My lovie's so nervous that he's hurting himself

[ButtFeathers]

My lovie is about eight years old and I've had him since he was weaned. for the last 3ish years, he has become increasingly jumpy and nervous, to the point that he hasn't had any tail feathers in 4 years. He bursts blood feathers all the time because he is so easily scared and startled that he either jumps or tries to fly and subsequently falls. I know that he trusts me, but he seems to be constantly in fight-or-flight mode. I'm worried that he's getting hurt and that his tail and upper wing feathers aren't going to grow back.

Some backstory: He had a mate for several years whom he loved but she was bossy and territorial, which I'm sure is what initially caused his anxiety. They hatched an egg together, who lives in a separate cage next to his father because he is too much like his mother. About a year ago, an animal broke into their cage and carried the mother away, which I'm sure was traumatizing for them both.

So in short, he has a good reason to be anxious. But now that his main sources of stress are handled, I don't know how to calm him down not only to be cuddly again, but to not constantly hurt himself.

 

[sunnysmom]

Awww, poor birdie. Have you tried covering three sides of his cage so he doesn't have to be on "alert" from all sides. They also sell products like Avi-calm and Herb Salad that may help him calm down.

@Ankou ? @fluffypoptarts ?

 

[ButtFeathers]

He's been getting a low drip of avicalm in his food everyday for about 6 months, along with red palm oil and some vitamins. His cage is in a corner so he isn't too exposed. One particular behavior is that is that he will immediately hop into my finger, but he won't linger more than a second or two before jumping onto my shoulder or anything nearby. And since he has no tail, there is no air cushion when he falls.

 

[fluffypoptarts]

Where is he that animals have access to the cages? That may be one reason he's scared and can't relax. He can't feel safe.

 

[ButtFeathers]

My housemate is very, very allergic to bird dander, so their cage was being kept on a screened-in porch. They were staying there at night too until the incident (housemate accidentally left the screen door ajar). Now they spend the night in a separate cage in the laundry room and I bring them out in the morning.

 

[Beth In Alaska]

he sounds like a poor scared fellow. I have no advice.

 

[Greencheek Lee]

If you need to keep the housemate, can you keep them in a separate room with a heavy duty air cleaner? I'd think being outside is a constant reminder. Good luck.