A budgie can be scared due to earthquakes, eye contact, predators, or your hand. Sometimes, the reason can be bright cloth colors, glossy objects, or a new environment. Their behavior will help you to understand if they are sick or facing any problems.
So, how to tell if a budgie is scared? When scared, you will find changes in their body language. They will not refuse to come out from the cage, will shake, and may poop out of fear. Sometimes they may try to hide in their cage or even turn on their fight mood.
In this article, we will discuss how to detect that the bird is scared, the causes of their fear, and much more. Please read the whole article to learn about it.
How To Tell If A Budgie Is Scared
Bird behavior experts are skilled at distinguishing behavioral changes in the bird and the reasons behind them. According to them, a budgie can indicate many signs that show they are scared. That is why they suggest monitoring your pet bird carefully if it shows any cues of being frightened.
Here I will discuss the budgie’s body language when they feel afraid. Have a look below!
Budgie’s Body Language
Budgie’s body language can be hard for those new to learning birds’ behavior. But it will get easier as you read and learn more about their body posture.
Firstly, you need explicit ideas about budgie species and breeds. Though there are only one species of budgie available, you may find varieties like American, Australian, and English. Along with the difference in color and their body languages will also differ from each other.
The bird body language refers to some cues, like:
- Not Coming Out Of The Cage
When a budgie is scared, a cage is a safe place. The cell is their comfort zone, where nobody will come to hurt them. They don’t want to leave their safe place. Also, not leaving their cage means your budgie is going through a lack of confidence. They feel threatened to go outside and socialize. So, it gets harder for them to do bird socialization.
- Shaking
If your budgie is going through stress or is frightened, it can happen due to a new environment. It takes time for them to adjust to an environment and feel safe. But initially, they will think of the new territory as a threat.
They will constantly be afraid for their safety. It will lead them to shake or tremble out of fear.
- Pooping Out Of Fear
When the bird is startled or disturbed, the budgie can poop out of fear. You may notice them pooping very watery or liquid. They will do it twice a row, then poop usually.
- Flat Feathers
When the budgie suddenly gets frightened, it will cause it to have flat feathers. And they may hide in their cage until they feel safe.
The budgies have different types of fear responses, just like humans. When they are afraid, they can go to a fight or flight response. It is a physiological reaction where they try to save themselves from a threatening situation by fighting or running away.
Their body always looks for threats and prepares for a flight or fight response. As a result, they are always stressed.
Fear responses in budgies are an instinct for them. Even we humans go to fight response or flight response, being unaware of them. When the body feels threatened or unsafe, they unconsciously start making fear responses. It is terrible for their health. That’s why getting out of it is a must.
Causes Of Fear In Budgies
The ways to know Budgie is scared are discussed above. But it is also essential to learn the causes of fear in budgies. Handling the pet bird will be easier once you know the causes. Let’s know the causes of anxiety in budgies through the below points!
Common Causes Of Fear In Budgies
The common causes of anxiety in budgies are –
- Earthquakes
Budgie fears earthquakes. Earthquakes can make the budgie surprised. The sudden quake can scare them as they are susceptible to it.
- Eye Contact
When you make eye contact with your budgie, the budgie can see it as a threat. They may consider you unfriendly and be afraid of you.
- Predators
If you have bought a new pet in your house, your pet bird budgie might see them as a predator. It can make them afraid, and the budgies will try to save themselves from the other pets. And calming a scared bird is necessary when they get really afraid.
- Your Hand
If your pet budgie is recently bought, it may be less friendly to you. In the initial stages, the budgie can see you as a threat. So when you try to take them in your hands, they can get frightened as they do not feel safe.
- Bright Cloth Colors
If you wear bright color clothes, it can make the pet budgie scared. Their eyes are susceptible to bright colors. The way we see bright color and the way they see has a lot of differences. Their eyes see it as UV colors. It is too much bright for them.
- Glossy Objects
Budgie toys and accessories shouldn’t be excessively glossy as they can scare your bird. You will find different types of toys and accessories in the market, but you should only select the appropriate one.
Besides, shiny objects or accessories can also make a budgie blind. So, they will be frightened when they see glossy things near them.
- New Environment
The budgie can be afraid if the environment is new for the bird. It can think of the environment as a threat as everything seems unfamiliar. Moreover, the budgie is also still determining if the humans around the environment are safe. So they stay afraid.
Influence Of Past Experiences And Traumatic Events On Budgie’s Fear Response
Past experiences in budgies can make them sensitized. Bird psychology is also the same as humans in terms of trauma. If they have come from an abusive home or were captivated in a cage for longer, it can trigger the budgie’s fear response.
They also have increased vocalizations due to being captive for a long time. The birds can remember the trauma. They can also develop PTSD.
How Fear Can Lead To Health Problems In Budgies?
Fear and stress can create health problems in budgies. They may get sick too often. Anxiety and pressures lead birds to have harmful mental and physical health both. That’s why their causes of fear need to be addressed.
How To Address The Underlying Causes Of Fear In Budgies
You can address the underlying causes of fear and desensitize them following the below ways.
- Respect Birds’ Privacy
Though you want to love them, it can be uncomfortable for them when you try to express it through a strong desire. That’s why you should start interacting with them softly and gradually.
Don’t make direct eye contact with them. You have to befriend the birds slowly. Bird Communication is necessary to befriend them. Make sure you do it carefully.
- Offer Treats To The Budgies
Offering treats to your bird is an essential part of bird training methods. When you bring a budgie to your place, the bird will think of you as their potential threat. Thus, initially, you need to pacify the bird with various training methods.
In this case, give the budgie food out of the cage and leave without saying anything. Try this for a few days to see if they accept your food.
- Give Them Medications
Changes around budgies’ cages and excessive noise can make the bird stressed and provoke them to get scared easily. Thus, you need to follow the rules of veterinary care for stressed birds. Appropriate veterinary treatment can be helpful to make it physically and mentally stronger. As a result, it will start fearing less.
If your budgie needs medication, you must medicate it according to the prescription of a trustworthy vet. In case they refuse to take the medicines directly, mix the medicines with their favorite food.
Budgie fears a lot of things. It leads them to struggle a lot. So, knowing and learning about their behavior is important for pet care.
FAQs
The frequently asked questions will be answered in this section:
Usually, the budgies can be in a fight or flight mode that makes them fight or run away. So, they may fight but not become aggressive. However, at times, their fighting may lead them to become aggressive.
Yes. It is usual for budgies to be scared of strangers. The budgies are unfamiliar to strangers. So it is a threat to them.
Depending on the budgie, building trust with a budgie can take around three days to four weeks.
Yes. Budgies can overcome their fear. They can learn to desensitize with proper techniques.
If your budgie is scared of you, you must desensitize your budgie and start bonding with your budgie slowly.
Conclusion
The pet budgie can shake, hide in their cage, poop in fear, and have flat feathers when they are terrified. They get so afraid due to several causes, such as earthquakes, predators, human hands, and the new environment. Understanding budgie behavior and addressing fear in budgies is essential for their well-being.
If their fear extends for a long time, they will start having health issues. Taking steps to desensitize them should be done as soon as possible. However, if you want to be more careful about your pet budgie, you can do further research on the internet on budgie behavior and bird training. It will open more opportunities for you to do pet care and discover about them.
