Dramatic behavior change, advice needed

[greymullet]

We have had Joe for almost two-years now and he has been fantastic. No behavior issues.

 

I put him in his roost Saturday night, he was a tad flustered but nothing out of the ordinary. I got him out next AM and he was strange. Looks like he had maybe pulled a big feather out of his left wing as it was trembling a bit. He was obviously perturbed. I took him upstairs and placed him on his perch. His wng trembling went away and I watched for signs of a hurt wing, none appeared. But, through the course of the day Joe began to become more and more afraid/POed at me only. He would climb down his perch and avoid stepping up, would not come out of his cage t me after eating, and basically avoided me at all costs. My wife put hi to sleep no problem. This odd behavior continued this AM when I went to get him from his roost. He stepped out of his rrost but and scooted away. He did step up but his wings were in a flight position, which he never did before.

 

Help?????

[greymullet]

Hey, just wanted to thank everyone for here for the avalanche of suggestions that have been offered on this thread regarding Joe's behavior, what a great depository of advice we have here.

[birdhouse]

I get that you're frustrated & that you'd reasonably have expected some feedback before now. But we'd all prefer to offer no advise, rather than bad advise.

 

Nothing specific comes to mind when I read your post. I doubt that you really want to hear this but, as written, it could be almost anything. He should be expected to molt flights at this time of the year. Molting can make some birds act a little strange & temperamental. And yes, even only towards one member of the flock. And yes, he could react differently from one year to the next.

 

If it's normal molting, he should lose another flight on his other wing any day. They all come out over the course of the year, but only a few at a time so a bird is always fully flighted or they'd be in big trouble in the wild.

 

You said the trembling stopped & didn't mention it again in your post. If it continues & looks like there's any pain or injury, then you should have a vet check him. Pain from an injury would also explain the way he's acting.

 

If you don't see any signs of injury, then could he have been posturing? I'm thinking in 2 years you've seen some body language.

 

Lowered head w/wings fluttering can be any number of things. That's a begging posture that starts when chicks are looking to be fed. But can also be displayed when a reasonably submissive bird is "begging" for something to stop. As he's been acting skittish, he may have been asking you not to pick him up.

 

Then there's the ever popular "has anything changed?". Did you move anything in the house around him? Anything new in his daily routine? Have you started using a new shave cream? Did you do anything that may not even have been connected with him that might have scared him? Etc...

 

You posted earlier about possibly getting a new conure. Did you, because that certainly could account for a change in Joe's behavior?

 

Also, the possibility exists that he's just decided that you're not currently on his Favorite People List. Greys go thru this rather like children do. Currently, a kid can be Daddy's girl, but last month she was all about Mom & wanted no part of Dad.

 

Is Joe eating, sleeping, playing & vocalizing normally? If not &/or if his wing looks in any way abnormal, then I'd suggest you take him to the vet as soon as you can.

 

Otherwise, it's all trial & error, time & patience. You have to work on his time table. Don't push him because it's likely to make things worse. As long as he's ok w/your wife, maybe let her handle him more for the moment.

 

Try to interact w/him in as reassuring manner as possible. Let him know you understand that he's afraid & don't push. Interact w/him without handling him. Just be near, talk to him, bribe him w/treats a lot. Give him some time to come around. Then start slowly back towards your normal relationship.

 

I'm sorry I don't have any real answers, but I hope this helps.

[Elvenking]

Hey, just wanted to thank everyone for here for the avalanche of suggestions that have been offered on this thread regarding Joe's behavior, what a great depository of advice we have here.

 

Now just hold up. We are here to help..your situation is complicated. It can be anything with what you described. There is an 'ah-ha' moment just waiting here for sure...but what it is is anyones gues. Something major happened to your bird and as a bird its big for them. Try to think of new things added to the situation. Do you have kids. Children can do things that are unknown to you and freak a bird out. Something traumatic happened beyond your perception..and its very real to the bird. Its not just some unknown behavior out of the blue.

 

If you can't figure it out. Just move on as normal. Sometimes the feeling that something is wrong is enough to throw the bird off. So go back to a frame of mind that nothing is wrong. Emotions are a big influence on birds. Manifest destiny. Its complicated.

