Ask Lafeber

Aggressive Female Cockateil

Hi, I have a question about one of my cockatiels. I have had this cockatiel for around 3/4 years and she is turning 4 years old this summer. She also has a mate and she recently became a mom to 3 baby cockatiels. The babies around around 5-6 weeks old and they are doing great. Recently I’ve noticed that she has been really aggressive and she starts screaming if my hands come anywhere near her. If I try to pick her up, she will either bite me very hard or she will come onto my hand and then fly off immediately. Sometimes she will sit with me but she will not let me touch her. She’s always been a bit shy, but she used to cuddle with me occasionally and she would let me pet her. She also gets really aggressive when I eat infront of her and she always tries to eat my food and she gets angry if I don’t give her any. She has always been a little aggressive, but I just figured she would become friendlier as she aged. Instead I’ve noticed that it has become worse now that she is a mom. It’s getting to the point where I don’t even like having her as a pet because all she does is bite me and it makes me sad because we used to have a really good connection. The male cockatiel is still very friendly after becoming a dad. It has actually made him even more friendly then he used to be. Is there anyway to fix her behavior/improve my bond with her? Or is this just her personality?
Sorry for the long question. Thank you so much!

Hi,

You have a very common misunderstanding of pet birds and breeding. Breeding birds can’t be pets. It causes confusion and can result in the mates killing each other or their chicks, or at the very least, fighting with each other. In the wild, once they have a mate, a pair will distance themselves from the rest of the flock. Once they have a breeding site, any birds that venture too close will be chased away or killed if they do not leave. Captive cockatiels are still wild birds, even when bred in captivity. They are driven by instinct. It can be stronger in some birds, or it can suddenly kick in at the worst moment. This means that by continuing to try to handle them, either bird may turn on the other, or turn on you. The female has done what she should do by attacking you. You are a rival. The male is not going by instinct right now. He could suddenly start attacking you, or worse, he could start attacking the mate or the chicks. Breeding birds should be given privacy. You should never try to handle them during nesting, and only approach the cage to feed them. You should not talk to them or interact with them, at least not as a pet. You need to stop handling both parents until the chicks are weaned and separated from the parents. Then you must make a decision – stop breeding them so they can be pets, or stop handling them so they can be breeders. You have been lucky so far, but we hear of tragedies all the time when owners try to handle their breeding birds. As soon as the chicks have left the nest, remove the nest box so the parents do not try to nest again too soon. If you decide to let them breed again, you can return the nest box after they have rested for 6 months. Always rest a pair for 6 months between clutches, even if the eggs do not hatch. I want to stress that your hen is NOT aggressive, she is only doing what her instincts are telling her to do. In the wild, your male would be a terrible mate if he interacted with other females! LOL Even if you stop breeding them and never give them a nest box again, the female may not return to being tame, and there is still a risk that the male may one day turn on you or her. Watch them closely for aggression towards each other.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda