5 Facts On Do Cockatiels Get Angry? When, Why, How

Want to ensure that the family’s new cockatiel won’t become angry? This article investigates the causes, mechanisms, and timing of cockatiels’ anger.

Cockatiels can often get angry, but there are always some concrete reasons behind their anger. Although docile, when angry, cockatiels can show aggression and other problematic behaviors like hissing and even biting. 

Let us discuss when cockatiels become angry, how to identify when they are in anger along with some behavioral changes that they display when are in anger.

When cockatiels become angry?

There could be several reasons when a cockatiel is angry.

Threatened or Fear

Fear is the key that holds the major cause of a cockatiel’s anger.

The cockatiel may hiss, frequently expressing anger if it fears something or feels threatened. The bird can easily vent its fear through anger or violence.

Bored

Cockatiels can easily become bored and angry if they are not adequately engaged and given something to concentrate on.

So, to keep these birds happy, pay them lots of attention and offer them toys they love and other activities.

Hormonal Changes

Cockatiels, among other parrots, have chronic hormonal behavior in which they exhibit anger, violence, screams, tearing up carpets and furniture, and other such behaviors.

Some signs of hormonal changes in cockatiels include territoriality, biting, screaming, hissing, feather plucking, and mating display.

Territorial 

Cockatiels dislike having their personal space invaded. As a result, they will undoubtedly become angry, aggressive and may even assault each other if they feel their personal space is being violated.

Angry cockatiel behavior

By nature, cockatiels are rarely aggressive, and when they are, it usually only lasts a short while. However, when they are enraged, they display a number of unusual behaviors.

Here is a list of behavior that an angry cockatiel will display.

Hissing

A loud hissing is frequently an indication of anger and irritation. The bird tries to indicate that it dislikes and is angry about something in its surrounding environment.

Screaming

Screaming is a very typical behavior in parrots. However, frequent shrieking could indicate that the bird is irritated with something and needs to vent.

Biting

Cockatiels bite due to their anger, ultimately brought on by fear, stress, hunger, and other factors. Female cockatiels may bite in to protect their nest and young.

Dilated pupils 

The cockatiel may be showing signs of anger if its eyes suddenly dilate. So, the owners should stop whatever they are doing with their birds to avoid being bitten.

Hanging the head down 

A fallen or hanging head is an apparent sign of rage in cockatiels. This might be paired with ruffled feathers and a tail that fans out.

Keep in mind that the bird really wants the human out of the way if it starts moving toward the owner in this stance.

Feather picking

Picking at feathers might occasionally indicate that a bird is anxious or upset. But in addition, there are several other significant causes, such as metabolic problems, environmental changes, lack of sleep, etc.

Flip upside down 

It may be a behavior that indicates that the cockatiel is trying to protect its territory. 

Increased wing flapping 

Agitated hopping or excessive wing flapping can indicate that the bird is unhappy with its immediate environment. 

Self-mutilation

Self-mutilation is often a sign of anger that comes because of the lack of attention from the owner. 

How to know if a cockatiel is angry?

Image Credit: Pair of cockatiels by Jim Bendon is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Cockatiels cannot speak out their anger like humans. But their body language and verbal sounds can truly express their anger and annoyance.

One of the best ways to recognize if the cockatiel is angry is by looking at its body language and behavior. An angry cockatiel will display a range of unusual behavior like hissing, screaming loudly, pecking, biting, etc.

Do cockatiels hold grudges?

Cockatiels can and often hold grudges. These birds can remember people and link certain behaviors with them. They are wary of people who have mistreated them in the past.

However, they can not retain a grudge forever and, in most situations, will finally give it up.

How to calm an angry cockatiel?

An angry cockatiel is not desirable. Hence, it is best to learn how one can calm their cockatiel and curb anger.

Here are some steps to help the owners calm their angry cockatiels. 

Train and Tame

A trained and tamed cockatiel is less likely to become anxious or angry. Therefore, training a cockatiel while still, a young bird is advantageous to minimize any negative behavior.

Do not Yell

It is not advisable to yell at an angry or agitated cockatiel. The bird will only become frightened by yelling, which may cause it to bite out of fear.

Build Trust

Gaining the trust of an angry bird is one of the finest methods to calm it down.

Spend at least one hour each day working with the bird. Remember that developing trust with a bird might occasionally take time. So, be patient!

Understand the Body language

To recognize if a cockatiel is angry is to understand its body language and behavior. Owners cannot get their bird to calm down unless they recognize it is agitated.

Meet their Needs 

If the cockatiel act aggressively, they must be in need or after something.

Cover the Bird

Covering an agitated bird’s cage often works towards calming it down. It often takes 20-30 minutes for this method to work. 

Let them Sleep Sufficiently 

Let the bird get enough sleep.

The bird must sleep 10 to 12 hours per night without interruptions. A bird that does not get enough sleep becomes irritable and annoyed. Poor sleep eventually affects the birds’ physical and mental health.

Summary

Therefore, this was our interpretation of whether cockatiels get angry. The inference might be that cockatiels do get angry from time to time. Therefore, to manage these birds’ behavior, it is crucial to understand what sets them off.

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