Parrots don’t trust a person very quickly, but they often form judgments from the get-go. From what I have understood through the years caring for parrots, their perception of someone is formed based on how comfortable that person makes them feel and also how comfortable they are around them.
Building a rapport is not always as easy as offering treats. Sometimes, a parrot can have internalized reasons for why it may dislike someone. However, when a parrot seems to be less social or aggressive, it does not always mean they hate you.
Parrots rarely turn on people. If you feel like your parrot hates you all of a sudden, in most cases, it could be because the parrot is aggressive, which can be the result of territorial and hormonal behavior.
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Common Signs Your Bird Hates You
It’s easy to mistake aggressive behaviors for signs of your parrot not liking you. So the first thing you should ask yourself is does your parrot really hate you or have you recently done something to upset them? Parrots can be in a bad mood if they don’t like how you treat them. So it is important to keep that in mind while you check the following signs:
Lunging And Biting
When a parrot bites you, it is usually not a good thing, but it does not necessarily mean that it hates you. If you’ve touched them inappropriately or made them feel threatened, they may try to defend themselves by biting.
Even some owners who have been with their parrots for years can occasionally get nipped. So while, it can mean that your parrot is not very fond of you, it is not a clear sign. This behavior is typically their way of expressing fear or showing that they’re mad at you.
Hissing
Parrots usually hiss when they’re feeling agitated and need some space. It is also a territorial behavior, so when they hiss, it’s their way of telling you to back off. If this happens constantly though, it could mean your parrot does not like you.
Flapping Its Wings At You
If your parrot wildly flaps its wings at you, it can be an indication that it does not like you. However, you should also look at other behavioral signs such as body posture and mood.
Fluffing Its Feathers
Fluffing up feathers is a natural behavior in parrots that can mean different things, but when it is accompanied by other body language signs like screaming, it may be a sign they dislike you.
If the parrot feels you are a threat, it may fluff up its feathers to appear larger and more intimidating. Parrots, use this tactic as a defense mechanism, which they use to ward off potential threats or predators.
Not Excited To Play With You
When you approach my parrot’s cage, you should usually get an excited response. After all, it is the most fun part of their day. But, when they do not react with excitement upon your return, it may indicate issues with the parrot-owner relationship. However, if your parrot seems more lethargic than unenthusiastic, it could mean that it is not well.
Running Away From You
Usually, when a parrot likes you, it will fly towards you and want to be with you. But, when it’s the other way around, your parrot may constantly avoid contact. It may not want to perch on your hand and try to run away from you. It may also hide when it sees you coming.
However, another explanation could be that you just haven’t invested enough time bonding with your parrot. Your parrot does not feel comfortable with you yet, but if you spend more time with it, maybe it will start liking you.
Why Does My Parrot Not Like Me?
Your parrot can get angry because of the annoying things you do that you may not realize. These can be things like holding or petting them inappropriately, ignoring them, or generally having a healthy bond.
You Grab Them
This is easily one of the most common ways new owners lose their parrot’s trust. Grabbing your bird is never a good idea.
It can make them feel unsafe and they may even perceive you as a threat. In the wild, parrots need to watch out for predators, so, they do not appreciate being restrained by hand and may feel attacked.
You should also never approach your parrot from behind, or try to surprise them. This is something that predators often do to catch their prey. So if you sneak up on your parrot, they can get scared and you may lose their trust instantly.
They’re A One Person Bird
Parrots have a tendency to become one-person birds, especially in the absence of a cage mate. When a parrot is bonded to one individual, it can sometimes exhibit jealous behavior towards other people in the house.
If you’re not a parrot’s favorite, you can expect to be treated differently than those who are the most close to it. You can still try to win its respect by spending more quality time and taking care of it.
They’ve Shifted Allegiance
It is uncommon, but a parrot can also sometimes grow out of a relationship with its owner and choose a different favorite person if the two become distant for a while.
If you feel like your parrot does not like you when you have been away from them for a while, it could be because they no longer see you as the human they had bonded to.
Parrots choose one person to bond with, typically their primary caregiver. But if that person is not around them like he/she used to be, the parrot will naturally shift its loyalties to the person who takes care of it now.
They’re Hormonal
Many people seem to take any sort of change in their parrot’s behavior personally. If the parrot suddenly seems more aggressive, people assume that it does not like them. This is rarely the case.
Parrots don’t hate people without reason, but they can lash out at just about anyone when their mood isn’t right.
Such a sudden change in behavior is most prominent during the breeding season. Hormonal parrots can show signs of irritability and aggression, which can be more serious than usual.
According to Springer Link, birds show aggressive behaviors involving vocal and visual displays, which are often influenced by their hormones.
However, it can worsen if you do not know how to handle your parrot during this phase. An improper diet or petting in the wrong areas can make a hormonal parrot even more aggressive and provoke them to bite.
During the breeding season, you should avoid touching your parrot under the wings, and at the back, especially near the vent area. You should also keep fats in your diet to a minimum.
Being Left Alone
Parrots enjoy their time interacting with their owners more than being on their own inside the cage.
While it is healthy to promote foraging behaviors and play with toys so that it does not solely depend on you for stimulation, you also cannot leave them alone for too long.
Through their interactions with you, they are mentally stimulated and also get some physical exercise done. However, when you don’t spend time often with your parrot, they can become bored and unhappy.
After a while, they may get frustrated and would lose their connection with you. This may lead to the development of behavioral problems.
You Yell At Them
For some people, the constant screaming and chattering can be hard to put up with. However, yelling at your bird or punishing them is not a solution. If anything, it reinforces the behavior and makes the bird not like you even more.
Parrots do not understand what you’re saying but they can sense what yelling means. There are other, more effective ways to deal with this problem. You should reward the parrot with your attention when it stops the bad behavior, not when it is engaging in them.
Sleep Deprivation
Sleep can affect a parrot’s mood and behavior. If a parrot is not able to get 10-12 hours of undisturbed sleep, it can become grumpy and irritable.
When they don’t get enough sleep, they can become easily agitated, less sociable, and even display signs of aggression, which may seem like an unexplained behavioral change.
Parrots need a quiet, dark, and comfortable sleeping environment. If they are being disturbed constantly, they can end up having a bad sleep. Also, parrots do not have good vision, so if they wake up at night, they can get scared by the things around them.
Past Trauma
Parrots can experience trauma that leaves them feeling stressed and unable to open up easily. You may have got your bird from a breeder or adopted them from previous homes.
And in most cases, it is hard to know much about what a parrot might have experienced before coming into their new environment.
These experiences may include neglect, abuse, or simply the fact of being accustomed to a different routine and new caregivers. As a result, these birds can find it hard to trust new people and may seem defensive.
This is often mistaken for a parrot hating everyone in the house when in reality, they really just need more time and attention to open themselves.
