Pet Birds React to Moods and Energy Levels
Most animal lovers firmly believe that their pets respond to their warm loving touch, but quite a few owners are blissfully unaware of just how much our pets are aware of. This is also the case with pet birds, especially parrots, which respond almost instantly to the mood or energy levels of the human who is handling them.
As it turns out, parrots are generally more comfortable with people who feel comfortable around them. If you are tense, aggressive or panicky, the bird is likely to pick up on that and become tense itself. How do they pick up on our moods? Our energy levels fluctuate according to our moods and a change in our energy levels can have a massive impact on any bird we might be handling at the time. If the parrot is being handled by a person who is frustrated, angry, depressed or aggressive, they can become fearful of that particular person and react in an often aggressive manner. They are not attacking the handler because they have a distinct dislike for that person – only a distinct dislike for the way that person makes them feel. So before you get ready to discipline a bird or to label it as a biter or a bad-mannered creature, you might want to consider what sort of ‘vibe’ you’re giving off and if it might be making the bird uncomfortable. Often becoming almost submissive with aggressive birds that are unfamiliar with you can have an almost immediate effect on their behavior. You need to give them time to get used to you and understand you before you worry about them trying to express dominant behavior. When meeting a new bird for the first time, it is often best to take a few deep breaths and calm yourself before you attempt to handle it.
Calming yourself is also something worth considering in a disaster situation. If, for example, you live in an area that regularly suffers from earthquakes, you will want to ensure that you are calm before going to check on your birds and make sure that you are ok. Entering the room in a panicked state will only make the birds more panicky in a situation that has already been very stressful for them. It is far better to take a few moments to calm yourself down, enter the room and quietly hum or talk to yourself while engaging in quiet activities in the vicinity of the cages. This will usually help the birds to regain their composure quicker and they will soon be feeling much better and may even end up chattering quite happily in their cages. Clearly how you feel will have a big effect on how your birds feel, so next time you get ready to spend time with your feathered friends, take a moment to consider your mood to ensure that your bird enjoys you as much as you enjoy it.
