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Question:

October 30, 2025

Male cockatiel Sudden aggression


I have a male cockatiel, he is one year old this month but for the last 2 months he has been agressive and more so in the last week, he was super friendly with me and whenever I was around he would want to be by me, now when I let him out the cage he continously attacks me, he’ll push his head to my hand for scratches and then back to wanting to draw blood, he attacks me whenever I place my hand near him when he free roams, this week the biting has gotten worse as he is flying at my face to bite or completely avoids me. I usually just put him in the cage when he bites,I avoid anything to worsen the aggression but I just don’t know why he Suddenly hates my guts


Answer:

Hi,

This is normal hormonal behavior. It’s not personal, it’s just instinctive. It can be worse the first time he experiences hormones. He will get this way whenever his hormones are stimulated. Free roaming is not recommended, as this mimics searching for a safe nesting site so he can look for a mate. You might need to have his wings trimmed just enough to slow him down some. This can help with the aggression. Hormones are easily the most common cause of behavior issues. We have an entire [playlist of webinars on pet birds and hormones. I would recommend checking some of them out to better understand how to work with him and try to minimize hormones.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda

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