I think I need a Bird Whisperer/Good advise

[jeanbridgeford]

Smokey will be 3 years old in November. We have had her/him about 1 year. Been the sweetest there is!! We also have 4 Quakers. Smokey has his/her own cage of course. She had been flighted and perfect health. All of a sudden she took flight from the arm of my chair and goodness knows what happened from there. She wouldn't let us near her. Finally she had landed on my washer and stepped up on my finger, growling as we went. I put her back in her cage. This was on a friday evening. All that weekend she is terrified of us. All we had to do was walk past her cage and she freaked out! Flip flops all over the cage, screaming. I waited about 2 days of this behavior and took her into the vet to be checked out. Of course you can imagine me trying to get her in the carrier. I had to towel her inside her cage. Not a pleasant experience at all!! I was in tears she was soooooooo stressed out. The vet could only find a cut (scratch) on her right leg that had been healing up. He said the skin from the healing was probably pulling and that would hurt. Kinda like a cut that we would get and when the skins healing it pulls together. While there he did a nail clipping and a wing clipping!! What a mistake on my part. I'll never clip her again. I think she's stressing over that now also. This was 1 week ago. She is still terrified of us. We can walk past her cage now and change food and water without her flipping and flopping around. But thats as far as it goes. She never makes a word or whistle any more. I open her cage door each day as soon as I come home from work. Very slowly I open it. One time she sat at the opening, my boyfriend came in, startled her I guess and she flopped to the floor hopping and screaming. She hid under that sofa until it was bedtime. He moved the sofa up and I got her back in her cage with lots of protest. What has happened to her? She'll go to the bottom of her cage now alot, gently lift her wings and sort of quiver. She did this before though. She's always been so swet but something has scared her to the point of.........! I'm so worried. I wish I had never said OK to the wing clipping. I think that hurt more than helped. What can I do? I cry every day about this. I just want to take her in my arms and scritch her head and neck like we used to do to let her know everythings OK. We have literally traced back every moment of that evening but to no avail. She started out on my boyfriend chair arm with head scritches then after about 30 minutes she walked across the end table to my chair. I proceeded to give the scritches.....it was night night time, I said step up, she stepped up and promptly took flight and you know the rest. She's never had a problem going back in her cage. What in the world di we do, or what in the world happened? I wany my Smokey back!! The house has no talking or whistles, not a sound from her unless you get to close to the cage and she'll start screeching, a terrified screech. What do I do now? What has happened to her?

[GoDiego]

I'm really sorry to hear your story, I personally cannot offer any advice as this is far to over my head. However, there are some very knowledgeable people here on the forum that I am sure will be able to advise you. I sincerely hope everything works out OK for you both.

[jeanbridgeford]

Thanks. I'm just a wits end. I feel so so bad. I didn't do anything that I know of. We were just sitting there like every other night! Head scritching and then it was like a light switch. I hope someone can give me a glue or opinions. What do I do now when I have no idea what started this?

[Luvparrots]

If you have looked around and can't find out what could have frightened Smokey, then I would just relax and go on as if everything were normal and hope that Smokey will calm down.

[Elvenking]

Uhhhg...my heart dropped when you said the vet trimmed and clipped your grey. So what ever was freaking him out before, was then compunded by a traumatic wing clipping. Well, the only thing I can suggest is to back off and approach your Grey like its all a new situation. Something shook his trust or spooked him and now he has to get passed that. Be gentle and caring and respect the body language.

 

As to what triggerd this, it is hard to say, but something new was introduced...and it can be a trick to figure out what that was. To you it may have been as simple as putting something somewhere and it would be hard to remember something so insignificant to you, but so very significant to the bird. I can't really speculate much more than that.

Edited September 2, 2010 by Elvenking

[jeanbridgeford]

I really appreciate any and all comments. I just wish he wasn't so freaked out by every little thing now, especially us!

[Elvenking]

Just talk gently to him and reassure. Don't move to fast with the closeness. Offer treats and food. And don't focus on how bad it is, try to just go about your ways and give him some space. He wil come around. Don't force anything.

[Jayd]

To repeat myself from your other post Quote:

Hi and Thank you. The road to recover can depend on your bird, You have to start from scratch to regain her trust. Leave her cage door open, sit by her cage and read, talk and sing to her, no sudden movements. Only you can judge when to try something new, like giving her a scritch or stepping up. The scare she had plus the clipping, can be very devastating to a 3 year old Grey, plus she's starting to mature....Be patience, time will guide you...UnQuote...

