Squirt has been with us for just over a year now. He is a Rainbow Lorikeet and is roughly 18 months old.
He was hand raised prior to landing in a pet shop and me purchasing him. He was gentle, friendly and would actively seek out company, particularly that of my partner. Following him around and sitting on his shoulder. He had full roam of the house and would return to his cage at night.
He loved a good feed of honey and was partial to drinking Coke from the glass. He would drink coke, become hyperactive and his faeces turned to pure liquid. So we put a stop to him drinking it.
At this point he turned nasty. He would try to reach a glass of coke, only to have it taken away and he was told no. He started biting in retaliation and would get quite noisy, bossy and aggressive.
At this stage he was roughly one year of age and the aggression carried over to other situations. When changing the feed bowls in his cage he would actively attack my partners hands and often draw blood. My partner, who is technically, the 'owner' and prime carer of this bird became quite upset.
I was never attacked, but I would often 'defend' myself, using the feed spoon to threaten him if he made a move at me when I was feeding him.
We thought this could be mating behaviour or loneliness (as this behaviour corresponded with my partner getting a different job and working longer hours), so we got him a girlfriend, Lacey.
Lacey is the sweetest thing, very gentle and timid and if you can get her by herself, she is ok to handle. However, Squirt guards her jealously, attacking any person that attempts to get near her, while running away from anyone that attempts to get near him.
Does anyone have any clues or ideas on what to do about this situation ?
He clearly thinks he is the boss and is actively showing that with his aggression and protection/jealousy of anyone going near Lacey.
How do we get the upper hand back before this goes too far ??
Lacey (left) and Squirt.
now that your bird has a partner, it might be hard to make you or your other half his partner. working with him will take time. working with birds takes a great bit of patience. from my experiece with lori's they are sensitive, just like any other bird. no hitting at all. birds remember that sort of thing, and it will get you no where. a big fat NO works with time. stand higher than him, let him know who is boss, and lower your tone. talk to him frequently.. let him know you care. and stick to your standards. find a healthy treat he likes, when he does something good, reward him. you have to gain his trust, as well as let him know you are boss. i wish you the best of luck with the little guy..he is a cutie 
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