Bird People-Husband Hating Bird.....

Solo the Senegal has come out of his shell for the most part. He allows me to handle him, and enjoys spending time on the bird stand (where is he currently, watching me type this while clicking and raspberrying). However, he detests DH. Solo has bitten him hard a couple of times--clamped down and drew blood (little known fact, it's actually Senegals, NOT pit bulls, that having locking jaws-lol), and when DH gets too close Solo poofs out all of his feathers, raises his wings slightly, makes an angry clicking sound that sounds like a typewriter, and rocks back and forth.

If I'm holding Solo and DH gets too close, Solo will try to bite me. I have been able to nip that in the bud for the most part by dropping my hand down slightly when I see him getting ready to chomp, and that seems to discourage the behavior. The vet doesn't seem to think there is a whole lot I can do about it other than try to discourage possessive, hormonal behaviors from Solo. DH can sit within feet of Solo when he's on the stand and Solo doesn't try to go after him, but if DH were to try to pet him or get him to step up he would get chomped I'm sure. There has been one incident where when I was out of the room Solo hopped on the Lazy Boy where DH was sitting and started climbing the blanket towards DH's face posturing all the way, but I was able to run in and get him before things got messy and it hasn't happened since.

DH has been really tolerant about this and our other birds really like him and we are both able to handle them. Is there anything we can do about this? Solo has a home with us either way, but it would be nice if DH could handle him if necessary with out having to towel Solo and risk a significant bite...

Really, the only thing I could suggest, not having birds like that myself, is that he takes over everything to do with Solo, and you stop even acknowledging his existence for a while. If he's acting up with him in the room, you get up and leave, ect

Of course, I'm not there, and I know very little about birds and their behavior, but this might work. Of course, he also risks quite a lot of bites if you guys go this route, but it may help if your husband is the only one good things come from.

I wish I had something......ANYTHING to offer up that might help. I do not.

The Amazon Red Lored (Marty) I had hated my husband with a passion. I tried different ways to help this and never found anything to work. As Charlie said, Kevin took over Marty's care.....(except cage cleaning) that did nothing. Kevin would give Marty a peanut (his fave) and chat with him every single morning for TWO YEARS. No good.

We did get it to the point where Marty wouldn't attack Kevin as long as I wasn't in the room, but that was about as good as it ever got. Ultimately, I rehomed him for Kevin's safety (if you've ever been clamped down on by a good sized amazon, you understand!) and Marty's freedoms.

Marty was 20 years old, set in his ways, and VERY possessive over whomever he deemed 'his' There are bird forums out there (in case you haven't looked) who might have some more 'breed specific' advice on your birds.

Good luck!

Do you know if its only DH or males in general?

^ That is another good point.

While Marty disliked ALL males in general.......my husband is the only one he would actively GO AFTER in attack mode.

Sadly..when our cockatoo hates someone. The only thing we have found to work is maintenance and positive reinforcement.

We have curbed aggression by positive reinforcement. Person is around/treat. Person is around/treat. Person is around/treat. Person walks by cage/treat. Person steps toward person holding them/treat. Person sits down next to person holding them/treat.

We did this over and over and as it is, Napo is OK with these people being around/expects treats instead of posturing and trying to get them. He even sometimes gets super happy when people he used to hate walk in the door!

but handling him? never. Touching him? never. Feeding him? Nope. It takes the process back 100 steps for us if they push the limits and we have to start over.

Then again.. Napo is a cockatoo.
AKA: Napo is a white fluffy a-hole.

I'm actually not sure if it's all males or just DH. The only other male that has handled him was the vet tech at the avian vet, and Solo was already super ticked to be there, so they toweled him anyway. We are his third home and I know that in the home right before us he was pretty much just exposed to women. DH and I talked about it and we are going to try having him to the giver of cashews (Solos fav) and see how that goes.

Coop, I cannot imagine how much an Amazon bite must suck!

Yeah, that's not usually something you can fix. ): My parents had a Quaker once that hated my Mom and me, and loved my Dad. They paid a bunch of money for an expensive bird trainer to tell us "Yeah, they do that."

Our Conure, Bellissimo, is a BEAST! He really only tolerates my mother and I and will randomly dive bomb anyone else usually when you least expect it, he even goes for the dogs on a rare occasion. But, he has been worst with my father, even bit the inside of his ear on a fly-by-biting fit. Needless to say, things changed after that, CAGED! PERIOD! while father is home, it was the only way to stop him, then we changed the rest of the daily routine, it then included twice a day "treats" handed to him only via my father. He's not nearly a h*** raiser now as he was several years ago, but you still have to watch him, he can even be out while my father is home, just not in the same room, and if he does dive bomb someone, IN THE CAGE! Actually, he now goes in willingly after he bombs someone.

