One of the most common patients at exotic animal veterinary clinics are parrots(lovebirds, nymphs, macaws…). Many of them go to the vet for physical ailments. The most common parrot diseases are colibacillosis, parasitosis and pneumonia. Although, on occasion, these diseases end the life of the animal, they can be treated if diagnosed early.
The behavioral problems in parrots are a major inconvenience, because most of them appear due to captive conditions in the who live. However, the personality of the individual seems to be related to the ability to cope with stressful situations and the absence of environmental enrichment.
For this reason, if you suspect that your parrot may be suffering from anxiety, we advise you to review the 4 most common symptoms of stress in parrots Learn how to identify them in this article on our site and don't hesitate to go to a specialized veterinary center if your parrot shows them.
Abnormal behavior and stereotypies in captive parrots
Stereotypies in animals are behaviors that are abnormal, repetitive, unvarying, and without apparent function often performed by captive and domesticated animals living in in poorly enriched environments. This type of behavior does not usually occur in nature and is not frequent in large and environmentally enriched enclosures.
These behaviors usually occur in parrots that do not have enough sensory stimuli, that do not have the opportunity to interact with different objects or the absence control over their own environment. The biggest problem is that most people who have adopted one or several parrots are unable to recognize these behaviors due to lack of experience or training.
Also, parrots only perform these behaviors when they are alone and therefore humans never see their parrots perform these behaviors. A good idea to recognize stress symptoms in parrots is to record them while we are not present.
In this video we show you a parrot with a possible stereotype:
How do I know if my parrot is stressed?
Below we detail the 4 most common symptoms of stress in parrots to learn how to identify them and treat them as soon as possible:
1. Pick
Many people who live with pet parrots have been faced with the frustrating dilemma of how to help a biting parrot. In fact, it is estimated that one in ten captive parrots plucks its feathers.
Unlike other stress symptoms, in this case it is enough to take a look at a parrot to appreciate the loss of plumage on the body (never on the head) and withsmall wounds on the skin to see if we are facing this serious problem.
This behavior appears or remains even if there are no medical causes. Scientific studies suggest that it may be associated with poor parrot management, such as poor diet, social isolation, and lack of environmental stimulation. With regard to social isolation, it is very important to keep in mind that once a parrot finds a mate (another parrot or a human), its absence causes a important stress, so if we are "his partner" every time we are absent the parrot will suffer.
It is vital not to manipulate a parrot excessively and avoid interacting with it by kissing it, as this will cause it to mate. On the other hand, this behavior may also be related to poor foraging behavior (searching for food). A food that is always available without encouraging the search can also cause pecking.
two. Screams
The continuous screams are the second behavior that stressed parrots carry out. It is also the most common cause of abandonment of these animals. Oral communication between parrots is a normal and natural behavior. Those higher pitched and repetitive sounds are used as alarm signal when people are in danger or distress as a contact call between group members.
However, when these screams become constant and repetitive they cannot be considered normal and may indicate boredom or stress Parrots paired with conspecifics have been shown to be less likely to develop this problem.
3. Fear and excessive aggressiveness
Excessive aggressiveness and fear reactions are often symptoms of stress. These behaviors limit interactions between parrots living in the same cage or between parrots and their keepers. In addition, on many occasions some of those involved end up injured. A fearful parrot, which continually tries to run away or panics easily, is more likely to to be abandoned.
In parrots, the appearance of people, objects or other new animals can trigger excessive reactions of fear or aggressiveness. This is because the parrot in question was raised in a poor environment and lacking in stimuli. It has been shown that those individuals who lived in a highly stimulating environment when they were young do not suffer from stress and, therefore, do not develop this type of problem.
4. Route Trace
In this behavior, a parrot will continuously and invariably repeat a route within its cage. This is a behavior caused by social stress. Parrots, in the wild, live in very large groups of individuals. When we keep a parrot isolated from others of its species, certain behaviors, such as searching for food, are not carried out correctly. Therefore, a way to stimulate our parrot, if we cannot introduce a new member, is to hide food around the cage so that it can look for it, entertain itself and so on reduce your stress.
Environmental enrichment for parrots
Appropriate environmental enrichment in parrots can considerably increase the well-being of our pet. We must provide them with a cage large enough where they can walk, fly and stretch freely, objects with which they can interact and companions to be able to develop socially.
We also need to encourage the foraging behavior or search for food, creating toys where they can hide food. If we carry out these actions we will reduce the chances that our parrot will suffer stress and carry out negative and harmful behaviors for itself.
First of all, we should always go to a veterinarian specializing in exotic animals if we think our parrot is showing obvious signs of stress.
