Adopting a new cockatiel can be a very fun and exciting experience, unfortunately, a couple of things can go wrong including the bird being scared of you
This article is a look into why your new cockatiel may be scared of you and what to do about it.
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My new cockatiel is scared of me:
If you know anything about cockatiels you’ll know that these birds are quite friendly birds who enjoy socializing, including socializing with humans. But the bird may arrive scared of you, here is why:
New environment:
If you’ve taken in a new cockatiel then the bird can become stressed and scared of you, and everything else, because it is simply in a new environment.
Birds don’t really do much moving in the wild so, the bird may become anxious when placed in a new environment ie: your home.
The birds would have gotten used to the environment that it lived in before you, knowing when and where food and water would come from, being familiar with the people and birds around it, and getting used to the surroundings overall
The bird, once in your space, may have a hard time adjusting and may be scared when you come around.
What to do:
The bird will simply need more time to get used to its new environment and more time to get used to you.
When you bring the bird home don’t be too quick to start to play with it, leave the bird in its cage for a couple of days until you see that it has gotten used to its new space.
Signs of the bird being comfortable with you and its new space include chattering, singing while in the cage, and singing when you are around.
Do not move anything in the cage while the bird gets used to its surroundings. Moving things is a change in the environment which will stress the bird
Abusive owners:
If your bird’s previous owners were abusive towards it then the birds can end up being afraid of you by the time they get around you.
These birds are generally very friendly and enjoy human company, but, this friendliness could be taken away if the bird had a hard life before you
The abuse that your cockatiel may have endured includes punishments, hitting, shouting at the bird, scolding, and manhandling the bird.
Birds who had previous owners who were abusive may not trust humans as a result of the way that they were treated by their previous owners.
In fact, the bird may see humans and start to become stressed, have anxiety, and be very fearful of you and other humans thinking that you will attack it.
What to do:
You’ll have to show the bird that you aren’t there to hurt it. Start off by leaving the bird in the cage and not interacting with it, you can go about your day letting the bird see you from the cage
You can then spend more time with the bird by doing activities with your birds. Don’t make any sudden movements or loud noises during this time as this can frighten the bird.
Once the bird is more comfortable with you, you can start talking to the bird quietly and softly, the same way that you’d talk to a baby.
If the bird responds well to this you can even take it out of the cage and start to play with it.
If you want the bird to trust you avoid showing signs of aggression towards the bird even when it does something wrong.
The bird won’t understand that you’re doing this because it has done something wrong, it simply sees you being aggressive toward it which can make it even more scared of you
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other bird related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Why Are My Parakeet’s Feathers Turning Brown?, Can You Bathe A Baby Cockatiel?, Baby Cockatiel Not Digesting, Baby Cockatiel Not Pooping, Cockatiel Diarrhea Egg-Laying, Can 2 Male Cockatiels Be In The Same Cage?, Cockatiel Flirting Behavior
