I'm worried about some of my 5 year old sons behaviour of late. We have cockatiels, they are the most darling, loving, creatures but they have very sharp claws. One of them (our baby boy) accidentally scratched my son (which they do pretty much any time you put them on bare skin) and my son got angry and grabbed the bird and pushed his head against the cage a few times. He was punished and banned from being near the birds, but I'm worried. He also put one in a wooden trunk and closed the lid.
We have talked to him (his father, myself, and my partner) about being nice to animals. He is a lovely boy, he will bring me a drink if I'm not feeling well or help me clean so it gets done quicker. He is fine with our dog, but just our birds.
1 Replies
It sounds like it's a situational thing. 5 year olds are still very much learning there strength and how to react appropriately. It's not uncommon for there to be a bit of aggression in anger on the playground. They can go from go to holy crap in seconds still!
I would just not let him play with the birds, as he isn't mature enough to react appropriately yet. If he was showing aggression to other animals is be worried but he isn't.