My baby is acting very weird! Worried!

[kgeisbuhler]

Hello bird parents! Over this last weekend I got a new large flat screen tv. I decided to cut up the box it came in instead of putting it out on the curb. After hacking away at cardboard with a knife for around 30 mins., I realized my grey was pretty freaked out, bad mommy! She was on the top bar on top of her cage, where she rarely goes, wings out, just really upset. For the last few days she hasn't come out of her cage. This girl is usually only in her cage to sleep or eat. Whenever any of the flock comes home she does a certain whistle to remind us she needs a treat, stands on the door and spins. She will still make the noise, but will only eat the treat if given inside her cage now. Fyi, just prior to this incident, she was acting out a little bit with her "rival", my mom. I feel absolutely awful, as she was stuck in a pet store the first two years of her life, not tame at all whrn I got her, and I feel like I have destroyed 11 years of trust. I should have known better, I get "yelled at" when I remove ice from a tray because presumably it hurts her ears. Any and all advice sincerely appreciated!

[katana600]

If you have had her for eleven years and this is the first of this, you most likely haven't destroyed her trust. The box cutting may have been the catalyst for her disturbance, but she may now associate that with the new television? Did you move the room around to change the position of her cage or the placement of the new tv? My guess is if you give her some time, try to not get emotional about it, leave her door open and she will settle herself and come back to her regular self. Don't be hard on yourself, we can't read their complex minds although I suspect they can read ours.

[Luvparrots]

Perhaps it is the flat screen tv that is giving your grey pause. I would just act normal and interactive with your grey as usual. I always tell my gang what I am doing and what is going on. So relax and see what happens.

[judygram]

Greys do not like change and bringing something new into the room would cause them to stress out, I know my grey will freak when I bring something new into the room where she is and a large box like what a tv would come in would have her freaking out, they are always in predator mode where they have to be alert to everything to stay alive in the wild and they are still wild. Just give her some time and be more careful with introducing new things around her.

[danmcq]

I suspect as others, that the large box cutting with the sight and sounds of it were perhaps a little stressful. In addition, if you replace an older tube type tv with a flat screen lcd, led or plasma their screen refresh rate are much higher at 120, 240 and up 600 hz. An old tube tv at 60hz appears to greys fast vision like a fast slide show of images flipping through, versus a 120hz to 600hz refresh the see as a full motion movie like us plus the definition is much higher as well and they can see details they did not previously.

 

But, they good news is they get over new things and events after a few days normally.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

Greys like routine, and DO freak out over new things! Luckily, if a grey trusts you, and they show they are scared... always tackle that scare together. Chewing the box and encouraging it. Don't demolish it... let them!Sophie has attacked any fears with me or kids. We have always been there to support her, and have shown her, there is nothing to be afraid of! Once in awhile, she will scream " ROM"... I come running! She will be frustrated with something! She is safe, and needs to figure it out! I tell her too. My anxiety level drops to zero and she knows it. Nancy