I'm a newbie here, and I tried to post this earlier but it seems not to have posted...so I'm trying once more! Please excuse the lengthiness!

Just thought I would throw this out to see if by chance anyone has had this crazy problem...sorry for the length!

I have two (formerly) happy pionus, Rufus (BH) is 8 and Violet (Maxi) is 9. They are pretty much a pair. She is in "breeding mode" at the drop of a hat, but both are very docile.

Then came Frank, an "Un" Cape Parrot, who is now 3. All has been fine, all have been out of their cages 100% of the time when I'm home. Until this summer, when Frank and Rufus starting chasing each other off the formerly communal cupboard tops. As soon as I realized the dynamic, I had Frank and Rufus' wings clipped, but it was too late because apparently Frank has matured and has become utterly and completely FIXATED on and obsessed by Rufus, by a need to gain dominance over him. He makes the noise of his jingly toy incessantly. He does the lurching and quivering. He is ok in the am before Rufus comes out, so Violet is not a problem to him. As soon as he even hears Rufus stir under the cover, he goes into his frenzy.

I obviously cannot let them duke it out for dominance or they'd kill each other. The one and only tolerable situation in the house anymore is when all are locked in their cages up in the loft and I am sitting quietly near them. Then he's stops the anxiety. But I can't live like that 100% of the time, obviously. And I feel so horrible keeping my little Pi's in lockdown all day. I try to ignore it but it seems to have no effect, and now Rufus is starting to pick himself (he's very sensitive, formerly in an abusive household), and even laid-back Violet is showing signs of stress.

I have contacted Liz Wilson, but am having a hard time gathering the 2 hours of video that she requires for a consult......HELP!! And thanks for any input!
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Welcome to Parrot Chatter, its great to have you with us! Sounds like you have a difficult situation on your hands there, I hope we can offer you some ideas.

I think going for a consultation is a great idea, hope you can do something with that. I can see where the two hours of video could be pretty hard to do though. My first thought would be to try housing Frank out of sight of the other two, and offering them separate out of cage time with Frank having no access to the others, and vice-versa. Another possible idea might be an Un-Cape friend for Frank, though there's no guarantee that would work.

I'm sure others will have some ideas as well. Hopefully something can be worked out, it seems like a degree of normalcy has to be restored to Rufus and Violet's lives, and it must be frustrating for Frank as well.

Thanks for the welcome! Yes, I'm really worried about the Pi's. Rufus stresses pretty easily when he sees me stressed. I'm less worried about Frank actually.

The trouble with trying to keep then out of each other's sight is that this is a ridiculous layout. A townhouse that's open from bottom to top floors. At first that seemed perfect for birds. Ha!. And even when I do get them in seperate rooms, Frank's total obsession makes him keenly aware of any and all sounds on the other side of the door. If he hears one peep or a rustle of feathers, that's it. He goes into it.

Tonight I did try him in a spare bedroom. Although he heard, I kept distracting him, and it seemed to take some of the edge off. Barely....

Thanks though, surely, for your thoughts!

Hi rufushum, welcome to Parrot Chatter!

Certainly sounds as if you have a situation of 'two's company, three's a crowd'.

This was my first thought also, to separate them. You may have to turn up a radio and have white noise from air filter, humidifier, etc. Reward for good behavior. Possibly in time he will calm down.

How do you think he would feel about a mate to spend time with?

I just have to say welcome to PC and I hope everything works out. There are alot of people on here just here to help out. So, I hope you can find the information that you need. ~Jenna

Thanks Karen! ...I might just try the "white noise" idea. I really can't handle a fourth bird, though. It just seems too much of a chance to take at this point. I'm really hoping this is mostly hormonal and won't develop into a deep real rivalry...!

And thanks for the welcome Jenna...I'm already getting such nice responses from everyone...I'm very encouraged!

~Jennifer

You mentioned some positive change already. Keep in mind this may take sometime as well as a number of activities or tries for you & yours. Do you have any family or a friend who could step in to entertain one or 2 of them while the other gets quality time with you?

Do you take your birds out? It can be best to take their minds off the situation with new & fun activities - ones that can challenge them.

The Un-cape might feel lonely at first - best to give him some work - foraging toys? - a new swing or some type of toy he enjoys.

Welcome to PC. Sounds like some great advice here. I agree with keeping them away from each other during aggressive times and bonding in a different area. Two is company, three is a crowd is true with parrots as well as humans. In our home we encourage buddies, but we haven't been successful with threesomes.

Thanks Jac...by "out" do you mean out of doors? Yes, Frank likes to go outside, the other two will go out in a small cage and get some sun. The three have nearly lived all their lives outside their cages, with the run of the house, which wasn't a problem until now. Frank has also always been a toy MANIAC...until now. He's too obsessed to focus on anything else. I could go into all the dynamics of it, basically he needs to "keep tabs" on Rufus, and if the Pi's are sitting quietly, he will sit near them quietly. But if anyone moves or goes away, forget it, there's the calling and the anxiety. Last night seemed hopeful, the old neutral room idea. Thanks much!

Thanks JR...yes 3 has become a trick I never dreamed of! I SO can't handle a 4th though....

It sounds like they have had a wonderful life so far - in your keeping.

Glad to hear they get so much out time - even outside. How has the wing clipping gone? - there have been mixed results on the board over that one - sometimes it has its own problems. I have found that I can use exercise to wear my little fellows out & it seems to get their minds off of being pests.

I would like to direct you to Tamara's Sunday night phone ins - (¯`•.¸¸Tonight’s Bird Talks Call ¸¸.•´¯)
I always seem to miss them but then again I haven't any issues at present. Tamara always lets us know who's going to be on that Sunday.

I have a small suggestion .... I bird sat a Grey in the spring - it was a nice break for the owner. Do you have anyone who could take your Uncape for a bit? Something to break the cycle? - it might help. It certainly would help you for the short term.