Banging head against cage

[Klou]

Hi there, I'm hoping someone may be able to offer some advice. We bought our 3 month old Senegal home yesterday.
When she's in her cage we notice she bangs her head against it. Which is distressing to watch. Does anyone know why they do this? I realise she is in new surroundings, cage, people etc so it's lots for her to adjust to. It would just be reassuring to know if this is normal behaviour and if there's anything we can do to make her feel more comfortable

 

[HeatherG]

Maybe she’s banging her beak? I have seen birds do that; either for the noise or because it’s fun or maybe they want to break the cage.

I would not worry so much about it. I doubt she is hitting her head but most likely biting or hitting her beak.

 

[Klou]

Maybe she’s banging her beak? I have seen birds do that; either for the noise or because it’s fun or maybe they want to break the cage.

I would not worry so much about it. I doubt she is hitting her head but most likely biting or hitting her beak.

Hi HeatherG, thanks for you comment. Sorry I probably wasn't very clear when starting the thread. She kind of gets herself in the corner of the cage with her`back to the cage. It looks like she gets her feet twisted & then bangs the back of her head on the cage. It all looks very awkward!

 

[texsize]

Never seen or heard of that.
can you get and post video?

 

[Klou]

Never seen or heard of that.
can you get and post video?

Oh that's a great shout. I'll try and get a video when she's next in her cage. I'm hoping it's just because everything is so new to her. Thank you

 

[texsize]

When I was a child my father trapped a burrowing owl.
We called him Uncle Howard (Howard Hughes) where my father worked and where he came from.

I don’t remember much but I do remember it was a failure.
He banged his head (front part) into the cage till it was bloody. We had to let him go.
I know now it was wrong but this was back in mid 60s and I did not know it was wrong then.

that was what I was picturing with this post.

 

[Klou]

When I was a child my father trapped a burrowing owl.
We called him Uncle Howard (Howard Hughes) where my father worked and where he came from.

I don’t remember much but I do remember it was a failure.
He banged his head (front part) into the cage till it was bloody. We had to let him go.
I know now it was wrong but this was back in mid 60s and I did not know it was wrong then.

that was what I was picturing with this post.

Oh no nothing like that, she hasn't done it enough to make herself bleed. She seems very happy outside of her cage. But when we put her in her cage she seems to be a little nervous and moves all around the cage as though she can't get comfortable or find the right spot for her. To be fair she probably just need to get used to the cage, it was just upsetting seeing her bang her head against the cage. We've not even had her 24 hours yet, so all very new!

 

[texsize]

I would be upset too.

I don’t know your cage setup but.
Make sure one side of cage is against a wall.
Some of my birds (African Grey and Yellow nape) like to have an area or corner that is screened by hanging toys.
When in that spot they feel hidden and safe. They can see out but it’s hard for outside eyes to see them.
Remember that parrots are prey birds (opiasit of birds OF prey). Other animals eat them so having a place to hide can be important for some.

 

[SailBoat]

I have seen this behavior before and it is something that I do not think is a positive behavior.

Your Parrot for whatever reason is not happy with the cage, what is in the cage or where it is located.

The fact that this does not occur when she is not in the cage, plus likes to be out of the cage is an indication that you may want to consider longer time outside of the cage. Assure that food and water is available only in the cage and allow her to go in and out without you rushing over to close the cage or making a big deal of her flying to it and going in.

 

[Klou]

I have seen this behavior before and it is something that I do not think is a positive behavior.

Your Parrot for whatever reason is not happy with the cage, what is in the cage or where it is located.

The fact that this does not occur when she is not in the cage, plus likes to be out of the cage is an indication that you may want to consider longer time outside of the cage. Assure that food and water is available only in the cage and allow her to go in and out without you rushing over to close the cage or making a big deal of her flying to it and going in.

Thank you so much that's really helpful. We want to allow her out of the cage as much as possible, but there are going to be times throughout the day that she'll need to be in there, so teaching her that it's her safe space is important. I guess it will just be trial and error until we've got the cage just how she likes it!

 

[HeatherG]

Has she gotten herself trapped and confused/ frightened? I can imagine a parrot getting “stuck” and then freaking out. I know my Meyers parrot does get very scared about little triggers that I don’t even notice. Then he does things I wish he would not do (bite).

Do you think you need to rearrange that area in her cage so she doesn’t get stuck? Or maybe you could stay away from the cage and give her space to get out of this cornered spot? People and birds get hurt when they panic and react.

I am sorry this is happening to your bird.

 

[Klou]

Has she gotten herself trapped and confused/ frightened? I can imagine a parrot getting “stuck” and then freaking out. I know my Meyers parrot does get very scared about little triggers that I don’t even notice. Then he does things I wish he would not do (bite).