 

In conclusion, just be good to your baby, try to listen, and just do the best you can. Just be there for your bird. Give more detalis if you can..I will be here for ya.

[Morana]

I would just add that a bird reacts in a way that is logical to her/him in that particular moment. It is a very big clue because you may think nothing triggered some reaction in your bird but it sure did!! It may sound silly, but try to think/look from your birds perspective last few days when something started to change.. You could be amazed with what you discover. Good luck.

 

PS: be patient with us,as well as with your birdie. I think I can say for most us that we don't reply to threads if we personally don't "feel" the question;-)

[chezron]

I agree with the previous posts. I read your question and really had no clue as to anything constructive to tell you. The situation could be caused by any number of things. The one piece of advice I can give is to be observant and sensitive while you are trying to figure this out. Also, how does he act with your wife? Has his behavior changed towards her? If it has, it could be a clue that your bird's human preferences are changing. Good luck! And if that is true, it does not mean your bird will not love you also. My grey picked me as his favorite, yet loves my husband too.

Edited July 16, 2011 by chezron
grammar

[Luvparrots]

Excellent posts birdhouse and Elvenking. You have not given an abundance of information greymullet. From your original post, I would have to say, look to yourself and see what is different about you or your surroundings. What have you changed that would cause a reaction from Joe that is aimed at only you. I don't have any answers other than what I have post because in my three years with my grey, she has never reacted in the manner you have described. Unless we see or totally understand the situation, everyone can only guess.

[Barbara2]

The only guess that I had and it's an "out there" guess is that Joe had a night fright. Since you were the first person he saw he associated the fright with you so he lost trust. I'm no expert by any means but going back to square one to regain his trust is the only advice I know.

[Zoom]

Maybe he had a nightmare in which you figured prominently as the villain. He doesn't understand the concept of dreaming, so he thinks you actually did whatever it was he dreamed you did.

 

(I'm totally pulling this out of nowhere, by the way. I don't even know if birds dream.) (And as for the lack of response to your original question - all I can say is I read it, pondered it a bit, knew I didn't have enough insight or experience to help you, and hoped someone else might have some useful suggestions. Which is probably what most of us did.)

[rbpittman]

Dixie does this every time I change my hair color! Or new glasses (I like to keep things fresh...lol). Or a new blouse. Look at yourself to see if there is something changed that may be causing the reaction. The second thing I would be concerned about is making sure the routine hasn't changed. And you never know, he may be stepping into a new life phase. You didn't mention how old Joe is, but they are very much like toddlers in my opinion. One day they are fine, the next ready to take your head off for no reason due to normal changes that they are going through. As each of mine have progressed in age they have exhibited new/different behaviors that I have to learn to understand. Dixie loves my husband to death, but when she turned three she's become more bold and extroverted in her behavior and is more aggressive with him than ever before. She still prefers him to any other, but is more demanding of his time and attention than before. They are all unique creatures. Last but not least, if the behavior continues and you've looked to eliminate all potential reasons for the behavior change maybe a visit to the vet might be in order.

 

Robin

[chezron]

Just curious, but have you heard him thrashing about in his cage? If so, he may be having seizures. African greys are susceptible to seizures when they are not getting enough vitamin D, and then are not able to assimilate calcium like they should. This is one possibility for the behavior you are describing. My grey started having seizures and the vet suggested we take him outside for sun, at least 15 minutes a day, and feed him a cooked chicken drumstick bone once a week. Doing those two things did the trick, and he has been fine ever since.

[Popsicle]

Yeah I don't know about the seizure. And I have no idea what might have happened to make your bird start acting weird towards you. But like Morana said, I'm sure he has a reason for that change of behaviour. Maybe you didn't notice but you might have done something that scared him and now he's scared of you hence the flight mode when he stepped up to you. Try to regain his trust by reinforcing that coming to you or interacting with you is good. Instead of just asking him to step up, offer him a treat to do so. Once I read we should never forget our pets don't have the obligation to do anything for us. We need to make sure that's always a good experience for them. Try the treats or a toy he really likes. Try the sunlight and the bones too. It's always good for them anyway. Good luck and keep us posted if anything changes.