# Please help. SUDDEN BITING!



## ninnea (Dec 30, 2015)

Hi everyone. So I had a yellow pied Pippi for about year and a half and at the beginning he was biting but then he stopped and we were best buddies, like, literally! :yellow pied: (at the pet store they told us the bird was a female, but the following led to us acknowledging it's actually a boy)

So now, about two months back, I got another cockatiel :cinnamon: and it is a female (that's how we found out Pippi was actually a guy lmao).

At first Pippi was jealous etc. but now they get along really well most of the times, they have separate cages but sometimes spend time in one together, BUT

PIPPI STARTED BITING ME AND MY FAMILY TO THE POINT WHEN THERE'S BLOOD AND HE BITES THROUGH OUR CLOTHES, OUR EARS, OUR FACE.
Yesterday he landed on my mom's head and literally ATTACKED her forehead and bit my cheek     He will stand and walk on our hands, heads etc, but if he's on my shoulder, for example, and if I turn my head his way he will attack my face, and back then he used to give me kisses. 

he is hella aggressive now. Do you know why?


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## EllenD (Oct 9, 2016)

Aww, I'm sorry you're going through this, I've seen this many times and it's very difficult to not take it personally. I suspect the reason your Pippi suddenly started biting and attacking you and your family is mostly due to hormones. He's definitely quite old enough to go into breeding season all on his own at any time (this happens at the weirdest times to captive birds), but I suspect that the addition of a female cockatiel was the trigger this time.

How old is the female cockatiel you just got? Is it a baby, or is it a year old or older? I don't know if the female is yet old enough to breed, and I'm glad they have separate cages. I would however advise that unless you want baby birds that you separate the two birds. If the female is of breeding age and is bonded to the male, chances are that they have already mated, and if not they will soon enough. That's fine if you want to breed them, just a heads up in case you do not.

As far as the behaviors caused by his hormones, there are a few things you can do to try to snap Pippi out of this, although it's more complicated than if he just went into breeding mode on his own because there is a female there with him. Typically I advise that the bird be put on a diet consisting of less protein (less pellets or seeds) and more veggies, fruits, and whole grains, and also be put on a solar schedule immediately, as less daylight and more sleep will tend to knock them out of breeding mode. He needs to get 12-14 hours of dark, quiet sleep alone. Most importantly, his cage needs to be put next to a window so he can see the sunrise and sunset. At sunrise he needs to be uncovered and awake (to see the sunrise), and he needs to see the sunset and then immediately be covered and put to bed (and without the female cockatiel in his cage). This shorter amount of daylight (natural or artificial, to the bird artificial light means a longer day) should end the breeding season sooner, and he should come around and stop the biting and attacking, which is a protective mechanism for his mate combined with the desire to breed and the frustration of not being able to do so. This typically lasts a month or so twice a year in early spring and early winter or late fall. All birds go through this, some are a bit more effected or changed by it than others but I know what you're going through. Trust me, your bird still loves you and it's not his fault.

Be aware that your female cockatiel will go through the same thing if and when she is old enough, and the danger with a female is that she will most likely lay infertile eggs when she's in breeding season, and can become egg bound. Female cockatiels are known to be compulsive egg layers, so getting her on the same diet and solar schedule immediately along with Pippi will help to prevent this. I suggest you do these things with both birds now, and hopefully Pippi will calm down soon and get back to being the bird you know...Though it will be more difficult with a female cockatiel in the house if they've bonded. You need to decide what to do about breeding and then stick to the plan.

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## ninnea (Dec 30, 2015)

EllenD said:


> Aww, I'm sorry you're going through this, I've seen this many times and it's very difficult to not take it personally. I suspect the reason your Pippi suddenly started biting and attacking you and your family is mostly due to hormones. He's definitely quite old enough to go into breeding season all on his own at any time (this happens at the weirdest times to captive birds), but I suspect that the addition of a female cockatiel was the trigger this time.
> 
> How old is the female cockatiel you just got? Is it a baby, or is it a year old or older? I don't know if the female is yet old enough to breed, and I'm glad they have separate cages. I would however advise that unless you want baby birds that you separate the two birds. If the female is of breeding age and is bonded to the male, chances are that they have already mated, and if not they will soon enough. That's fine if you want to breed them, just a heads up in case you do not.
> 
> ...


Thanks for help! And I don't really know how old is my female, Lola, as she was found and so my sister's friend gave her to us but I doubt that she's older than Pippi, she seems like a year old or so. 