Do you think you need to rearrange that area in her cage so she doesn’t get stuck? Or maybe you could stay away from the cage and give her space to get out of this cornered spot? People and birds get hurt when they panic and react.

I am sorry this is happening to your bird.

Thanks HeatherG, this is all really good advise. I think maybe she's just a little overwhelmed. She seems fine when eating in her cage, and we popped out earlier and returned we looked through the window before entering the house and she seemed pretty calm. So I'm starting to think that maybe when we're in the room and she's not eating, then she just wants to be out!

We're only 24 hours into her being home, so I'm most likely just being upset over nothing, just not a nice thing to see. We'll get there though I'm sure.

How old is your Meyer's? They're such beautiful colours We really weren't sure whether to go for a Senegal or a Meyer's. They both seem pretty hard to get hold of, so in the end we decided to just go with whichever came up first!

 

[HeatherG]

Jasper is about nine years old. His belly is a very pretty blue-green.

 

[HeatherG]

Is she still banging her head? Has she calmed down a bit? How is your bird doing?

 

[Birds lover from Hawaii]

Hi there, I'm hoping someone may be able to offer some advice. We bought our 3 month old Senegal home yesterday.
When she's in her cage we notice she bangs her head against it. Which is distressing to watch. Does anyone know why they do this? I realise she is in new surroundings, cage, people etc so it's lots for her to adjust to. It would just be reassuring to know if this is normal behaviour and if there's anything we can do to make her feel more comfortable

I think it is best to shoot us a picture at least for now if you are not able to do the video with your birdie inside so we can see the setup of your cage inside and out. All young birds at that age without their parents around are very frightened being alone. Have you ever kept parrots before? There are just so much need to watch out to ensure their safety and well beings in and out of the cage. I strongly agree that the cage need to be near a wall at a quiet corner of the house free of draft. Maybe have one side of the cage covered with plain neutral color material ie bed sheet using laundry pegs to clip on outside of the cage so he will feel even more secured.

I have had a 27-year-old Senegal who passed last year and am familiar with their behavior. Without a video, I can only guess that your birdie is frightened to be alone and tried to find a way to get out of the cage. I have seen mine doing it inside the carrying cage when I took him to the vet and on the plane. I noticed he was not really banging his head but actually jerking movement looks like banging trying to squeeze his beak and head through the bars of the cage. Sometimes using his feet to scratch on the floor as a way to get out.

One suggestion is whenever you put him back to the cage, whisper and kiss him gently to reassure him the cage is a safe place to stay by himself. Offer him a treat at the same time as an encouragement. My BB was a very nosy bird and curious just about anything in the house. You can talk to him by making some funny happy noise to tell him what a lovely cage he has while putting him back into the cage.

Anyway, send us the picture or video so we can share our experience with you.

 

[Klou]

I think it is best to shoot us a picture at least for now if you are not able to do the video with your birdie inside so we can see the setup of your cage inside and out. All young birds at that age without their parents around are very frightened being alone. Have you ever kept parrots before? There are just so much need to watch out to ensure their safety and well beings in and out of the cage. I strongly agree that the cage need to be near a wall at a quiet corner of the house free of draft. Maybe have one side of the cage covered with plain neutral color material ie bed sheet using laundry pegs to clip on outside of the cage so he will feel even more secured.

I have had a 27-year-old Senegal who passed last year and am familiar with their behavior. Without a video, I can only guess that your birdie is frightened to be alone and tried to find a way to get out of the cage. I have seen mine doing it inside the carrying cage when I took him to the vet and on the plane. I noticed he was not really banging his head but actually jerking movement looks like banging trying to squeeze his beak and head through the bars of the cage. Sometimes using his feet to scratch on the floor as a way to get out.

One suggestion is whenever you put him back to the cage, whisper and kiss him gently to reassure him the cage is a safe place to stay by himself. Offer him a treat at the same time as an encouragement. My BB was a very nosy bird and curious just about anything in the house. You can talk to him by making some funny happy noise to tell him what a lovely cage he has while putting him back into the cage.

Anyway, send us the picture or video so we can share our experience with you.

Thank you so much for you advice, this past week she has been a lot lot better in her cage, and I've only noticed her perhaps a couple of times bang her head. She's still not a fan of being in her cage, she just loves socialising 🥰


I'm so sorry to hear your Senegal passed away last year.

We've definitely noticed her cheeky side coming out this past week and she's getting a lot more vocal and loves kisses 😘

 

[Klou]

Is she still banging her head? Has she calmed down a bit? How is your bird doing?

Hi Heather, she calmed down a lot this last week when in her cage thank you. Although she still doesn't love being in her cage and would much rather be out with us I think I have only counted a couple of times that she's banged her head, so I think we're heading in the right direction 😊. Thanks so much for checking in on baby Toula 🦜

 

[wrench13]

It won't be long before he has You banging your head against a wall. Just kidding, its good to read that he is settling in.