Hormonal fluctuations trigger significant mood swings. Juvenile parrots go through a “bluffing” phase akin to puberty. This can turn an even-tempered parrot into an unpredictable aggressor.
Parrots also experience mood volatility during their mating season. They’re instinctively driven to reproduce, often becoming moody and hostile when denied the opportunity to breed.
Molting can influence a parrot’s moods and behavior. Parrots molt their feathers at least once a year, growing irritable and uncomfortable until this process concludes.
The behavior of owners can also cause bad moods. Parrots want a reliable schedule and one-on-one attention from their bonded owners. If this doesn’t happen, their emotions will be heightened.
Injury, illness, and disease aren’t always apparent. However, poor health affects a parrot’s behavior.
Parrots Experience Emotions
According to the Journal of Experimental Zoology, parrots have complex, human-like emotions.
As an owner, you must learn to recognize and differentiate between moods because a parrot’s emotional state can change without explanation.
Emotions Parrots Feel
Parrots experience a spectrum of emotions similar to humans. Common emotions include:
| Love | Anthrozoös stated parrots form complex bonds with their owners. Parrots are socially monogamous and often mate for life. |
| Anger | Parrots like things a certain way and can grow agitated if their wishes aren’t met. |
| Fear | Parrots are neophobic (fear new things) and are easily spooked. |
| Jealousy | Parrots thrive on attention and can become jealous if others get attention. |
| Excitement | Once you’ve bonded with a parrot, it’ll become visibly excited when you enter the room. Parrots also grow excited about food, playing games, out-of-cage time, etc. |
| Sadness | Reasons for a parrot to feel sad or depressed include bereavement, being rehomed, or living in a small cage that lacks stimulation. |
How Parrots Show Emotion
While many parrots speak English, don’t expect them to verbalize their thoughts and feelings.
Parrots seldom understand the words they use. They repeat sounds they enjoy making if they garner a positive reaction from owners.
Parrots express their feelings through vocalizations and body language cues. You must learn what your parrot is trying to tell you to avoid a frustrated reaction.
Parrots Can Sense Human Emotions
While the ability of parrots to determine and understand human emotions is unproven in a scientific setting, enough evidence has been conducted in similar areas to suggest this is the case.
Avian Biology Research explains how pigeons recall human faces, whose intelligence is sometimes compared to that of parrots. This suggests that parrots memorize facial expressions.
Parrots have a good memory, so they’ll recall how you behaved with a particular expression on your face. It’ll be noticed if you smile while playing with a parrot.
Avoid direct interaction with a parrot if you’re experiencing a bad mood, as scowling facial expressions and low, terse vocal cues will likely provoke a fearful response.
Parrots Have Bad Moods
Parrots can slip into dark moods. Once you’ve lived with them, you’ll learn to recognize when a parrot feels irritable and understand how best to respond.
A parrot in a foul mood is most dangerous when it demonstrates its unhappiness verbally and physically. If a parrot is screaming, hissing, or growling, keep a safe distance until it calms down.
If a parrot doesn’t receive enough attention, it may give you the silent treatment. It’ll sulk in its cage and refuse to interact, even when you provide the opportunity.
Mood Swings in Parrots
A parrot’s emotional state can unexpectedly change. If a parrot is experiencing a mood swing, it may go from contentedly purring on your shoulder to growling and hissing without warning.
It can be hard to cope when a parrot’s demeanor goes from affectionate to agitated so suddenly. In many cases, parrots can’t control their emotional reactions.
Hormones
Hormonal surges and fluctuations are the most common explanation for mood swings. As soon as it reaches sexual maturity, its body will be subject to ever-changing hormones.
The first hormonal change you’ll likely notice is the bluffing phase in parrots. This is essentially puberty.
A playful and affectionate parrot can suddenly start lunging and biting whenever you approach. Bluffing can last for several months, but it’ll eventually pass.
A sexually mature parrot will also experience hormonal surges at least once a year during mating season. A frustrated bird can alternate between loving behavior and anger.
A parrot will look to mate when ambient temperatures rise and daylight lasts longer.
Few vets will spay or neuter a parrot. A parrot’s genitals are located within the body, close to major organs and arteries, so surgery is considered high risk.
Overstimulation
When you let a parrot out of its cage, be mindful of overstimulation. If a parrot grows overly excited, it can turn from a fun-loving playmate to a hissing and biting hellion.
A parrot can grow uncomfortable when handled or petted too heavy-handedly or too long.
Unreliable Routines
Parrots set times based on circadian rhythms, noise, and other events.
A parrot is likelier to remain calm if you maintain a regular, reliable schedule. It’ll feel secure that it’ll be fed, trained, played with, and allowed to exercise at the same time.
If you give a parrot an erratic routine, its mood may be impacted.
Molting
Most parrots molt their feathers once a year, while some species molt as much as 3 times annually. This process involves shedding old, damaged feathers and replacing them with healthier, vibrant plumage.
While molting is essential for parrots, it can be a miserable experience.
New feathers are grown from the skin, so the parrot feels itchy and uncomfortable. To reduce grumpiness, periodically mist the parrot with a spray bottle to ease the itchiness.
Stress
If your parrot lives in a stressful environment, its moods will reflect this emotional disquiet. Parrots are skittish by nature, and anxiety will heighten this emotional response to triggers.
Other than a lack of attention or reliable routine, reasons a parrot could be stressed include:
- The cage is too small or isn’t sanitary enough.
- The location of the cage is noisy, or the temperature is too hot or cold.
- The parrot is not allowed enough freedom.
- Two or more birds share a single cage and are forced to compete for food and resources.
- The parrot isn’t sleeping enough. Birds need 10-12 hours of rest.
- Other pets make the parrot uneasy, such as predatory cats stalking the cage.
Don’t let a parrot grow increasingly anxious in inappropriate living conditions.
Pain And Sickness
Parrots are skilled at hiding illness and injury because this is considered a sign of weakness in the wild. A bird instinctively fears being seen as easy prey.
Review your actions to see if they’ve inspired changes in temperament. If this isn’t the case, empathize with the parrot while it struggles to manage its ever-changing hormones.
