Desperate Help/Advice Needed: Suddenly Terrified Bird

[Dandy]

Hi everybody, I am in need of any advice or help possible please! I have had my green cheek conure for 3 years now, and he has always been a happy and adventurous bird (Ive flown with him, done multiple day road trips with him, moved apartments multiple times and he has always adjusted quite easily).

A couple of weeks ago, his wing was injured. We got xrays and nothing was broken, so it was soft tissue damage. He has since recovered his ability to fly (although we were having him lay low in his cage for a while to not overwork the wing muscles). However, a couple days after this injury, he was spooked by my boyfriend carrying an ab mat. He has spooked in the past, but this time he was unable to fly and potentially felt a lot more threatened by this.

Basically since this event, he has been a completely different bird. He is extremely nervous when people approach him and will not leave his cage. (Before he wanted to be out of his cage 24/7 and would scream when he was stuck in there and always wanted to be on our shoulders or snuggling.) We have tried offering him seeds and millet through the bars and sometimes wont even come enough to grab them.

I am completely baffled and heartbroken by this change and I was wondering if anyone has dealt with something like this before and have had successful outcomes because I am feeling so hopeless? Or if anyone has any advice on what to do? So far, we have been trying to approach and interact with him like he was a brand new bird and take it slow. But he is my best friend and I really miss being with him all the time. Please help!!

 

[onamom]

Oh I am so sorry to hear about this I can only imagine how hard this must be for you. It sounds like you are trying all the right things to make him feel safe again. I hope that in time he will come out of his shell again.

 

[clark_conure]

I haven't come across anything this bad before. Normally the birds are pretty resiliant and get over stuff quick. I will be monitoring this tread though to see how it comes out.

 

[Free as a bird]

That's so sad to hear.
Try getting him out of his cage again, perch him on your shoulder like you used to and just go about your business. Hopefully he will slowly come around.

 

[wrench13]

A few years ago we had a member on ParrotForums whose Amazon of many years suddenly started to treat the member like a total stranger and one to be avoided at all costs. He was heartbroken and about to rehome him, but we all talked him into starting from scratch with the bird. He slowly, over the course of a year or more, came back to the parrot he once was.