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When biting and screaming mean it's over
I hope you can shed some light on a change that has occurred in the behavior of our umbrella cockatoo, George.
George, now 16, belonged to my husband when we married 13 years ago. Since then, George has bonded with me to the point that for several years he has completely ignored my husband. I do all the necessary daily care.
However, in the last eight months, George has progressed from being indifferent to showing active aggression toward my husband. He has bitten him about six times now, usually unexpectedly and drawing blood every time. The last two times George bit my husband when he stood too near the cage.
Over the same period of time George has dramatically increased his nighttime “crowing.” He used to call only at sundown, and I've gathered from my reading that this was a normal territorial behavior. Now he starts screaming whenever my husband (or any other male) is in the room. The decibel level is earsplitting and at times has driven us out of the house!
Does George need to breed? Is he competing for my affections?
--Kimberly Latas, Spirit Lake, Iowa, cldiscus@rconnect.com
It sounds to me as if George has indeed decided it is time to stake a claim and start a family. Yours is a fairly common experience; nature influences companion parrots just as strongly as it does wild ones. Just as in the wild, a pet parrot will pick a mate, stake out a territory, and defend it aggressively against intruders.
Unfortunately for your husband, George’s biting and screaming probably means that George has decided to end that relationship. The crowing is probably a normal contact call to you.
Solutions to this type of problem are seldom easy. If you are lucky, the territorial aggression is seasonal, just as it would be in the wild.
If this is the case, aggression should subside toward the middle or end of summer; George may already have settled down by the time you read this. On the other hand, George’s aggression may develop into a personal vendetta that could last indefinitely.
As I discussed in the last issue of ParrotChronicles.com, a parrot whose territory is repeatedly invaded will eventually begin to attack the unwanted intruder. This may be happening with your husband.
Here are some things I would suggest you not do: Unless you plan to take yourself out of the picture for awhile, thus forcing George to reconsider your husband as mate material, your husband should not attempt to handle or develop a relationship with the bird.
This may directly contradict what many parrot behavior experts would advise. However, evaluated from the bird’s perspective, your husband is an intruder forcing himself onto a territory holder. This would not happen in the wild, and will most likely continue to result in stress, aggression and bloodletting. Sometimes it’s best to simply make a graceful exit out of a relationship the bird does not want.
I also would not let George investigate dark, confined places such as closets, cabinets and under the bed. These areas represent nest cavities to George and may encourage even more breeding aggression.
ParrotChronicles.com
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