty. You got him over being sick and you are working with him and it does sound like you have made progress with him. That is great news!

Some of what Marty is doing is natural behavior for a mature parrot. It is difficult to say what causes the problem but it is most likely fear. Parrots, unlike mammals, rely on nests to reproduce so it is very natural for them to find an area and defend it from anything that they may consider an intruder. If you consider that parrots are prey animals, the strategy that helps them to survive in the wild is usually "attack first, ask questions later". This way, they defend their territory so they can find a mate and also, survive another day. It is possible that his previous owners did not work to modify this tendency (which can be modified but it takes a lot of attention and usually, time). I want to say this again, aggressive tendencies CAN be modified but depending on the parrot, it may take more or less work to do.

Second, Marty has communicated to you that he is capable of attacking your family. You need to listen to what he is telling you and work to prevent that from happening again. Here, the thing you want to keep in mind is "Avoid bites at all costs". The reason is that it is much easier to prevent aggressive behavior than it is to modify it after it happens. The more aggressive a parrot is, the more likely the aggresion will increase in the future. You are working to decrease aggression and decrease aggressive behavior until it lessens or goes away.

So, when your Grandma is in the room, Marty needs to be locked in his cage. If you see anything that can trigger aggressive behavior, make sure that Marty is put away so he cannot do it again. You want to pay close attention to what Marty is doing. If he is aggressive, ask yourself what happened right before the aggressive behavior? Once you identify what might trigger it, set up the environment so the trigger is not there. In time, if the aggressive behavior is not triggered it will be less and less likely that it will happen.

Third, You want to increase Marty's feelings of security. You want to lessen his fear. It sounds like you are doing this right now. Keep doing what you are doing. Handle him carefully and gentley. If he bites, just understand that he is probably biting out of fear or something triggered the bite that you did not notice. Stop and ask yourself, "What could have triggered this bite?" "What can I do to prevent it in the future?" It sounds like you are doing this now. Just remember, that it is always up to you (not Marty) to prevent bites.

Finally, scientific studies are showing that isolation increases aggression in most animals. You want to carefully and safely socialize Marty as much as possible. Take him in a carrying cage to different places. Since you know he is capable of attack, you want to make sure that he is caged but if you go slow with him, he will probably enjoy getting out and seeing other people and even possibly, other birds. This is called "Socialization" and it is as important to socialize birds as it is to socialize any other animal. You also don't want him to become "entrenched" in the territory that he is living in now so you want to keep moving his cage to different parts of the house and different environments.

You have taken on a small project but with lots of time, careful attention, research and care....you may be able to make this bird into an exceptional companion. Keep us posted!

Mona

[coral]

Thank you so much every one for your replies you have given me hope that Marty will be nice to other people. i will keep working with him and ill let you know how everythings going! thank you again!!