Hina brings out the worst in Sunnybird

[HaleBoppPeachyluv]

Ugh. So I'm fidsitting my mom's nasty, nesty hen for a week. There's not a lot of space in our place, so the fids' cages are almost side by side at the moment. I'm going to try putting Hina in a separate room where she can still see us thru the door, but the fids can't see each other & will still be able to talk.

Trying to handle sunnybird with Hina in the room resulted in biting! :( Hard. Sunnybird was aggressive and bitey: 2 things she is normally not. I will be a happy camper whenmy parents come back from their trip & take Hina back. A week can't pass soon enough!

[lemonypickett]

It is funny how our birds act out of jealousy from another bird's presence. Sunnybird will be happy for Hina to leave too! Hang in there!

[LauraO]

Yep! Birdies can be a handful in these situations. I'm wondering if Sunny is biting under certain circumstances or is generally a little more difficult? We've had a lot of experience with displaced biting, which occurs when a bird bite the closest bird/person next to them when they can't bite a bird/person they dislike. I'm wondering if this could be the case with Sunnybird?

:)

[linda040899]

I'm going to try putting Hina in a separate room where she can still see us thru the door, but the fids can't see each other & will still be able to talk.
Don't have to move her cage anywhere if you don't want to. Just slip a piece of cardboard between the cages that's big enough to block their view of each other. Should work well (hopefully...).

[HaleBoppPeachyluv]

So we're entering day 2 of the fid-sitting. I left the cage covers on, on the sides of the cage so they can hear but cannot see each other while they are in their cages.

They are calling back and forth to each other, and Sunny (for the first time) is doing the "lift & drop the door with a bang". I may have to get cage clips for the doors. (sigh)

Hina looks like her relatively calm self. She's sitting pretty & ploofy on a perch, answering back to Sunnybird's chirps. Sunny is the one that looks most agitated right now, and when I try to put a finger up to her cage to skritch her through the bars.... something she's NEVER done before.... I get hackles up & an open beak and lunging to bite. Ouch! waaaah!

Sunny is normally the sweetest sweetest little bird. No biting, loves skritches, & happy..... she's going to spend a lot more time in her cage this week until Hina is gone.

[thebubbleking]

Sunny is just getting you ready for when i ask you to fid sit my hen baby boo rotflmao

[linda040899]

Sunny is the one that looks most agitated right now, and when I try to put a finger up to her cage to skritch her through the bars.... something she's NEVER done before.... I get hackles up & an open beak and lunging to bite. Ouch! waaaah!Displaced aggression! Sunny can't get to Hina so you are the next closest. There's a stranger in her home (and I'm talking about the entire home, not just her cage) and she's less than happy. However, Hina is safer with you than she would be all by herself 23 hrs/day. Make sure you have a good supply of band-aides on hand....

[HaleBoppPeachyluv]

I think that displaced aggression is it... Hubby and I went out & did some shopping, and when we came home, I moved Hina into the next room, where she can us through the door & still at an angle that neither bird can see the other. I can shut the door if I want to take either bird out in their respective rooms for out-of-cage times.

The difference was immediate. Sunnybird could hear Hina calling through the closed door, and did a some looking around when I took her out, but now would allow kisses and skritches. No lunging, or hackles raised. They're calling back and forth, but my fingers (and nose!) are happy for the difference!

I have the door open now that they're both back in their own cages.

[HaleBoppPeachyluv]

Ergh. Two steps forward, two steps back.

They are in separate rooms & I think it helps, but now sunnybird is back to behaving aggressively but not quite as bad as before but definetely not normal... she's fine for like 2 seconds when she comes out & lets me skritch her pin feathers, but as soon as Hina chirps, it's freak-out city.

Sunnybird's flight feathers are growing in, so she can fly well enough for this small apartment, and now she flies.... away from me. She'll walk the furniture, and as soon as i come close, she takes off. She'll maybe step up, but as soon as I move, she flies. It's almost like she's reverted back to when i brought her home.

Hina, on the other hand.... I closed the door, and let her out last night....she was fine. A little nervous/cautious, but her behavior was pretty much the same as it in my parents' house.

I'm going to be a broken record, but i will be so glad when my parents come back & Hina goes home with them.

[HaleBoppPeachyluv]

I just thought of another reason for all the fussiness....

Hina is teh Hawaiian goddess of the moon.. mahina is the moon... sunnybird's full name is Sunrise-to-Sunset... no wonder she's mad... Hina is her opposite!

(sigh)

[thebubbleking]

New meaning to the term "like night and day eh?" Hope all is ok and be glad you dont have this issue with a macaw!