Just one suggestion, it's helped here, but I never expect Mo to be the same tamed animal as the chickens, one of the three roosters is far better behaved than he is! Honestly I'd rather have Charles living in my house for his better behavior, he's even cleaning than Mo.

Birds don't really ever "get better". They either like you, or they don't. At least in my experience. Our Cockatiel mostly loves everyone. First Quaker hated everyone. He finally committed suicide via Zander.

Second Quaker also hated everyone. He was missing a few toes, talked up a storm, but never learn any behavioral or training cues like step up or anything. One day one of our bird rescue ladies walked in the house, he fell in love, and now he is in a new home that he absolutely LOVES. He's a completely different bird over there. We've even gone over to visit him, and it's like nothing else. Just THE most lovey dovey bird.

Cockatoo got possessive over my mothers' husband. Would scream ALL DAY LONG and ALL FREAKING NIGHT if he wasn't around. Ever heard a cockatoo scream bloody murder? Oh, it was horrible. But anyway, same deal with the Quaker. We set up a few potential homes for her, she decided she LOVED some woman, and that was that. She's a completely different bird now.

Many rescues and foster birds that came through were the same way. They either love you, they hate you, or they tolerate you. There's not much inbetween and there isn't a "getting better", usually. I mean, if you were in a relationship with someone you hated, you'd be pretty mean and miserable too, wouldn't you? I think that's just how birds are. They need that PERFECT match.

So I'd say your choices are either keep trying/deal or find a home she actually likes.

Poe is like this with my BF. Once she settled into living with us, she decided I was her everything and he is badbadbad. I know some of that was set in her mind at her previous home/s (she had three of them in the year before I got her. Who knows how many before that.) Sigh.

The person the bird hates has to work on it, and no one else can do it for them. For example, removing the bird from the other person when they get aggressive rewards their aggression.

Have him ignore the bird, but drop a favorite treat in the cage each time he goes by - and make sure he goes by often. Make sure he is associated with all things good. If the bird likes one thing more than all others, make sure only DH gives that goody. My BF is nicknamed Bread Guy, because he was the giver of bread. Now Poe likes other goodies more than bread, so we have to figure out a new system. My BF isn't crazy about working with her, though. I keep telling him it's up to him to create the relationship.

It may never be rainbows and roses with you both around, but maybe they can get along better one-on-one.

Oh, make sure you read up on breeding behavior if you ahven't already. Enough darkness at night and absence of things that encourage "Those Feelings" will help if it's related to that.

Diet, exercise and mental stimulation all make a difference, of course. Some birds become anxious/aggressive on seed or pellets with all the nasty junk (similar story to dog kibble.)

Edit: To understand breeding behaviors, it is important to know for sure if the bird is male or female. Was he DNA sexed?

I was told he is male but I have not had him sexed myself. DH isn't too bothered by Solo not liking him as long as he's not being actively attacked-I think it bothers me more. We are not going to allow him to be flighted though. Solo will sometimes act like he wants DH to scratch him but then go to bite when he tries. I'm careful to discourage any sexual behavior-I don't pet anywhere but his head and even then I keep it to a minimum and I don't cuddle him. If he does start displaying hormonal behavior I put him down.

I thought it was weird that he started acting hormal in the late fall a little while after we got him but I read that they can get like that if they are suddenly given a better diet or more attention, which he was. The vet did say I should avoid feeding him anything that could resemble regurgitated food, like oatmeal.

I really don't want to rehome him as he doesn't seem unhappy here-in his old owner was afraid of him so he almost never left his cage and its not a big cage (he's getting a bigger one soon) and here he out pretty much every day even if it's just for a little while. It just sucks that if I'm not home DH can't take him out of the cage.

You may not beable to change his view on your husband. They tend to pick and choose who they like, who they tolerate and who they love. The only thing I can suggest is when he misbehaves, he gets a time out. I had to do that with Toby who hated my husband/men with a passion. By doing that he got to the point my husband could walk by and wouldn't get chased. To Toby being out on my shoulder was a way better reward that chasing after my husband. Cleo likes most people, but she is not above intimidating new people.

And for him acting hormonal in the fall, it is normal as far as senegals. Our fall is africas spring. That is when my two always acted up. Cleo still does it, although shes not as vocal as Toby was.