Can Parrot Depression Be Cured?

1 Can Parrot Depression Be Cured and How to Treat It

Can parrot depression be cured?

Parrot depression can possibly be cured. There was a report of a 26-year-old UK parrot that became depressed after being locked in a garage for three years; it began pulling out its feathers until almost all were gone.

Later, parrot psychologist Elaine Henley gave it psychological therapy, and after treatment its symptoms clearly improved.

How to treat parrot depression

Elaine Henley notes that, like people, parrots have various life needs; when those needs are unmet they easily become depressed and act out to express dissatisfaction.

Parrot depression is not easy to resolve, because emotional problems are hard to clear up overnight, and each parrot’s cause may differ, so we need enough patience to find the right relief. Owners can improve it through these steps:

1. Parrots are very social; spend more time with yours, and place the cage somewhere it often sees the family and any cats or dogs, not in a cold, monotonous spot, so it is not too bored.

2. Give the parrot toys to pass time — branch ladders, swings, mirrors — and wooden toys to wear its claws and beak so it does not pluck its feathers from boredom.

3. Small parrots are best not kept alone; find an opposite-sex companion. If the parrot is grieving a lost mate or partner, spend more time with it; within a few weeks its mood usually improves.

4. Do not keep the parrot caged for long stretches; take it out for a walk, or if there is no time, let it out to sit on your shoulder while you work, study, or watch TV — such small gestures make it happy.

Finally, if the depression is severe, consult an avian veterinarian, who can use the parrot’s life history and behavior to find the cause and design a professional plan.

The above covers treating parrot depression.