Why is my Alexandrine parakeet aggressive in its cage and not eating?

Hello! I'm sorry to hear about Champ's biting. Parrots are complex and intelligent animals, and sometimes it can be difficult to figure out why they exhibit certain behaviors. Luckily, Champ is a young bird, and can hopefully be shown that hands are not threatening or dangerous. One of the most important pieces of advice I can give you when training a bird is to be very cautious about punishing him for biting. Yelling, scolding, or hitting a bird for biting will only reinforce whatever fear he has of your hands, and give him more reason to bite. Some birds are also very protective of their cage, so entering his cage first thing in the morning when he is still groggy may be startling for him. Try giving him some time to wake up and exit the cage on his own time before attempting to handle him. Try approaching with a food item slowly, and allow him to take it from you, if he wants. Once he is taking the food item without hesitation, try putting your hand next to him while giving him the food item with your other hand. Then, put your hand between him and the food item (so he has to get on your hand to reach it). Champ will probably get off your hand immediately the first few times, but don't be discouraged. It will take some time to build up trust. Even after he is getting on your hand with regularity, there will be times where he will still try to bite you. This is just the way birds are. The best thing you can do is completely ignore him when he bites you. Birds do crave attention, and if he starts to associate biting with being ignored, hopefully the incidence will decrease. Be patient, consistent, and remember - birds are very smart, and understand more than you think. If you're upset, he will know. Do your best to stay calm, use a soothing voice, and only reward behaviors that you deem acceptable. Never force him to do anything he doesn't want to do, and he will learn to trust you. Good luck, and I hope that you and Champ develop a life-long friendship!

Hi and thank you for your question, It sounds like a case of cage aggression possibly with some other behavioral issues. In general you could try taking Miku out of the cage using a glove or a stick and only once he's out to have him step up on your hand. Try to avoid any reaction when he bites as this will only make him continue doing so. Offer treats for stepping up nicely. You could also consider working with a professional trainer to solve some of theses issues. The change in the color of the eye is normal and reflects voluntary control of their pupils.

Alexandrines typically wean between 12 and 16 weeks of age but some may wean earlier. Continue to offer Blue handfeeding formula but don't force him. If he won't eat from the spoon​, make sure he has a variety of foods and fresh water in his cage. Weigh him daily to make sure he's not losing weight. You can also make a mash of the handfeeding formula and leave that for him to eat.

It may be a dominance behavior. Consider a larger cage for them with additional food and water bowls to prevent resource protection. A concrete perch or sandpaper perch wraps may help keep nails trim. You can also clip them yourself or have them clipped if you have never done it before. If the behavior persists or worsens, you may need to cage them separately to prevent injury.

Thanks for reaching out and including photos. Training birds can be difficult, especially as they reach sexual maturity. Continue with the training process and establish a dominance hierarchy with you primary. A book titled "A Guide to a Well Behaved Parrot" is a good start. Good luck.

He's likely curious and "exploring". Your hand and finger with his beak. Continue to train him to perch, rewarding him after each session. Keep sessions short to maintain his focus. Try for several sessions a day if you can.

It sounds like your bird may not be comfortable yet with being handled around the cage. Stress and feeling unsafe can cause a bird to lash out, and it may be that they feel you are intruding on their space or are going to harm them when you get close. Taking some time to bond while your bird is in its cage may help. If he or she has a favorite treat, begin by offering it every time you approach the cage, and only at these times. This will help your bird start to associate your arrival with good things, rather than scary. Once used to you just tossing in a treat every time you come by, you can then move on to opening the cage and offering the treat from your hand, petting your bird, etc. If they become too scared, try to bite, or seem very stressed out, move back to the previous step that worked and try again from there. Making sure the cage itself is kept in a stress-free and quiet environment where other pets, people, etc can't bother it can also help reduce stress and make the space more comfortable and relaxing. Bonding does take time, and it may take days, weeks or even months on each step to build that trust! Be patient, and try not to be discouraged if you don't see immediate changes.