Dear Brenda,
Thank you so very much for getting back to me so soon. I really appreciate all your help. I removed my Socrate’s hut. I really hated to do it. But I followed your advice. It hurts me to do it because he felt so safe and secure. That was like a security blanket for him. I hate to expose him. But I will see how he reacts. I guess this is Senegal Parrot behavior like you said. All my best to you.
Sincerely, Michelle
Hi Michelle,
To quote one of our Vets, Dr. Stephanie Lamb, sometimes it takes “tough love”. There are a lot of things our parrots would love, but wouldn’t be good for them. Socrates isn’t going to be impressed that his hut is gone, but it will be better for him in the long run. Otherwise he could end up spending his life hiding, and the more he hides, the more fearful he will be. I’ve known Senegals that have gone through this. Years ago my friend’s Senegal did this and everyone started calling him Crazy Joe instead of Joe, his real name. He would dive to the cage floor and run frantically back and forth. Everyone was told to ignore the behavior and just talk softly to him. One day, just as suddenly, he went back to being Joe and became a loving pet bird again. As I said, it is a mystery as to why they do this but all you can do is support him without reinforcing the fear, and wait for him to come back around. I hope he works through this, but I’m here to help if you need me.
Thanks for the update,
Brenda
