I'd had Puffy since she was 8 weeks old and now she's almost 2. When we first got her she loved both me and my fiance, then she gravitated towards me (which niether of us minded because I loved playing with her so much). Then she started to get agressive towards my fiance and would bit him, but never me, then if he came near me she would get really worked up...He went to the middle-east for 8 months and I spent lots of time with her. She started acting agressively towards everyone, except me. When he came home we moved her cage to another room because he was up late every night and keeping her awake. Things settled down and got back to normal (he's been home 6 months now).


Mum got me a pair of bright pink pjs and the first time I wore them I opened puffy's cage like I do every morning, but instead of some loving eyebrow-preening and her usual "Good morning" she attacked me and I was covered in bites and scratches before I got her back into her cage. Later in the day she was her sweet self again...the next morning, she was a little monster...So I clicked - she hates my new pjs. And I stopped wearing them.

About 3 weeks ago I think I scared her by rushing up to her cage, she attacked me big time, bit the top of both my ears, my hands, my neck...I'm sure you can all appreicate how much it hurt. I got her back in her cage and for the next three days everytime I went to her cage she lunged at me with an open beak - she treated me exactly how she treats my fiancee. Then she calmed down and was back to normal...but not quite. Now everytime she gets frightened she attacks me, and often it is really hard to get her back in her cage. Usually I just get out of the room as quick as I can, then wait for her to get into her cage herself then close it.

What can I do? It really breaks my heart everytime she attacks me, I suspects she's so aggressive because she's actually scared, but I don't know what to do. She changes from her loving old self to a monster with in beak in a heart beat, and she's pretty unpredictable. I'm trying to keep her off my shoulders now so at least she can't bite my neck and ears, today she bit the middle of my cheek...ouch.

Ironically she just learnt to say "I love you".

She is currently flighted, but I am considering getting her wings clipped, she can't be such a hellion if she can't fly, and it might be safer for us...but she fell off the top of her cage when she was a couple of months old and ended up needing stitches (as she was clipped and couldn't fly)...I also think it might be those 2-year-old hormones I've heard mentioned here....

Does anyone have any stragies?

Thanks in advance, sorry for such a long post, just trying to give you all as much info as I think is relevant.

from what i've read in your post, you know exactly what is probably happening. her age, the fact the wings aren't clipped, the pajamas, etc.

i would definitely get the wings clipped at least until she calms down and doesn't attack you like she is. she'll still try to fly but once or twice of gliding to the floor instead of at you she'll learn that she can't fly anymore and need you if she wants to go anywhere.

it could be she's turning cage aggressive. try not reaching your hand inside the cage but wait until she's outside of the cage before asking her to step up.

i know it breaks your heart every time she attacks. i've been there. i have 2 older quakers that i recently took in and they are a bonded pair who really want nothing to do with me but sometimes i approach their cage to talk to them and they lunge at me. i always wondered if they'd actually attack me if they could fly so you answered a big question of mine!

i see in your name you're in Oz... that's australia, right? aren't you coming up on spring? i think your seasons are opposite of the US. springtime brings lots of hormones especially in a bird that is entering maturity.

good luck!

Jess... Try not to take it personally ..our fids are not far from their wild reletives unlike our dogs and cats they are not domesticated and revert to their instincts it time of fear/illness or seasonal I would say it has much to do with as you said first your new P/Jays and them maybe a fright and then the hormones ..I would let her come out of her cage herself and then see if she will come to you with out the attitude...
Good Luck and she probably feels as mixed up as you if it`s hormonal , so as I said don`t take it personally just show her how you love her when she is loveable maybe keep her room dark a little later if you can and get her to bed earlier if you can darken the room its awful when the spring and summer plays up with their internal clock ..I guess like a woman with PMT...
Hugs to you both ...

I'm getting the same sort of thing now out of Adrian.. He bites chunks out of me and EATS it... I say "step up" he puts his foot out and then pulls it behind him and chomps down. He will still sleep on me, so I know he trusts me on some level. I clipped his wings and now he seems to HATE me at times... I clip the wings on Billie our Conure and he is fine with it... Sometimes now he just goes into a biting frenzy that leaves me bloody. I don't know how this fits in or if it has anything to do with it, but I bought Adrian a stuffed bird toy to keep him company in his cage... He mounts it and humps it quite often... I'm not sure if I should remove it or not, but things seem to be worse with it.... I don't want to be a killjoy! He has stopped learning new words and will even bite my wife... that's new too. He "talks" to Billie our Conure and imitates HIM....they are fine together on the same perch. I got a 4' x 4' x 2' cage with the idea of putting them together... I'm not even thinking of setting up the cage with him acting like that...

He still screams "YOU *****" and things much worse than that... and clearly replays fights.. We all know not to even THINK of touching him when he is doing his fighting talk.. We try to change the subject.. He still has emotional baggage from his previous family... I had hoped he had most of that behind him...