They've already done thingys lol..i've told my mom that we wouldn't know to take care of baby cockatiels and that we should keep them in separate cages but she told me to calm down 'cuz there won't be no babies and she always puts them in the same cage. <_<


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## EllenD (Oct 9, 2016)

Oh my...well if you've actually seen them mating then I'd try to prepare your mom, lol. This explains a lot more to why Pippi is biting you all, he's protecting his mate (at least in his eyes) while in breeding mode. It will be hard to snap Pippi out of this if they are not separated and if they continue to mate. They should be separated and never put in the same cage again, and not allowed to mate. Pippi will continue to act this way if they continue to mate. 

If and when (pretty sure this will happen soon) the female lays eggs, at least a few of them if not all of them will be fertile. At that point if you don't want babies you need to remove any eggs as soon as she lays them and put them in the freezer overnight, then throw them out. If you decide you want babies, then you've got a whole other set of things to do...Get a nest box, put the birds together to share time helping with the eggs and the babies, etc. But that's a decision you and your mom need to make when she starts laying eggs. I just wanted to make sure you know that since you definitely know that they've already mated that you will most likely have fertile eggs soon, and if left in the cage with her she will eventually start laying on them to incubate them (after she lays 2 or 3 eggs she'll start sitting on them), and there will be babies...

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## ninnea (Dec 30, 2015)

EllenD said:


> Oh my...well if you've actually seen them mating then I'd try to prepare your mom, lol. This explains a lot more to why Pippi is biting you all, he's protecting his mate (at least in his eyes) while in breeding mode. It will be hard to snap Pippi out of this if they are not separated and if they continue to mate. They should be separated and never put in the same cage again, and not allowed to mate. Pippi will continue to act this way if they continue to mate.
> 
> If and when (pretty sure this will happen soon) the female lays eggs, at least a few of them if not all of them will be fertile. At that point if you don't want babies you need to remove any eggs as soon as she lays them and put them in the freezer overnight, then throw them out. If you decide you want babies, then you've got a whole other set of things to do...Get a nest box, put the birds together to share time helping with the eggs and the babies, etc. But that's a decision you and your mom need to make when she starts laying eggs. I just wanted to make sure you know that since you definitely know that they've already mated that you will most likely have fertile eggs soon, and if left in the cage with her she will eventually start laying on them to incubate them (after she lays 2 or 3 eggs she'll start sitting on them), and there will be babies...
> 
> Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk



 we sure couldn't handle the babies, at least my mom wouldn't as she always says there's their food and feathers all over the house and she has to clean a lot after them 
I thought they maybe wouldn't have babies after 2-3 times 

they are definitely already at separate cages, but sometimes when we let them out they would do that, they never did it in cage when they were together, maybe once.
Thanks a lot for your help, i've already separated them and told my mom


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## EllenD (Oct 9, 2016)

ninnea said:


> we sure couldn't handle the babies, at least my mom wouldn't as she always says there's their food and feathers all over the house and she has to clean a lot after them
> I thought they maybe wouldn't have babies after 2-3 times
> 
> they are definitely already at separate cages, but sometimes when we let them out they would do that, they never did it in cage when they were together, maybe once.
> Thanks a lot for your help, i've already separated them and told my mom


Wow, you've gotten lucky, lol. I used to breed budgies, and any time I didn't want 2 birds to breed together no doubt they found a way to be together and mate once, and sure enough I'd have a clutch of fertile eggs in a few weeks! 

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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Yea when they are determined it's pretty hard to stop them. Reducing those hormones will get you your cuddly buddy back. Right now he's testy. I agree with EllenD in reducing the hormones if you can and keeping them separate.


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## mac108 (Aug 31, 2016)

Will follow some of your suggestions as well -I was looking for a similar issue answers ,but in our case our male is viciously attacking the female that was given to us 6 months ago. They were ok together ,not best of friends but not fighting . since 2 weeks ago our boy Nimai(1.5 yrs old) had gone very aggressive towards her and is literally trying to bite chunks of her !! So we had to separate them . He is ok with me though and still demands his cuddles . In a way I wish he is nasty to me and loving to his own kind ... Is there a chance to help him like her or they will never ,ever bond?


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

> In a way I wish he is nasty to me and loving to his own kind ... Is there a chance to help him like her or they will never ,ever bond?


Not all tiels like each other. It's the risk you take when introducing new birds, they may not get along and may need to be houses separately, let out separately for out of cage time. Try reducing his hormones first and see how he reacts to her then.


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## mac108 (Aug 31, 2016)

thank you -ill do that ,lets see how it goes  :grey tiel:


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