Well, another battle today....

 

I tried using a stick, and I definitely had to cover my arm with a towel because she willingly got on the stick and went STRAIGHT for my arm. I clipped her wings because she could fly somewhat in hopes that this will also help with her aggression. She managed to get herself back to her cage and even though I was standing on a stool higher than her she would NOT step up onto the perch at all. She attacked it and played with it like it was some sort of funny game to make mommy mad... I tried for about 5 minutes and got fed up, restrained her and put her back in her cage. This is most upsetting, and I do hope this will pass. I wouldn't doubt she's jealous, maybe even of my boyfriend (where there is a mutual love between Lily and himself) but I don't know what I can do. I would take her to another room, but she isn't a very secure 'too and freaks out when she's not in the living room/dining room area. Maybe that's just what I'll have to do anyways. But it isn't just her cage she's bad on, I put her on the stairs, MUCH lower than me, and tried to get her to step up and she just bit me...she didn't draw blood this time, was just grabbing me, but if I would have persisted, who knows.

 

I guess I'll just have to be patient, and if this aggression continues into the fall/winter I'll have to try some other steps. I mean, I can't even get her to cuddle with me anymore because she stays on her cage and refuses to come off of it to sit on the couch. She won't even fly over to me anymore.

 

Oh well, I guess I'll just have to shed my tears, suck it up and keep on trucking...

 

CL

Keep trying the stick. My grey, Murphy, was terrified of the stick when I first used it with him. He bit it and flew in a panic mode around the room. Gradually he became a tiny bit calmer. He still doesn't like it, but at least when he ends up where he shouldn't be I can get him to step on it without him going nuts on me. All new things take a few tries, maybe even many tries but eventually it works.

I also goo-goo talk to him while going for him with the stick. Sweet talk him into stepping up. I tell him he is such a good boy and we are going for a ride. It works!!

 

Another thing I see. Why do you need her to cuddle with you???

She's a bird. Let her be a bird. Go cuddle with your boyfriend or with another pet who wants to cuddle. I don't mean this ugly or rude at all, but really, what if you didn't like to be grabbed and held and someone forced you. You'd struggle and hit them, wouldn't you? Same with her but all she knows to do is bite.

I gave up cuddling birds long ago. They didn't like it and I didn't like bleeding.

Annie

 

Annie,

I don't try to force her to cuddle...she's a 'too, she likes to cuddle, that's all she ever wanted before, she would almost whine at you to come out and be with you, now she wants nothing to do with me. I by no means force her to cuddle if that's the impression I gave, sorry if it was. I understand that not all birds like to cuddle, or want to all the time, I have a grey as well, he barely wants me to touch his back let alone cuddle him, lol.

 

I guess she doesn't have to cuddle with me, but it would be nice if she'd at least sit with me, I don't care if she cuddles or not. Actually, I would like it if she would just sit with me, before I had to be constantly hugging/petting her or she'd get mad and pout like a child, lol. She didn't like me watching tv and not paying 100% attention to her!

 

CL

I think hormones change a bird's personality a lot, but thankfully it is usually temporary. A few weeks to a few months maybe. Murphy never did go back to his handleable self but I had several serious health problems and I think it scared him and made him suspicious of me.  He's still so much fun to watch and to listen to, so I can accept his newfound independence.

I can see why you are upset since Lilly used to want the cuddling. 

I hope she goes back to her old self soon so you can snuggle if you want to.

Annie

 

 

It takes time, patience, and love to deal with a bird ~ any bird but especially one that has raging hormones.  If she knows that you will get fed up in 5 minutes or that you are intimidated in any way, she has forced you to relinguish the position of flock leader and taken over the job herself.  Almost ever bird wants to be a flock leader when they grow up!   

 

 

 

Sorry to be so confusing, I was just quite flustered.

 

When I say she "willingly" stepped up onto the perch and went for my arm, she had her crest up and was GOING at my arm to attack it, that is why I decided it would be safer to cover my arm with a towel. She managed to get up onto my shoulder, and as right now I do NOT trust her around my face, I tucked my head in and headed towards the couch so she could land there but she unfortunately climbed across my back to my other shoulder and leaped to her cage. So I don't know what could have changed her mind about the perch, aside from my bare skin now being covered.

 

Maybe 5 minutes was incorrect, as I wasn't really timing. For all I know it could have been 15 or 20, but it seemed to go by quite quickly, maybe because I was getting frustrated.... but she wouldn't step up to her perch. Honestly, it was like a game to her, she would put one foot up and I would say "Good girl, now the other foot" and she would then look at me, bite the perch and take her foot down. lol. She's playing mind games with me.

 

I did trim her wings a bit earlier when she flew into the kitchen as I didn't know she had that much flight in her, she only had 2 flight feathers in on each wing...but she got herself straight into the kitchen which is bad news. Better safe than sorry for me...wanted to get that done before she decided to fly in there again b/c they were boiling eggs on the stove.

 

 

Now I know I should always end things on a positive note, but that gets kind of difficult when I can't get her to budge from the top of her cage no matter how many times I try or what I try. I'm very leery about putting my hand up to her now because she has bitten me quite hard and left marks. I've been VERY lucky that so far nothing serious, but it's painful enough. I am not nervous when I'm around her, and I DO try my best to leave my hand there when she goes to bite, but when she lunges she means business!! So not sure how I can end things well with her...

