4th of July with birds

[Tenleigh]

Hi! I only had my cockatiel for a couple months, he’s just a baby and haven’t experienced fireworks or bright lights and sounds. Are birds scared of fireworks, should i be worried for 4th of July?? Any tips or information would be so helpful!!

 

[flyzipper]

Hi! I only had my cockatiel for a couple months, he’s just a baby and haven’t experienced fireworks or bright lights and sounds. Are birds scared of fireworks, should i be worried for 4th of July?? Any tips or information would be so helpful!!

Overall, it's best to keep our birds indoors with the windows closed if there are fireworks nearby.

If you find your little guy is particular sensitive to a nearby display, it's best if he's in his cage (perhaps even covered), to avoid him flying into something at full speed within a larger room if he's startled (especially since he's young).

Here's some content on the general topic of desensitization...

What’s the Difference in Using Systematic Desensitization versus Counter Conditioning in Animal Training? - Avian Behavior International

When we have an animal, or in our little avian saturated pocket of the world, a bird, that is showing fear, stress, aggression, or anxiety of some sort in response to a specific stimulus, traditionally we have turned toward procedures such as systematic desensitization or...

avian-behavior.org

I like the part that recommends, "Loud noises, such as thunder or rain, could be replayed at quieter volumes", so you could find a YouTube video with fireworks, and play it back at low volume, and then increase the volume while watching their reaction, "... then we retreat the intensity before the bird’s threshold is reached. We take gradual steps, making the intensity of the stimulus stronger until the normal expression of the stimulus reached. At no point does the animal reach or breach the threshold of its stress response".

 

[rocky'smom]

With my lil old guy I keep the A/C on the blinds closed. I have a couple of white noise (sound soothers) running near his cage. I also keep the windows closed for at least day until fumes from fireworks dissipates.

 

[Pixiebeak]

My dogs do horrible . My parrots don't seem to react.

 

[Sparkles99]

I didn't use cage covers last night (Canada Day here), but closed the curtains & left their nightlights on, just in case anyone was spooked & unroosted.

 

[Parutti]

We had a couple thunderstorms last month that cracked so loudly the house shook and pictures fell over, and as far as I know my parrot stayed on his sleeping perch throughout (I didn't hear any noise from his cage).

We've had fireworks every night for a while so by the time the bigger ones were going last night he's well familiar with it, grrr. I did leave a low light on though and will again tonight.

 

[taxidermynerd]

Jade is always kinda concerned at first, but as long as I don't overreact, she's fine. If she seems especially worried or starts her alarm call, I'll tell her in a calm, comforting voice "It's okay" or "You're alright", things of that nature.

 

[Mizzely]

I've never had any of my birds react to fireworks negatively. The neighbors were lighting them off today and Ripley was just watching out his window

My dog was not so cavalier