upatsix.com - Your Source For Pet Bird Information

He is CRAZY!!!!! It's like Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He could be all nice and sweet one minute then attacking my finger the next. It's still worse with food I bring to the cage when he is in or on it. It's to the point where I have to either block him with something so he doesn't attack me, or take him out and put him on my shoulder, then put him in the cage- it is a pain in the a--, or my fingers!! If he is ON me and I hand him food, he is OK. If he eats out of a dish while on me, he is OK. I DON'T GET IT

He also gets like that when I put him in his sleep cage. Sometimes I have to towel him and throw (only kidding) him in the cage and shut the door fast - And he'll charge the door and peck at it trying to get me. If my BF puts him to bed - no problem at all

Have any of you out there in tiel land experienced this???? What have you done or do you have any suggestions. I would REALLY like to extinguish the issue instead of working around it - these pecks hurt!! I'm glad he isn't any bigger.

Thanks,

Jo

My male quaker is much like this and I do just work around it. I don't think he likes my locking his door. One recommendation of trainers is giving a treat to compensate for being locked in (distract him), but I have too many who cooperate but would also expect a treat. Don't have time for all that

When I bring his food - he is NOT locked in!!!!!!!!!! It's a food territorial thing in his crazed little bird brain

I would love to get a video of this happening and post it on here. I started calling him "The 80gm Terror"

Jo

Shame, that is not nice
Horribly when you don't know if they are going to attack you or not
Sounds like Mr Dino is very hormonal perhaps

Luna Bella wrote:... It's a food territorial thing in his crazed little bird brain ...

My male pionus was this way too. Pi are very scrappy birds in the wild, fighting for nesting space, not social in the way we usually consider 'tiels. I worked around him too, deciding early in his life that he was too independent to be won over by bonds of affection. He would even lash out at his devoted wife to the point that I considered her a potential victim of battering, so I kept a VERY close eye on them. I've not, personally, seen this behavior in 'tiels, but b/c mine are mostly former untamed breeders, I seldom put my hands on them. Some love landing on me, but even they are wary of my hands. Seems odd to my human brain, but clearly makes great sense to them.

If your boy were an Amazon or macaw, his size and damage potential would be too great to ignore, but I would continue to "work around" a 'tiel. Just my personal way of letting a bird be a bird. And I'm certainly not meaning I'd ignore him. I'd just let his moods call my shots.

Fresh Baby does that too when my husband is around. She is fine with me when he is not around and then it is "TV time" she flies over to him curling up away from me. If I peek my head around his shoulder to say, "hi fresh baby!" Her beak is open ready to attack. If I put my hand on his leg she runs down and bites me.
Bottom line is: I leave her alone when she is with him. She has let me know loud & clear to back off.
So, I do.
I would try to pin point When exactly Dino is attacking. A certain time of day?
Does he get enough sleep? Is there something in his cage that makes him possessive? A toy? Food dish?
I know Whook will bite me if a mess around with his mirror (even to clean it!) I have to wait til he is out of cage before I can clean his mirror.
Hey, if anyone goes near my morning tea & scone I get pretty possessive and pissy too!

Wow.....I guess that I am very lucky in the fact that none of my birds were ever like this! especially Woody! He's the sweetest, gentlest little guy! same with Boss....she's always been more timid, but is sweet and friendly at all times! Ivy, when she gets hormonal, she screams! no aggression or biting or anything, just noise!
I sure hope that if it's a hormonal time that he gets past it soon!

Maybe my birds learned this possessiveness from me
God help anyone that touches my scones & tea! Ha!

okay okay totally and utterly off topic but I have to share this scone recipe with you THE best ever scones and so easy:

SCONES




Ingredients
• 3 cups self-raising flour
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup cream
• 1 cup lemonade


Method
1. Sift flour and salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre. Pour in cream and lemonade.
2. Mix with a knife until mixture comes together. Turn dough onto a lightly-floured surface. Knead gently until smooth and pliable.
3. Cut scones into rounds using a scone cutter. Arrange close together on a lightly greased tray.
4. Bake in a very hot oven (220°C) for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden. Serve with jam and cream. Freeze if desired.

I never would have thought to use lemonade but it sounds yummy! I love to bake my own bread, muffins, etc. so will definitely have to try this.

Oh yum! I'll have to give it a go!
BTW Smitty will not go in his cage when I have a scone on my plate and he can see it.
He goes after it like a bloody little buzzard

oh gosh I just realised that is an Ozzie recipe, by lemonade I mean like the fizzy drink okay such as Schweppes (or does that brand not exist in the US? )
And the cream is pouring cream, like cream you would whip
The fizzy lemonade puts air into the mixture therefore creating the most fluffy scones ever

A carbonated lemon flavored tonic? (or as the rest of the US other than Boston would say: a lemon soda)?
It is funny how we all speak English but we all have different dialects and expressions!
My budgie picked up my affected British accent when I had traveled back and forth to London visiting family,. Cheeky little bugger!

Yes, Sprite!
An no none of that sugarless rubbish that'll cause your early death (Aspartame!!!! )

And no don't use milk, go for the bad stuff
Honestly they taste sooooo good, sure fattening but sooooo yum