Strange panic behavior

[Tupelo]

I have a female Conure, seven years old. She has gone to the same bird store to have her nails trimmed since she was born. A year and a half ago, when she heard the loud noise of the birds in the store, before she got inside, she flapped frantically, her eyes shut, and her body went totally limp except she hung onto the side of the cage with her beak. Her legs dangled, wings splayed, eyes stayed shut. I went back to my car and held her in both hands. It took more than 60-seconds before she opened her eyes, and about five minutes before she stopped looking like she was in an egg-laying trance.

I thought it was a freak occurrence. Three months later I played the sounds of a flock of birds on my computer and she started the same behavior. I shut it off immediately.

Today I took her to the bird store again, but I approached the store carefully. As soon as someone came out the door and the decibel level of the birds increased dramatically, she repeated the behavior exactly.

Needless to say I won't let her hear any flocks of birds again, but I'm curious to know whether anyone else has encountered this behavior.

[Shelby]

That is very odd. Have you asked an avian vet for their opinion?

[Michael]

I have a female Conure, seven years old. She has gone to the same bird store to have her nails trimmed since she was born. A year and a half ago, when she heard the loud noise of the birds in the store, before she got inside, she flapped frantically, her eyes shut, and her body went totally limp except she hung onto the side of the cage with her beak. Her legs dangled, wings splayed, eyes stayed shut. I went back to my car and held her in both hands. It took more than 60-seconds before she opened her eyes, and about five minutes before she stopped looking like she was in an egg-laying trance.

I thought it was a freak occurrence. Three months later I played the sounds of a flock of birds on my computer and she started the same behavior. I shut it off immediately.

Today I took her to the bird store again, but I approached the store carefully. As soon as someone came out the door and the decibel level of the birds increased dramatically, she repeated the behavior exactly.

Needless to say I won't let her hear any flocks of birds again, but I'm curious to know whether anyone else has encountered this behavior.

Sounds like she's either playing dead to sucker you into not torturing her to go through that ordeal or it really was so traumatizing that it freaks the bird out to no ends. Either way, it's probably best to stop going there. It knows from the sound of flock of parrots that trimming is about to occur and avoid it by all means.

[Tupelo]

Thanks for the responses. I have not yet asked an avian vet. I have searched the interent and I have not found anything close.

She is definitely not faking it, so the noise triggers some reaction. I won't have a problem keeping her away since I know the sound (noisy flock of parrots) that is the trigger.

[Michael]

Could be that the clipping experience was so traumatic that it sends the parrot into shock. Not worth playing with. Best thing is probably to learn to clip on your own and do it very gently and just a few nails at a time.

[Tupelo]

It was my first thought that it was the location or the experience that was the trigger. Then, while she was sitting on my shoulder as I clicked on a youtube video of some parrots squawking loudly, she started going into the same trance-like state, looking like she was passing away. It's a very distinct reaction.

Of course, the Nanday in our house is also loud, but that noise doesn't bother her.