RECOGNIZE SIGNS OF STRESS

The simplest change in routine, such as having more people in the house due to lockdown, can cause Birds to experience stress. According to a 2019 article by Alyson Kahagen for The Spruce Pets, Birds are particularly sensitive animals who thrive in habit and the familiar.

Stress bars, horizontal lines that show up on a stressed Bird’s feathers, won’t tell you what the Bird is stressed about. However, it’s important to check for stress bars because they indicate that something in the Bird’s environment is causing stress. This and other symptoms such as feather picking, selfmutilation, loss of appetite, aggression, fear, boredom, and repetitive behavior should all be treated as red flags that might even warrant a trip to the veterinarian.