[judygram]

It looks like you will have to start from ground zero to gain her trust again, just like when you first got her, something obviously frightened her and figuring out what it was is like looking for a needle in a haystack but things happen so just go about caring for her like she was just introduced to your home, speak softly to her and by all means do not force anything on her right now, let her decide when she is ready for more, good luck to you.

[Elvenking]

Most importantly...try to pretend nothing has happened. Now I know that you are limited in the contact you can have with yer Grey...but you have to not draw attention to the issue as much as possible. Since there is no way for you to track what happened, you have to minimize the magnification of what ever it was, by going back to normalcy and creating that original happy environment...just with caution. Talk like normal...be good to the birdie. It'll get better. Try to get as close to the original environment as possible....something big indeed happened...and there is no way to tell on this end. But normalcy is the key. If this bird has been with you for a year or however how long..they just don't forget that. So keep the environment normal.

 

The thing I am trying to avoid by saying this is the 'issue complex'. You know...you come to work after breaking an arm and what do you get. One hundredd people asking you what happened and drawing attention to the whole thing all over again. And you end up having to repeat the same story...reliving it all over and over. So...best thing to do is to snap back and only deal with the mitigation of a broken arm. That is what has to happen here. He'll still be a little spooked from what ever..but everything else should remain as it was.

Edited September 3, 2010 by Elvenking

[jeanbridgeford]

Thanks for all the help, ElvenKing. Last night was pretty much the same. She is starting to play with her toys just a little. When I put something in her bowl she'll go straight to the bottom but as soon as I walk away she gets right up there to check out what's on the menu! I'll have a long weekend coming so we'll see how things go because her cage door can remain open for much longer periods, as always on the weekends. Oh how I wish I didn't have her wings clipped! Hind sight is 20-20 as the saying goes. Learn through experience. I just hope and pray it doesn't take long for them to come back. Never thought I'd be happy to see a molting time coming on. Hurry, Hurry. How often do they molt?

[Elvenking]

I really cannot say when your bird will get flight feathers back. Too many factors....could be a few months to over a year. Molting is typically seasonal...but other factors of living in captivity can affect molting times. I would just plan on the long haul. But it will happen.

[Guest]

Jean,

 

Did anything in the environment change that night? Did you, by chance, hang a new picture on the wall, or put a new brightly-colored something-or-other (pillow/table cloth/figurine) in the environment? Perhaps she noticed it when she was hanging out on the arm of your chair and freaked out then. Or was there a strange sound? Maybe something in the environment that is normal to you as humans but might be scary to a birdy? I am just trying to think of something, anything, that others have not mentioned in their replies, in the hopes of figuring out what may have happened.

 

 

Just as the others have said, proceed as if she is a new bird to you. Use patience and kindness and so on, but just get on with it. (Don't make "the issue" the focus, in other words.) I really can understand your frustration and angst, and all I can say is I hope your birdy is doing better day by day.

 

Please keep us posted.

 

 

>^..^<

[jeanbridgeford]

I have thought she was getting a little calmer but then a new sign(negative). I have always given my birds a small bite of my toast on Saturday mornings. Each Quaker took theirs then of course I had to put Smokeys on her bowl, walk away....just as I sat down, she stuck her head in her dish, yelped and threw out the toast. I mean yelped like it hurt. I saw her on the bottom of the cage a short time laterand she did the exact thing with it again. I ended up taking it out of the cage. That was something new she had not been doing before. I noticed she had tossed her almond (usually her favorite). But then I see her with her head in the seed dish for a long time, I assume eating. I've seen her drinking alot of water. She'll still eat sphegetti. I was beginning to think her mouth was sore! I just don't know. We have thought of something that happened at that instant....she was on my chair arm and one of the Quakers took flight in the kitchen. Their cage is at the end of the kitchen. Smokey also took flight and they were both flying at the same time but you could tell Smokey was looking for a place to land. Smokey had flown many times in the kitchen but not when the Q was out. He would usually land on the light and just look down at them. Like he was the king bird. Could this be the "issue" with him now. And why relate that to us in such a way that he's terrified of everything now. I sing to him and talk at the same time keeping things as normal as possible. One day I noticed he did not shiver, shake at the cage bottom with his wings slighly lifted at all. Only one day then it was back to that same thing. If he gets startled he will yelp and drops to the cage bottom. I'm afraid he's going to injure himself doing that. Is this shivering from fright or hormonal? It's constant except for that 1 day.

[danmcq]

Wow, it certainly sounds like Smokey is somehow terrified of everything. Not being familiar with Quaker behavior at all, I hope Dave007 chimes in on this or someone else with one. Normally after a frightening incident, birds may be on high alert for hours, but not normally days.

