my parrot often shakes his head(problem?)

[Gandalf the Grey]

my parrot often shakes his head, is it normal?

here's a link to a video of him...

1:25 is a good example of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tk0OZQhYueE

[Mistyparrot]

Misty does that. Just now and then but he has always done it and he is in good health and has been since I got him seven or eight years ago. I am also curious if anyone else can shed some light. Like all Greys he always has feathers regrowing somewhere including on his head so it might just be a way of responding to an itch. Or perhaps relayering his neck feathers. They tend to slide over each other as he moves his head around and perhaps the odd one gets a little out of place. I am just guessing of course . Like Misty Gandalf looks to be quite happy and normal to me. Of course if you think he shakes excessively a quick check with your avian vet might be advisable.

 

Steve n Misty

[Luvparrots]

I would take your grey for a check up. I am just as concerned about the puffed up feathers and the sad eyes as the head shaking. My greys are not head shakers. If your grey is not acting as usual, then have him check out. How is the eating going?

Edited December 13, 2011 by luvparrots

[Morana]

My Zak shakes his head only when I sing! Lol I think it is his way of saying "why in the world do you ever need to sing!?" :-P

Now, joke aside. The thing that would worry me is that your bird looks very puffed up, a bit cautious and slow and the eyes are a bit strange and not so active. I would rather be safe than sorry and suggest a vet check up.

[Gandalf the Grey]

Thank you all for you comments.

I only have him for 2 weeks, the video was made when i had him for 2 days, maybe that is the reason he is a bit cautious and slow.

and are you saying there is something strange with the feathers?

o and he eats normaly.

[Morana]

When a bird has its feathers fluffed it can often be a sign of not feeling well (don't know how else would I say it). Did you get your birdie checked up when you got him? If not, do it now. It is very important. I'm no expert but I don't think your bird is slow because he is new to your home. It looks like he is under the weather a bit.

Check up-s are a mandatory thing. Twice a year is IMO normal if the bird is OK. If there is sign of trouble then do not hesitate to go right away. They hide their illnesses very well. Do keep us updated.

[Gandalf the Grey]

ok ill do that, thank you all so much.

[Gandalf the Grey]

O and 1 more thing.... could the puffed feathers be because of molting?

cuz there are a lot of feathers flying off him(the white fluffy stuff).

[Morana]

well, Zak is also molting now and he is not, nor has ever been puffed up because of it. And yes, there are feathers all over the place;-)

 

PS: do you have a good avian vet?

[Gandalf the Grey]

well, Zak is also molting now and he is not, nor has ever been puffed up because of it. And yes, there are feathers all over the place;-)

 

PS: do you have a good avian vet?

 

No, i live in a small city and there is no avian vet here, just normal ones.

does it really looks that unusual?

[Morana]

Well, to me it does look unusual but it is really not that important what I think. The point I'm trying to make is- if you haven't taken your bird to the AVIAN vet (at all since you got him) you really should. IMO it should be sooner rather than later. But first, you need to find an AVIAN vet ASAP.

[MarcusCAG]

Our Marcus twitches his head occasionally like that, but I will say that (in my humble and relatively inexperienced/uneducated opinion) there seems something... um, a little bit off about your Grey. I can't quite put my finger on it. Marcus ruffles his feathers sometimes but they don't really look like that, it's like if you had a well-groomed dog and you had friends who had dogs and then you suddenly saw a dog that looked a little greasy or something, you'd know something wasn't quite right but perhaps you wouldn't know why. With birds, being 'off' isn't always an easy thing to just take care of, like washing this figurative dog could be. Parrots hide their illnesses and you want to make sure your baby is okay.

 

Other than those concerns, though, I'm quite tickled to have 'met' your new boy! All the best to you both and hopefully anything that seemed worrisome in the video was just a result of him being so new in your home.

Edited December 13, 2011 by MarcusCAG

[Mistyparrot]

As in many things, for finding Avian vets in Israel, Google is your friend. Bing work as well

[Gandalf the Grey]

Ok, thank you all, i'll take him to the vet.....

and about google... it's not that i dont know where to look, i just happen to know all the vets in the city(4), and non is an avian vet, the city near by is 250 km away.

[Morana]

I'm sorry to tell you this but you need to have an avian vet. If anything happens to your bird or it is sick, normal vet can only assume what might be a right thing to do. not to mention that a normal vet wont know what tests to run or, if he is only assuming what is wrong with your bird how will he treat him? I would find one, take the bird for a check up (a very thorough one) and you are fine for a half a year or a bit more. But that is just my opinion..

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

I watched the video. No... i'm not a grey expert, but have had a grey for over 12 years. Sophie shakes her head frequently, exactly the same. Sophie fluffs up her neck and head feathers all the time. She is happy and well adjusted. From the video, I detected nothing unusual. Good " tilt of the head", for curiosity. No signs of stress, warning you to back off. ( eyes). Would think to see a little more curiosity. Just a little sluggish. A little excitement, new activities, games involving you is a recommendation.

Could also be lots of dander. Are you able to spray, or shower? I can't with Sophie. Bird trimmer does it.( not always a trim, but a good spritz). Of course, if you are concerned... go see vet. Try to find one that cares for exotic animals. GREAT one here in Rochester, NY Nancy

[Mistyparrot]

........ the city near by is 250 km away.

 

I didn't think Israel was that big! Are you in Elat?

 

 

Steve n Misty

[Morana]

Sophie fluffs up her neck and head feathers all the time.

But in the video the bird has all its body feathers fluffed up, not just neck and head..

[Gandalf the Grey]

I haven't given him a shower yet.... so i dont know.

i'll try some different games.

Yes mistyparrot, i'm in Eilat.

[Mistyparrot]

I understand. Elat is a long way from anywhere! I spent around four months there 66 to 67 as a hippy on the beach:)

Perhaps your local vet could take a blood sample for analysis. The Hasharon Veterinary Center could arrange analysis. As far as showers go Greys like most parrots need the opportunity for a good splash around or even a gentle misting.It helps to keep feathers in good condition. I use a large plastic dish with Misty He absolutely loves it:D. Aloe Vera is very good to put in the water. It is great for skin and feathers and is non toxic.

If you have a garden it may be growing there already!

 

I don't suppose there is still a Leons Cafe still there?

 

 

Steve n Misty

[Gandalf the Grey]

lol dont know about the cafe, but this is how it looks now:

he wont even lets me scratch his head, so a shower is 2 soon.

I'm taking him to the vet on friday.

[Mistyparrot]

lol dont know about the cafe, but this is how it looks now:........

he wont even lets me scratch his head, so a shower is 2 soon.

I'm taking him to the vet on friday.

 

Wow it looks nothing like I remember! I guess there has been just a little development

 

Have you given Gandalf the opportunity to bathe himself? As for head scratching even now Misty will only let me scratch his head when he wants. Have you tried beak rubbing ? Most Greys are very tolerant of that. One of the ways I got to bond with Misty was to whistle with him. We still use his original contact call now after more than seven years. He loves to have concerts with me where we copy each others tunes back to each other. The exchange gets more complex as we go on until I just can't keep up! I suspect this is similar to the way Greys bond in the wild. It certainly works for us:)

 

Good luck with the vet. Have you considered getting him microchipped while he is there?

 

Steve n Misty