Hello! My name is Shane and my family recently brought a hand fed White-bellied Caique named Frankie into our home. We’ve had Frankie almost 6 months. He has been the sweetest bird since we brought him home. Very playful and willing to jump on your finger to come out of the cage. Unfortunately, about a month ago he went from wanting to come out of his cage to not having any interest in coming out. He almost tries to hide when you attempt to engage with him and gets very frantic when you open the cage to try and take him out. This behavior literally happened overnight and there was no specific incident that could provide an answer for his change in behavior. He is acting as if he has been mistreated and afraid of everyone (specifically me) but perfectly happy in his cage, rolling on the base with his jingly balls and other toys. His diet has remained the same and does not demonstrate any health issues. He will come out of the cage if you leave the upper door open and is “ok” when you pick him up b/c he will often try to fly away when you try to pick him up. Once he’s on your shoulder, he will screech a little bit but eventually starts chirping and nibbling on your ear, so he clearly becomes comfortable with time.
I know that certain breeds of birds can go through hormonal changes but everything I’ve read suggests that the bird becomes more aggressive for a period of time which is not what Frankie is demonstraing. I spoke to a Vet and they thought that maybe he got spooked and that we need to build back his confidence. I’m at a loss b/c there was no specific incidenot that could’ve occurred in the 24-hour timeframe explan why he would shift from such a sweet, tame bird to one that is almost wild-like and adverse to any human interaction. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I know that certain breeds of birds can go through hormonal changes but everything I’ve read suggests that the bird becomes more aggressive for a period of time which is not what Frankie is demonstraing. I spoke to a Vet and they thought that maybe he got spooked and that we need to build back his confidence. I’m at a loss b/c there was no specific incidenot that could’ve occurred in the 24-hour timeframe explan why he would shift from such a sweet, tame bird to one that is almost wild-like and adverse to any human interaction. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
