Do Cockatiels Get Mad?
Yeah, for some reason parrots have to bite me. That’s their job. I don’t know why that is. They’ve nearly torn my nose off. I’ve had some really bad parrot bites – Steve Irwin
They may not be the most colorful parrots in the world, but what cockatiels lack in luminosity, they more than make up for in personality. Their vibrant, funny, and often boisterous dispositions make them charming, friendly, and loyal companions who never fail to make their human partners smile and laugh.
Hailing exclusively from Australia, cockatiels have become one of the most popular winged pets in America, and are only just pipped at the post in the race to the top of the feathered friend’s list by the humble budgerigar.
On paper, they’re the perfect pet and love to be around people, but if you’re thinking of opening your home to one of these birds and inviting them in to become a part of your life, you’ll need to know about their not so hidden secret. They can, and often do have a short fuse and all cockatiels have one thing in common, they can and do get mad.
If there was some magical way to avoid making a cockatiel angry or some miracle drug that could prevent them from losing control and snapping every now and then, we’d be the first in line to advise you to follow that methodology to the letter or to run to your veterinarian as fast as you could and get a prescription for the happy pills that could fix your bird.
But as neither of those things are readily available, or look like they’re going to be available anytime soon, we’re going to tell you the reasons why cockatiels get mad and what you can do to help to calm them down when they do.
Don’t Make Me Angry, You Wouldn’t Like Me When I’m Angry
Sometimes, the reason your cockatiel gets mad is you. Cockatiels tend to form very intense bonds with people and things and can easily become obsessed with the object of their affection.
They’ll want to be close to the one that they love and will sing to and spend as much time with their paramour as they can, whether it’s inanimate or animate.
If you are the center of your birds’ world and it doesn’t think that you’re returning its affection in the manner that he deserves, then you’re going to make your cockatiel mad. And if you remove or throw away whatever he’s become fixated on, he’ll get mad and he’ll be mad at you for taking his love away from him.
The best solution in both cases is for you and the rest of your family to spend more time with your bird, talk to him and stroke him and treat him as a friend and member of the flock. Rather than letting him target one person or object, by presenting him with multiple choices for his affection, he should soon start to calm down.
Fear Is The Key
Their obsessive behavior is just one of the many reasons why these intelligent birds make such wonderful pets, but they’re easily scared and spooked, and when they’re frightened, their fear response can manifest as anger.
It’s usually an external problem that’s causing your bird to channel his fear into aggression and the easiest ways to effectively and quickly calm him down, are by covering his cage with a thin blanket which removes the source of agitation from his immediate sphere of vision, or by moving his cage into a different room in your home.
By changing his environment, you’ll be removing the thing that’s causing bs fear and anger, which will help him to calm down.
Boredom Is A Powerful Motivator
Cockatiels are naturally inquisitive and intelligent birds and if they’re not properly stimulated and provided with something to focus their attention on, they can easily become bored.
And sooner or later, that boredom will end being channeled as anger and aggression, so it’s important to ensure that your cockatiels environment has enough to stimulate him and keep him occupied when you’re not there.
The Fear Of Being Alone
Cockatiels are a lifelong commitment, and as they can live for anything up to twenty-five years in captivity, so if you are going to add one of these wonderful birds to your household, you’ll need to be prepared to invest a lot of time, effort, and energy into caring for them. Cockatiels are incredibly social birds and thrive in the company and they don’t do well on their own.
The reason your cockatiel might be getting mad could be because he’s lonely. The more time you spend with him, the less angry he’ll be, the deeper the bond between you will become, and the less likely it’ll be that he’ll succumb to the anger that’s been slowly building up inside him.
While we’ve talked about some of the most common reasons cockatiels get mad and offered some easy solutions to help calm them down in the short term, it’s important to understand that if you do share your life with a cockatiel, putting up with their temper tantrums is just one of the many crazy adventures that you’ll end up having with your feathered friend.
Why Do Cockatiels Hiss At Night?
When a cockatiel hisses, it’s his way of telling you that he’s angry and that if you know what’s good for you, you’ll back off and leave him alone until he’s ready to calm down.
And they tend to hiss more at night, because, as we’ve already mentioned cockatiels are easily scared and spooked, and in the dark, the slightest noise or sound can be enough to frighten your friend and make him hiss.
Just like it is in every animal, the fear response in cockatiels is a powerful biological defensive agent, and when the birds get scared, they hiss at whatever it is that’s scaring them in an attempt to ensure that it stays as far away from them as possible.
Why do cockatiels hiss at night? Because the world is a big scary place and it’s even more frightening when it’s dark.
Why Is My Cockatiel Always Angry?
There are a number of reasons why your cockatiel might seem like he’s always angry. If he’s suffered some sort of traumatic experience in a previous home, he could be frightened that it might happen again, and as such is always in defensive mode.
The only way to alleviate his anger, which is really fear presenting itself as anger, is with time and by giving him the space to learn to trust you.
The reason for his anger could also be due to a lack of socialization, and the fact that he’s just not used to being around humans and doesn’t know how to react in their company or presence.
Again, the best way to help your cockatiel to feel more secure and less frightened, and to help him calm down is by giving him the space and time that he needs to learn to trust you and accept that humans won’t hurt him and that he’s now part of your family.
However, your cockatiel might be angry because he’s jealous. If he’s bonded with you, and sees you as his mate, spending time with other people while you’re in his company could be enough to make him angry, and the more time that you spend with others while he’s around, the angrier he’ll get.
If this is the case, you’ll need to try and teach your cockatiel to become less dependent on you, and the simplest way to do that is by encouraging other people, whether family or friends, to also spend time with him to help him to expand his social circle and push him to interact with others.
It will take time, but with patience and understanding, your cockatiel will eventually begin to calm down.
