Cockateil anger behaviour

Question
Hello Chrys

Thank you so much! It is relieving to know that we will be able to tame her down again.

Actually, my friend picked up Mr Cooper 2 days ago now.  But I was reluctant to pick up Chiquita since that time in case she left me bleeding again.  However, last night I took her out of her cage and she gladly stepped on my hand again.  Once I put her on my shoulder, I noticed she still screams with anger if you put your fingers close to her.  She always did this but to a greater degree when Mr Cooper was around.  It seems you were correct about the jealousy factor.  Perhaps she has calmed down slightly due to the fact that there is no more competition for attention.

Am I sure of her sex?  The pet lady said that she was likely to be a little female but growth would tell.  5 months later and a 'bird' friend of mine popped by to inspect Chiquita.  She said that the black & white bar pattern under her tale and wings show she is a female.  Does this sound right?  Chiquita is the typical grey/orange cheek/yellow whisped crest colour. She is also slightly smaller in size than Mr Cooper.  She doesn't sing very much, just tries talk.  Mr Cooper sang incessantly, mimicking the Starburst jelly lolly adverts (in particular).

Now that Mr Cooper is out of the picture, Chiquita still demonstrates her screaming nature when fingers are close to her.  Luckily, she is not biting.  But she still tries to assirt herself in a threatening manner.  Why would this be so?  

I really appreciate your help, Chrys - thank you so much! :-)


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Followup To

Question -
Hello Chrys

I have had a baby cockateil for 5 months now. She was purchased from the pet store.  When we first got her, she did not trust us and would squak at our fingers to seem threatening.  The pet store lady advised us to keep persisting and not let 'Chiquita' have her way.  So we did, and eventually after three months or so, we could call her out of her cage and she would gladly sit on our hands, kiss our face, try to talk, etc.  Sometimes she would get angry again and bite our fingers in a fake attempt to get rid of us.  At this time, we would still persist and she would give in without being angry.

However, this week my friend asked me to watch over her weiro.  His name is Mr Cooper and he was a much friendlier cockateil.  I admit, I held him with enthusiasm and played with him in front of her.  After a few days of Mr Cooper's presence in the house, Chiquita would scream and bite even more! When we would try to pick her up, she would truly bite our fingers with all her might, often leaving us bleeding. I was so surprised because she never has done this before.  I tried to brighten her cage and do something different with her surroundings, but no use.  She is such an angry, angry, angry little bird now.  It is upsetting because I know she was not like this before meeting Mr Cooper.  

Can you please help or suggest remedies to tame her down again?



Answer -
Hi, Cristina.  Thanks for posting!

Is Mr. Cooper still in your house?

Chiquita is/became jealous because you brought another bird into your home and took attention meant for her and showered it on/shared it with Mr. Cooper.  Also, perhaps she likes Mr. Cooper and since birds prefer other birds to humans, she might have wanted to be with Mr. Cooper.

You won't be able to do much with Chiquita as long as Mr. Cooper is in your home.  If Mr. Cooper is gone now, you need to regain the trust you had with Chiquita.  You were able to do this once and you can do this again.  Are you sure of Chiquita's sex?  With Mr. Cooper gone, you should work with Chiquita so she knows she hasn't been replaced and that you still love her very much.  It shouldn't take long if Chiquita was tame before.  Do the things with her that you did previously so she knows everything is back to normal.  However, Mr. Cooper has to be out of the picture for anything to work!

Come back with more info or if you have further questions.

Chrys  

Answer
Hi again, Cristina.

Sounds like Chiquita is a female based on the patterns under the tail.

Chiquita obviously has a problem with fingers!  Some parrots get this way when they have a reason to fear them.  Somewhere along the line, she has had a bad experience with fingers and to help her overcome this, you have to just keep showing her that your fingers will do her no harm.  Also keep in mind that this behavior might just be a ploy of hers to try and keep you away when she doesn't want to be messed with.  Chiquita is still young and trying to see what she can get away with with you.  It's like having a 2-year old toddler trying to see what s/he can get away with with mom and dad!  Don't let her intimidate you!  You might gets some bites, but this is what it's going to take for her to get used to your fingers.  Some birds never get over their fear of fingers.  You can only do your best to work with her.  You might try using your hand versus just fingers when dealing with her until she overcomes her fear.

Chrys