atiel behavior

Question
I have had a hand-raised female atiel
for about 4 years at least. During some of
that time she has had bad cases of  feathers
being broken and bledding so excessively that she
needed to be taken to the vet and then had to be
hand given medications by me which she didn't like.
She had to be given antibiotics by the mouth
and also antibiotics rubbed unto the area where the  feather was located she has been better for a long, long time many months but now she
is always agressive to me hissing and striking
the cage when I'm near and when I try to rub her
head she goes wild and acts as if she were a wild bird caught in a cage, she climbs all over the
cage walls as fast as she can trying to avoid
my hand. To be given the medicine she had to be
grabbed and taken out of her cage, do you
think her fear and aggression could be from
the past when being given medicine? Does she
link seeing me with being grabbed and a
suringe stuck in her mouth? Is that the cause
for her bad behavior. Also when I try and actually
suceed in getting her out of her cage she
almost always breaks a  feather from
flopping around and trying to escape but her
wings are partly trimmed what could prevent this and why does it happen so often? I wish she could really be my true pet bird but I get afraid when I get her out because of her almost always breaking a  feather but not as severe as when she had to go to the vet. Is there anyway
I could tame her back to like she use to be?
She was such a sweet bird before she had the
Blood feather problem. And could the medicine
be the reason for her fear and aggression directed
toward me?
Thanks a bunch!
I really hope you can help me.
Bye for now.
Susan
Ps: sorry for any mis-spellings.

Answer
Hi Susan,
First, never feel as if you need to apologize for misspellings. I don't bite. :) We're here to help you with any concerns or questions concerning your bird, rather than criticize spelling. *smiles* Now, onto your concerns. Susan, it is my experience, and the experience of many other parrot owners that I've talked with, that when there are procedures that are needed to be done to a 'tiel, (or other parrots, for that matter), some are more unforgiving than others. I've experienced this on many different levels, with different species of parrots. As an example, I cut my parrot's wings myself, rather than bring them somewhere to be groomed. Over the years, I had one, a Sun Conure, who really HATED this process. He would actually get angry at ME, for restraining him, and cutting his wings. He was one of just about the ONLY birds I've owned that I would bring someplace to have someone, other than me, do this for him. For, it would take days for him to stop pouting, and letting me know just how much he was angry at me. On the other side of the coin, I have a Quaker, and he doesn't mind this procedure at all. In fact, I don't even have to towel him, or block his eyes, so he can't see it's me who's doing this. It depends on the personality, and I believe, sometimes, the species of the parrot. Now, although your 'tiel is expressing aggression towards you, always remember it's only fear she's displaying. Try not to take it too personally, ok? *smiles* Cockatiels are a pretty 'forgiving' bird. I'm sure with some quiet, slow movements, and maybe offering some special treats, you will win her back over. A suggestion I can offer is, if you need to do something to your 'tiel, that you know she's going to 'take out on you' later, cover her eyes, toweling her, so that she can't see its YOU who is doing it. Is there someone available who can towel her, and then YOU can administer medications? Without her seeing it's you who is doing it? That's another suggestion. But, what concerns me slightly is, why she's suffering from so many broken feathers that has required medical attention. A 'tiel is so small, Susan, that any loss of blood could be fatal. I *think* its something like they only have a few teaspoons of blood in their system, so a loss that may look minute to you, could be fatal to them. (and, don't quote me on that amount of 'tiel body-blood amount, hehe, for I am NOT an avain vet, just trying to rely on my good, albeit older memory. *winks and smiles*) Something I suggest all parrot owners keep in their home is a product called "Qwik Stop". It's a powder that aids in the stopping of blood loss, relatively quickly, when and if an accident should occur. It's readily available at all pet stores that sell avian supplies. A couple of questions I would ask you are: is your 'tiel's cage large enough for that big wingspan of theirs? 'Tiels are notorious for whats known as "night frights", and are a flighty bird at best, sometimes. So, if something's bugging her while in her cage, and she begins thrashing around, this could be causing her to break feathers. I'm just unsure as to why she has been suffering this. Do you cover her cage at night while she's sleeping? This will help prevent her from becoming spooked by shadows or movement. If she is a semi-nervous bird, is her cage in a high traffic area? It might help to move her to a more serene, quieter location. As far as the agression towards you goes, I'm thinking it is due to the fact that she's not liking the treatments that are being given to her, through NO fault of your own. They just don't understand it's for their own good. Sort of like lil' children. And that old adage: "This is going to hurt me more than it's going to hurt you". *smiles* The other reason could be, when they grow back feathers, and are in 'pin feather' stage, that's a bit uncomfortable for them. To touch them, or pat them while in 'pin feathers' can be painful to them if you don't do it correctly. The kerotin surrounding and protecting the new feather growth is hard and stiff like a "straw", for lack of a better explanation. And, if you touch one, and push it into their skin by accident, (not to mention it's a bit itchy-scratchy for them, I believe), could cause her to nip at you. I'm trying to cover so many bases as to why she is being aggressive with you. My main thought is the handling/applying/giving meds to her, really. But, just trying to give you other areas to think about, without having all the information. With some gentle coaxing, where she is a hand-raised 'tiel, I'm sure you can win her back over. I would just concentrate on why she's breaking so many feathers, and try to correct that situation. I hope I've helped answer some of your concerns, and given you some 'food for thought' as to how to correct it. Or just understand it. If you need further assistance, Susan, please rattle my cage. That's what I'm here for, ok? I'd be only too happy to oblige.
Take care, and good luck to you and she...
Linnie  :)