Parrot keeps attacking owner. HELP!

[munrolili]

Hello! I need some advice. My family has a Senegal parrot. He love my mom and will attack anyone else who comes near him. Whenever he is on my mom’s shoulder and my dad comes near my mom, he will attack and bite my mom weirdly enough. This is very frustrating for my mom because she can’t have him on her shoulder without being bitten when he walks into the room. I know he favors my mom and he’s protecting her but I don’t understand why he is biting my mom and not trying to bite my dad when he walks in. Any advice on why and what to do?

Thanks!

[Pajarita]

Welcome to the forum! Unfortunately, that is a very typical behavior. Let me explain. The parrot sees your mom as his mate and he does not want anybody or anything to get between him and her. Your father is a threat to his relationship with her and, because he knows that she loves him too, he is 'warning' her not to pay him any mind. It's like a wife that elbows her husband hard on the belly when a woman she knows he likes comes around - it's like saying: "Don't you dare!"

Now, for the parrot to react like that, chances are he is overly hormonal because even during breeding season, they are not usually that aggressive so I strongly recommend you review his diet (could it be that he is free-fed protein food?) and light schedule (is he under a strict solar schedule with full exposure to dawn and dusk or is he under a human light schedule?). Also, your father and mother should try not to kiss, hug or touch each other when he can see them. I know this sounds a bit extreme but parrots are one-person animals and, when they mate-bond with a human (which is NOT recommended) there are all kinds of problems - both for the parrot and the humans. Aside from that, male senegals can be extremely aggressive birds...

[liz]

Myrtle is a brat. When she is on my shoulder she is in charge. No one else can come near me. I can't pick Rambo up without getting bit or her attacking Rambo. She does know the word help so I ask Rambo if she needs help and I can pick her up but keep her low so as not to give her attention. I have to close her out of my bedroom to play with Rambo.

She treats Rachel as a sister that she can abuse for fun. When I go away for a few days Myrtle will bond with Rachel since Rachel is all she has.

Sounds like you need to take a vacation on your own and leave the family to readjust itself.

[reknikepso]

Hello! I need some advice. My family has a Senegal parrot. He love my mom and will attack anyone else who comes near him. Whenever he is on my mom’s shoulder and my dad comes near my mom, he will attack and bite my mom weirdly enough. This is very frustrating for my mom because she can’t have him on her shoulder without being bitten when he walks into the room. I know he favors my mom and he’s protecting her but I don’t understand why he is biting my mom and not trying to bite my dad when he walks in. Any advice on why and what to do?

Thanks!

Hi buddy, the closest reason I feel for this is due to the attraction. He feels that only he is meant to be there till the very end and no one else. Thou this is very rare cases but sometimes it happens.

Regards,
Rek

[Pajarita]

Welcome to the forum, Rek, but I do not agree that this happens in very rare cases. Quite the contrary, it happens all the time.