In The Bird's Mind

Birds are emotional beings and can be highly sensitive. Your attentiveness to her needs and responses to stimuli, your understanding of her intellectual and emotional signals and your constant presence all contribute to the health and well-being of your bird. Without these, you risk distress, anxiety and resultant health disorders in your bird.

You have to pay attention. Your bird will display emotional patterns, which betray her inherent tendencies and behavior toward the world around her. Her needs will vary according to species, the atmosphere, her surroundings and the stimuli she must respond to. The bottom line is, your expression of emotional support to a needy, oftentimes dependent bird will be vital.

One of the most important ways you can express your attentiveness to your bird is simply by being there. If you are gone for much of the day, your bird will need special time with you in the morning or evening. Even if you're home during the day, but overly busy, your bird will want you to slow down a while to spend quality time with her. This relaxation period will not only be good for your bird, but will also be beneficial to you.

Remember, your bird requires a constant and methodical schedule of eating, playing and sleeping. If you skip playtime or considerably disrupt her routine, your bird may sink into a period of anxiety and confusion, and may attempt to win back your attention through self-mutilation.

Disruption and Degeneration

Harry, an Amazon parrot, spent the first two years of his life happily settled in his owner's living area in a second floor condominium in the suburbs. His owner talked to him, played with him and taught him new words. They even sang together. Suddenly Harry's world turned upside down, literally and figuratively. An earthquake, measuring just 4.5 on the Richter scale, struck his hometown. Although the quake lasted only a few minutes, it sent dishes crashing to the floor from their precarious perches along the narrow shelf near the ceiling.

The crash as the dishes hit the floor and the shudder of the concrete building as the condo walls flexed sent Harry into a tailspin. He no longer wanted to play and was even afraid of familiar toys and perches. Any newcomer in his owner's home was the enemy, and he responded by flapping about the cage, making peculiar squawking noises and hurting his delicate feathers on the cage bars.

This behavior soon turned to feather picking, a form of self-mutilation and a habit that greatly alarmed Harry's owner. She talked to him constantly, begging him to stop. She bought him treats and let him walk all over her table during mealtimes, but this departure from the normal routines and rules worsened the situation.

Finally, she read an article about skittish birds, which gave her the key to Harry's behavior. He needed continual training, constant emotional support and a methodical schedule of playtime, feedings and rest. Harry is now back on track, his wounds from his feather picking healed. He enjoys plenty of socialization time with his owner and any visitors she has in her home. Harry now spends his time in activity and rest. The stress of the earthquake still exists, as do other stresses such as loud police sirens, injuries, freeway noise and apartment living, but his now-predictable schedule and extra recovery time with his owner have helped him adjust from his stressful experience.

Insecurity and Interaction

Violet, a delightful female Budgie, wouldn't mount her owner's arm and frequently fell off her perch for no apparent reason. An insecure bird, Violet spent most of her day alone in her cage. A neighbor boy who visited her owner frequently would taunt her and poke at her through the cage bars without mercy.

One day, she bit her owner, who yelled, and Violet hid behind her water dish the rest of the evening. The next day, he caught Violet plucking feathers from her own body, but instead of reacting negatively to this behavior, Violet's owner used his head. He began to talk to Violet in soothing tones, giving her treats and lightly scratching her neck. Violet warmed up to this activity, but after a few minutes, she returned to her hideout behind the water dish.

The next morning, her owner was up early with Violet. He opened her cage and moved her gently to her perch. The bird seemed thrilled, stayed on the perch with ease and mounted her owner's arm when commanded. They played ball. Violet screeched with joy as she bit at the rubber ball and chased it under the couch. They went around and around for a full hour of playtime. After breakfast, her owner left for the office, and Violet settled down for a long wait. A few hours later, her owner was back for lunch and more play. He left music playing all afternoon, and when he returned home in the evening, they played more games.

Within a few weeks, Violet had stopped plucking her feathers, and she ran to the cage door to see her owner when he walked up. Her behavior had turned 180 degrees. Suddenly this normally insecure bird was receiving the stimulation she needed for survival. By having scheduled and routine interaction and playtimes, meals and rest, Violet became fully adjusted to her owner's work schedule.

Violet's owner also refused to allow the neighbor boy to come into his apartment, unless he was with his parents. This eliminated the last cause of stress for Violet, and she no longer feared strangers. Her owner understood that by ignoring the behavior and addressing the stress that was causing the behavior, he could much more quickly bring Violet's life back to normal.

Territory and Trauma

A territorial bird is not acting on instinct. She is simply suffering from a form of aggression. She thinks she needs to stake out a claim on a particular person, room or toy because of emotional instability, usually the result of some sort of trauma or unwanted pressure. Often, being harassed can lead to territorial tendencies in birds. Remember to ignore a negative behavior in your bird, since any behavior, negative or positive, will continue when given attention. The best approach is to maintain a schedule or return to an already existing routine, and stick with it.

Hormones and Mates

The sexually active bird is imitating its own behavior in the wild. Birds have frequent hormonal rushes and find themselves attracted to their reflection in a mirror or try to mate with their owners. Don't get a mate for your bird just because your African Gray is in love with you. Be patient with her. Remember that she is simply showing her affection for you. Place her back in her cage and continue on with your day, or place her on her perch and give her a spoken command. Continue to train your bird through this difficult behavior, always maintain a regular schedule and he will soon cool down.

Aggression and Adrenaline

The aggressive bird is often overloaded with excitement and not sure what to do with her adrenaline rush. A large Macaw may be thrilled with the idea of a visitor to your home, but you may not recognize her excitement as pleasure when she rushes at the cage bars or attempts to bite you or your visitor. This behavior stems from feeling overwhelmed and can be remedied by calmly ignoring the behavior. A Macaw may frequently use her voice to insult, bludgeon and intimidate any visitor, making the guest feel uneasy. Don't punish your bird for this display. Simply train her out of it. Teach her something nice to say to visitors instead, or if she can't say something nice, teach her not to say anything at all!

Patience and Persistence

Seeing into your bird's mind takes patience, knowledge and plenty of persistence, but it will pay handsomely in the final analysis. Give your bird time for adjustment, training and socialization, and you will be rewarded with a happy, well-adjusted pet.