The worst thing that can happen to you is having your parrot being afraid of you. In most occasions, we all want to form a bond with our pets.

We want to have sort of an understanding with them and make them feel free with us. When I first brought my parrot home, it was afraid of me. This was devastating even for me. I decided to find out why and what I could do to change this.

So, why is your parrot afraid of you? If you just acquired your parrot, it could be that it is not used to the new environment that you have put it in. It also might not like being held and confined in one place. As we all know, birds love their freedom to fly and make their own decisions while at it. Confining them, in this case, means that they cannot fly.

It is important to know how to handle your parrot so that you can form a great bond with them and enjoy having them as your pet. There are so many reasons why your parrot could be afraid of you. I have highlighted this in an in-depth look below as well as how you can change this for the better.

6 Reasons why your parrot is afraid of you

1. Negative mood and stress

Parrots are really great at reading your mood. If you are constantly in a negative mood, your parrot will be afraid of you and refrain from interacting with you in a friendly manner.

These can lead to them acting in a hostile manner towards you, such as biting you when you approach them. If you are also constantly stressed up, your parrot will most likely read the signs and react by being afraid of us or aggressive towards us.

If your parrot is already biting you and you don’t know how to stop that, we highly recommend getting our ebook on that here!

2. Change in environment

Have you changed your bird’s environment? Did you recently acquire them and bring them home with you? Has there been a change on the caregiver?

Parrots are very particular and detail-oriented. A change in environment can negatively affect how they relate to you, if you also recently acquired them, they can take time to get used to you.

It is therefore important to give them time to get used to you while acclimatizing to their new environment. Here are 10 further things parrots are afraid of (it doesn’t have to be you!).

3. Are you aggressive in nature?

Parrots can easily be afraid of a person who is aggressive in nature. They do not like too much direct energy to be directed to them and most especially if they are already feeling threatened.

You should avoid being too demanding with your bird in order to build great rapport with them.

4. You are not providing companionship that they yearn for

Parrots, just as with any other pets, need companionship. If you are not providing them with the companionship they need, they will totally be afraid of you.

If you keep giving them mixed signals, you will have them confused. Be consistent in how you handle your parrot and offer them the companionship that they need. Build trust with them so that they are not afraid of you.

In all of the above situations, you might be wondering what you could do to change the situations for the better.

If you are looking for ways to better form a bond with your parrot, I have highlighted a couple of tips at the end of the article for you. However, I also recommend reading our article about why parrots should be kept in pairs here!

5. How much space do you give them?

Parrots need their freedom too! It is important that you keep this in mind while getting them a cage. This will allow them room to move about and be themselves in their environment.

You should also avoid putting their cages in high traffic areas such as windows; this can easily get them agitated. A big cage allows them room to play and exercise.

6. They do not trust you!

Trust is a very big issue when it comes to ensuring that you can create a bond with your parrot. If your parrot does not trust you, automatically this will be shown in how they interact with you. You should, therefore, work on ensuring you build rapport with them.

What will help? – How to get your parrot to trust you!

The first step would be to build rapport with your parrot. This is one of the most important steps and can be achieved through the following steps.

Offer them their favorite treats

Birds love being treated. Offering them their favorite treats will help you create a bond with them. This could be a fruit or vegetable or any other thing they love.

By giving them treats often, they will treat you as their friend and not their enemy. Food is a great way to build trust with them. If you are not sure which foods are good and which are healthy, you should definitely read some of the articles below:

• Can I share some bread with my parrot?
• Can I share a banana with a parrot?
• Can parrots eat cheese?
• Can parrots have watermelon?

Allow them some freedom away from their cage

Keeping your parrot in the cage always can build up hostility. It is important that you let them out of their cages once in a while. If you just brought them to your home, allow them to

Give them time to acclimatize to the new environment

There is a big chance that when you move them to a new environment, it will take them some time to get used to their new environment. It is important to allow them time to acclimatize and some freedom while at it

Do not yell at them or be aggressive with them

Yelling and being aggressive with them only ruins the trust you might have built around them. No matter how much you are frustrated with something, do not yell at your bird. Be kind to them to ensure that the trust you are building is not destroyed

Socialize with them

Spend time with them so they can get used to you. Talk to them and give them time to get used to you. Help them adapt to your home etc.

Parrots always remember their interactions with people, if they had a previous bad experience with their previous owner, this could be the right time to let them know that things are different now. (Parrots remember their previous owners – Here is what that means for you!)

Play with them anytime you can, you can also carry them on your shoulders.

Such experiences will help reinforce the bond between you and your parrot

Have some grooming sessions with them

This can be a great way to create a bond with your parrot. Approach them in a friendly manner; once they warm up to you, you can scratch the back of their heads in a gentle way

Approach your parrot slowly and in the most gentle manner

It is very easy to frighten your parrot through sudden movement. You should approach them slowly and avoid looking them directly in the eye. Your contact level should not be way above or way below them.

You should also ensure that you use a soothing voice when approaching to appear more friendly

Play them some soft music

You can also try playing them music in a low volume or sing to them. They will most likely respond to something they have heard before.

They might actually dance to the beat of the song! In order to better understand their behavior when it comes to music, I recommend to read the following article:

• 10 Facts you should know about dancing parrots!

Patience

It is important that you observe some level of patience with your parrot. They need time to get used to you as well as the environment you bring them up in

Related Questions

How can you tell that your bird is bonded to you? If your bird is comfortable sharing a bath or even a meal with you, this is a great sign that they are bonded to you. If they are comfortable cuddling with you and even perching on you without being forced. This is a good sign too.

How would you tell that a bird is scared? You should check out for signs such as your bird flying in a crazy way around the cage. If they are also panting, this a sure way that they are scared.