I work with parrots 5/7 days of the week as I work at SuperPet and run the bird department, and believe you me, we have some very trying birds, especially this one Alexandrine that I am working with. I find it quite easy to work with him though. He always gives a nasty bite, but I ignore it and become very commanding with my step up and show him I'm boss. I play towel games with him when he starts to get too rowdy as this calms him down, also good for him in the future. Maybe it's always a little different when it's your own bird? I'm not going to give up on her though, it's not my style! LOL. I'm as stubborn as a mule, and if that's the way she wants to play that game, then fine, next time I'm going to stand there until she steps up.

 

If anyone has any other ideas I'm more than willing to give them a try. Maybe I should by a thick leather glove and see if she'll step up onto it. Normally she is quite the skittish 'too, but she seems pretty durn fearless while she's hormonal!

 

Thanks guys!! You've been a great help. I'll just be patient and understanding of her and hope for the best. I don't think she'll stay this way but if she does we'll just have to work around it. I know I can get cranky too, I just don't bite! lol.

 

CL

 I have a migraine and can't think very clearly and have not experience with too's.  But my quick read seems to point out that this might be a case of cage agression/protectiveness.  Probably some research on that subject matter will help both you and Lilly.  di

I so often leave something out when telling someone to try something.

 

When you approach her with the stick, have your skin covered before you show her the stick. Then as soon as she steps up and you have her clear of the cage door, lower your elbow and raise your hand. Have the perch tilted up slightly up on her end. Keep her about level with your face or shoulder, but away, so she isn't likely to jump at you. She's less likely to race for your shoulder. Some do, of course, but most parrots will not go downhill. They want to be at the highest point, so they will stay on the end of the stick.  Those who have been shoulder birds may not be as likely to stay on the perch. They need to be up by your face. Not good at all at this point.

Annie

Gosh I don't have a cockatoo but I just had to jump in here too.  First if you really think this is just hormones then while you are trying to connect back with her why don't you try to get her into the cage without handling her.  A good treat (shown to her first) might get her in. She will eventually get the idea that if she goes in she will get something. Toss it in her bowl and wait.  This is how I eventually taught my one grey to get in to her cage by command.  I didn't need to do that for me but she did give my husband trouble once in a while.

 

I can see why you are leary about a cockatoo bite but they see that too.  I could do anything with my grey but my husband had trouble once in awhile but it was cause he didn't go through with his command to step up cause she would nail him once in awhile. But she knew if she bit he would eventually give up.  Once he got the idea (me telling him ten million times what he was doing wrong) he just grinned and beared it and this catch 22 situation more or less ended. Then it was alot easier after she learned to go into the cage on command.  Eventually we didn't need the treat.

 

If she is that hormonal I would try the treat thing and then when this time of hormonal hell passes you could try to stick train her.  She will be calmer and easier to handle.  My personal opinion is like Annies.  Wait out this period and forgoe the cuddling.  It does sound like she is being cage aggressive as someone else said.  But once you can get her stick trained then you can work with her somewhere else.  I wouldn't suggest the couch though.  Too much room to run.

 

The bird that you are working with is working cause he knows you mean business.  He's a lot smaller and he sees his bite (even though it hurts) is not causing you to give up and you make him step up.  I can see why you would hesitate with a cockatoo but he knows it too.

 

Good luck

Indy

 

 

CLL, in the 3rd paragraph of message 10 you say Lily will step on the stick with one foot and you tell her to step on with the other. Try this. As soon as her first foot is on the perch, lift the perch so she has no choice but to step on. Be gentle and don't raise it too fast because you aren't trying to overpower her, just make her know that the lift means the other foot must come up.  I bet you do exactly that when stepping her onto your hand but don't realize it.

You may have to move the perch toward her slightly and up as she gets the first foot on and then she will have to step on.

Gee, I wish we had close-up movies of this stuff. It is second nature to most of us but it is so hard to describe.

Annie

 

Annie,

I know EXACTLY what you're saying!  And believe me, I did try that, that's what I naturally do with my hands when they are stubborn about stepping up, but she would immediately pull her foot back even tho she was being lifted up....she is stubborn as a mule I tell you! Plain old STUBBORN!

 

I will take your advice Indy and wait to stick train her when this hormonal bit has passed over. Although it will be slightly more difficult as she may run away from the stick and refuse to come near it. We shall see. Patience and time will make all well! I will also try the treats, as SOMETIMES (when she's not hormonal) I can get her to go in the cage that way, when she's being a brat. Yes, she's a brat when she's not hormonal too. What I usually do though is make her step-up then lure her into the cage off of my hand with a treat, so that it doesn't make it look like I'm giving up but not getting her to step up, and then rewarding her for it, lol.

 

What I just keep saying in my head.... "she's a cockatoo!" LOL I can't expect any more or less of her, just expect her to be herself, the way nature intended. I still love her...and sometimes, perhaps it is a curse, or a disease rather, that each of us bird lovers has! LMAO

 

CL

 

PS (to Indy) In regards to the bird I'm working with at work...I would RATHER be bitten by a Cockatoo, because the way an Alexandrine's beak is, OMG OUCH, I'd swear they would draw blood every time. I guess I just stick it out with him because I know if he keeps that crap up he'll never find a good home. I don't know...but it is different. I will TRY to keep my hand there for her terrible nips. I did when I had her out the other day with me, experimentally to see how hard she would bite, and it wasn't bad, not to draw blood, just kind of warnings, but I DO however think it would be more than warning bite on her cage. I do see your point, and I should know better...BAD MOMMY!

There is a species specific bird food that you can order http://bird-elicious.com/ that might help with the hormonal difficulties. Definitely though see if warriorwoman can help. With so many people trying to help, it can be more confusing for you, and an emotional 'Too needs a calm mom.