[Lyric]

Please keep in mind that a parrot is a prey animal. In the wild they have to be on high alert to survive. Something triggered this response in your bird and now it doesn't feel safe. I think the others have given you great advice, keep things as normal as possible, keep working slowly and at your bird's pace. Wait for your bird to calm down and try to have peaceful and calm thoughts when you are around her. Given enough time your bird should come to realize that it is once more safe and in a loving home.

[jeanbridgeford]

As far as the time.....the incident happened on August 20th. The vet trip was 4 days after that. So all in all we're going on 3 weeks now. I'm still opening the cage door each day when I'm home from work. But Smokey won't even get near the door. The cage is in front of a window. Same place it has always been. Each day we raise the blind so he can see outside. He always enjoyed watching the dogs. In fact he would call their names. Anyway....now it's flop flip and yelp whenever we raise/lower the blind. Same with covering the cage at night. He would freak out, yelling and flapping about when I would cover the cage so I just quit covering. Maybe I should quit raising the blind each morning. But that was the normal routine. I just don't know.

[Jayd]

The cage is in front of a window. Same place it has always been. Each day we raise the blind so he can see outside. He always enjoyed watching the dogs. flop flip and yelp whenever we raise/lower the blind.

Move the cage, almost all CAG's like a wall behind them, maybe don't even open the blind's if outside is bothering him.......

[edillon5063]

This happened with Indy about 9 months ago...one day he was fine, the next, a totally different bird for no apparant reason. It took about 3 months for him to come to an understanding with us. He still won't step up out of the cage, only comes out on his own. Other thsn that he's back to his sweet self. Just takes patience, some reassuring and trust building, and a little bribery.

(He loves strawberries and lima beans) Good luck! I know how frusterating and heartbreaking this is

[Guest]

Hi, Jean! Just wondering if there is any news on your Grey. Hoping things are better there!

 

>^..^<

[Arjadaga]

Even though I don't have a grey in my household, from all of the research I've done I think I might be able to help. I've heard (and read) that this happens sometimes when because you got her wings clipped, she thought she could fly but couldn't so got spooked. So then I read you must wait for her to look back to ask for her to pick her up. But if you just go after her on the floor when she is still trying to gather her wits she will come to a emediat conclusion that you are a predator from above. For greys are part time ground feeders. If something comes from above it must be a predator. So just wait for her to look back for your help. Until then I just think you'll have to earn her trust. I hope I helped. Good Luck

Edited October 3, 2010 by Arjadaga

[MeginAL]

Jean, My CAG, Katie, showed similar behavior recently. She had a personality change. It seemed it happened within just a few minutes. Katie was about 2 when it happened. The environment didn't change, but Katie discovered the top of our drapery valence. For her, it was like scooting through a tunnel, although it was open on the front side. I noticed that she liked to do it. She was talking, laughing, almost frantically. Then she became impossible for me to handle. My solution was to roll up some towels so that Katie can't climb onto the valence. (Katie is clipped.) That solved the problem. Within a few days, she was back to normal. Two days ago, the same behavior happened again. I noticed that Katie had found another location in the house where there was a tunnel-like area about 5 inches in height that she was scooting through. This time I recognized the behavior, and blocked the area immediately. By the next morning, Katie was back to her sweet self.

 

Based on other postings, I speculate that Katie found the movement with the ceiling pressing on her back sexually stimulating.

 

Sorry that I didn't find your thread earlier, but perhaps this will help you for future problems.

[thenabrd]

i don't know if this helps, but maybe it will. how much do you know about her history? the reason i ask is that we had a husky mix that we got from a rescue when she was about 1 year old. its anybody's guess what that 1st year was like for her, but from what we saw from her over the years, it wasn't nice or good in any way shape or form. it took about 6 months to get her to "calm" down and become more at ease in our family. she became a wonderful and loving dog. but, and here's the but, every once in a while, for no reason that we could figure out or discover, she'd have what we could only call "flash backs". she'd become the scared, distrusting, angry dog that she was when we first got her. we never knew if it was a smell, a sound, a word or phrase that set her off. in time she'd come around and become our loving girl again, but it took time. each time lasted less than the time before, but it was still mystifying and scary. we just tried our best to act as normal as possible and give her extra love as she would allow it. i hope this helps.

[MeginAL]

i don't know if this helps, but maybe it will. how much do you know about her history?

 

Interesting to read about your husky. We have a re-homed Shih Tzu who had been mistreated. However, Katie has always been treated with love and concern. Her hatch mom and I may not have always been 100 percent knowledgeable, but we use positive reiforcement only.