How to deal with stress after the vet...

[reeb]

So today we went to a vet for a general check-up, a nail trim and deworming etc. Opal has really bad anxiety, and he is so stressed out now. He was stressed on the way there, stressed throughout the whole ordeal, and was super upset the whole way home. while he is tweeting softly now and has settled a bit, I still worry that all three of my birds are probably not feeling so great.

Does anyone have any suggestions for helping them relax? I have been talking with them and giving them lots of attention and love, but I am just wondering if anyone has any other methods to help reduce anxiety.

Thanks

 

[Sunnyclover]

A bath perhaps?

 

[SilverSage]

Start with relaxing yourself. Do whatever YOU need to do to feel completely at ease and then continue with life as normal. Your birds will follow suit.


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[Scott]

Start with relaxing yourself. Do whatever YOU need to do to feel completely at ease and then continue with life as normal. Your birds will follow suit.


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^^^^This!!!^^^^

Opal will perceive your stress and concern for his well being. Birds are masters of observation, so your calmness will help immensely. Returning home to a familiar environment is a bonus!

 

[texsize]

Deworming?? For birds... really
Never heard of that.

 

[SilverSage]

Deworming?? For birds... really
Never heard of that.

It’s pretty routine for any bird who has been living outside, mass produced, or had exposure to wild birds or poultry. I deworm my flock annually.


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[Doctress]

My ex-husband was good buddies with Taco the Amazon. After his wing clip/nail & beak trim stress, he would play a personal-sized playstation in front of Taco. That got him calmed down, distracted, and some hands-free quality time.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Great advice above... calm yourself, indeed, and then...
Whatever you KNOW the bird loves, deliver it.
For the Rb? GREEN CHILES! Does the trick every time!

 

[Anansi]

Yes! Great advice in the posts above! Fact is, our birds are masters at reading our body language. Far more adept than we are. So oft-times we unwittingly influence their behaviors through our own.

Perfect example? Every bird I have ever had, from Suzie the cockatiel through ekkies Bixby, Maya and Jolly, have been okay with me handling them almost any way I feel like... save one. While all my birds have been okay with me lifting their wings, none have ever been okay with me extending them. Not one. Why? Because I harbor an irrational fear of hurting them while doing it. Their wings just look so fragile to me. So easily... broken. So it's probably the only thing where I feel less than confident around them. And much as I try to hide it, they know. (Seeing so many of you do it so effortlessly with your birds seems almost a super power to me. Hahaha!)

Anyhow, point is that a bird picks up on even the most subtle nuances and reacts accordingly. One doesn't have to be in the midst of full blown hysteria to influence the behavior of their bird.

 

[DiscoDuck]

Because I harbor an irrational fear of hurting them while doing it. Their wings just look so fragile to me. So easily... broken.

sorry if I am chuckling at a bird expert. You would probably freak out at some of the crazy stuff I do with Rudy. I stretch his wings out to show people how his feathers are blue on one side and red on the other.

I can flip him upside down and lay him on his back and show how i blunt his talons. anyways.. thanks for the chuckle!

OH! quit being a wimp and drape a cloth over his head to get a harness on him!

 

[SilverSage]

Disco please don’t call names.

And toweling an adult bird to harness?? You might get away with that nonsense with a baby but try it with an adult bird? Recipe for disaster.



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[Anansi]

Because I harbor an irrational fear of hurting them while doing it. Their wings just look so fragile to me. So easily... broken.

sorry if I am chuckling at a bird expert. You would probably freak out at some of the crazy stuff I do with Rudy. I stretch his wings out to show people how his feathers are blue on one side and red on the other.

I can flip him upside down and lay him on his back and show how i blunt his talons. anyways.. thanks for the chuckle!

Always glad if my stories can bring a chuckle. But nah, that stuff wouldn't freak me out at all. Flipping my birds upside down, laying them on their backs in the palm of my hands, play wrestling with them... all kinds of stuff like that are everyday occurrences in my household. That's the point. The area where I have a hang-up (stretching out their wings) translates into the area where they have a hang-up. Simply because they sense my unease with it. It serves as a perfect example precisely because they are willing to do so many other things with me without hesitation.

 

[DiscoDuck]

Disco please don’t call names.

And toweling an adult bird to harness?? You might get away with that nonsense with a baby but try it with an adult bird? Recipe for disaster.

so sorry Golden Oregano, and where have i ever said anything about using a towel to harness an adult bird?

Oh! I know! I never have!

 

[DiscoDuck]

Always glad if my stories can bring a chuckle.

you're welcome!

 

[SilverSage]

“Oh quit being a wimp and drape a towel over his head to get a harness on him.”


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[DiscoDuck]

Nope.... ding ding ding...

Taken out of context.

You win the prize lead leaves!!

Congrats!

“Oh quit being a wimp and drape a towel over his head to get a harness on him.”


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Because I harbor an irrational fear of hurting them while doing it. Their wings just look so fragile to me. So easily... broken.

sorry if I am chuckling at a bird expert. You would probably freak out at some of the crazy stuff I do with Rudy. I stretch his wings out to show people how his feathers are blue on one side and red on the other.

I can flip him upside down and lay him on his back and show how i blunt his talons. anyways.. thanks for the chuckle!

OH! quit being a wimp and drape a cloth over his head to get a harness on him!

 

[SilverSage]

The maturity of calling me names specifically because I asked you not to call another member names is astounding.


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[Anansi]

DiscoDuck, please stop baiting fellow members. It's distracting from the original direction and purpose of this thread. Thank you.

 

[reeb]

DiscoDuck, please stop baiting fellow members. It's distracting from the original direction and purpose of this thread. Thank you.

Thank you for this! since I was the one that started this thread a couple of months ago I was kind of upset at the direction it was going in, name calling and baiting is so unnecessary. I just didn’t know how to say it. Thanks SilverSage and Anansi for stepping in.