Anxiety in birds

[Lo_]

Does anyone have a bird that has been 'diagnosed' or they believe has anxiety? I'm not really sure how it works in the avian world. I'm asking because I think Ollie might be dealing with anxiety or something similar (or this is normal and I'm crazy ).

It used to be he would be out of his cage and run around the room and play and be fine, I'd have the TV on or videos playing on my computer, people would be moving around the house, etc. and he never thought twice about it. Now, though, if I have music playing and it is quiet for even a second between songs he will jump or scream or fly around (or all of the above) when the next song starts. Or if he hears a door open suddenly in the hall, or if my chair squeaks, etc.

Is this normal? Or should I be worried about something?

 

[hrafn]

I absolutely believe that birds can and do suffer from stress-induced anxiety. My CAG, Kamara, has shown behaviours not uncommon with symptoms of PTSD, and I'll be working with her through her fears and anxieties for, very likely, the rest of her life.

Ollie does sound pretty high strung, especially if this is new behaviour. Has he dealt with any stressful situations recently? My cockatiel has a tendency to overreact to normal stimuli for a while after a major event.

 

[Lo_]

Nothing stressful recently, but maybe 3-4 months ago my phone started ringing while he was out and it spooked him, he flew into my mirror and started vomiting/acting concussed. I guess he's been acting like this since then, but I just recently put it together that it could be anxiety related/related to that incident.

We took care of him btw, I feel like it sounds like I just let him fly into the mirror

 

[hrafn]

Nothing stressful recently, but maybe 3-4 months ago my phone started ringing while he was out and it spooked him, he flew into my mirror and started vomiting/acting concussed. I guess he's been acting like this since then, but I just recently put it together that it could be anxiety related/related to that incident.

We took care of him btw, I feel like it sounds like I just let him fly into the mirror

Oh no! Poor Ollie!

That for sure could have been the catalyst for his behaviour change; a sudden, loud noise frightened him and he was hurt, and now he's reacting violently to other sudden, loud noises. As far as he knows, those sounds equal pain and trauma, so now he's fearful automatically.

It's harder to change a negative association into a positive one when the trigger is an unexpected noise, but maybe someone else will be able to think of a way to help manage his anxieties.

 

[Lo_]

Oh no! Poor Ollie!

That for sure could have been the catalyst for his behaviour change; a sudden, loud noise frightened him and he was hurt, and now he's reacting violently to other sudden, loud noises. As far as he knows, those sounds equal pain and trauma, so now he's fearful automatically.

It's harder to change a negative association into a positive one when the trigger is an unexpected noise, but maybe someone else will be able to think of a way to help manage his anxieties.

Yea I'm starting to think that has to be what started it all/caused the behavior changes. Thanks!
Interested to see if anyone else has experienced anything similar with noises.

 

[LaSelva]

There are sections on this in Temple Grandin's "Animals Make Us Human."

You don't want to look at it as a question of whether the bird has anxiety (that can be diagnosed). Remember that a diagnosis of a psychological condition in humans relies very much on verbal communication from the patient. With birds, more accurately, you want to think of it in terms of what is giving the bird anxiety.

The selective pressure, in nature, for prey animals is to be cautious and wary. This means that their nervous systems are finely tuned to detect threats in their environment, threats that we, as humans, don't perceive.

In other words being nervous and anxious is not a diagnosis for a parrot they simply ARE that way. But in nature they don't live with constant Stress and Anxiety because they are free to leave...that, or they get eaten. Either way the stress is temporary and they don't experience elevated levels of stress hormone cortisol for long durations. The latter causes physical manifestations like a weakened immune system or feather plucking.

I think the best thing to do is evaluate your bird's environment, cage placement, etc. and try to figure out what is triggering this behavior and eliminate it to the best of your ability.

 

[webchirp]

Giggie and Tuck who are on gabapentin. Giggie ideally needs a home where someone is home all or most of the day and can let her hang out. She is extremely human bonded...plucking/mutilation from separation anxiety. I think Tuck initially had that from being apart from Jewel and then chewed a hole in his leg...you could see the muscle moving hole...now I think he has pain in that area...also on gabapentin.

I used to take Giggie out for one on one time...she absolutely will not sit with me if other birds are around me. But since we moved, I've tried not to do so. Nothing else has worked so I've opted to try to get her a little more bird oriented.