changing behaviour of my cockatiel

Question
Hello there, I have had owned my cockatiel now for over 10years, which was given to me by a friend who was unsure of his age at the time. He had always been a lovely, friendly bird up until the last year or so. He has started to scream and this habit is becoming worse and more constant. I don;t understand why because he still gets attention and is let out of his cage for a couple of hours everyday. This used to be prevented by giving him a new mirror or toy, but nothing seems to work these days. The only thing which quietened him is if we cover his cage once he begins screaming, but now he has started to scream even with the cover in place. Even when he is out of his cage now he will often go back inside and contine to scream, even if his cage door is left open.
He has also become alot more aggressive. He used to be very gentle and did not do anything beyond playful pecking. Now as soon as I let him out of his cage he will begin attacking ,biting and hissing, he isnt nervous at all and will often aim straight for the head and act very aggressively, even if i talk soothingly to him or whistle.
I am wondering if perhaps a mate would resolve this, as I do not know what else we can do?
I look forward to hearing from you!
Shadiya


Answer
Hello Shadiya and thank you for your post.
While it is not uncommon for older cockatiels to get aggressive, it sounds like yours has gone to an extreme.
Have there been ANY changes in the house or the room at all?  Sometimes something as simple as a picture that is not hanging the way the bird likes it will cause the bird to change.  Cockatiels do need to scream and screech.  This is their way of communicating with their flock, and like a baby, it helps to exercise their lungs.
Whne he starts to scream, cover his cage, but as soon as he stops screaming, uncover his cage.
I do not recommend giving mirrors to birds because mirrors tend to frustrate a bird, which can make the bird mean.  The bird will se its reflection, think it's another bird, and try to interact with this "other bird".  When the "other bird" does not interact back, your bird can get frustrated.  Try taking the mirror out of the cage and see if this makes a difference.  Also, try playing some soothing music uring the day for your bird.  Something like Classical Music can help to calm a bird down.
Another thing, your bird might be getting bored.  Try teaching him some tricks and new whistles.  This might help to stimulate him enough that he will settle down again.
A mate might work, but he may reject another bird too.
Try the things that I've suggested and if none of them work, let me know and I will try to figure out something else.

Good luck and God Bless.
Dianna