Spring Fever?

[SullysMom]

Lately (2-3 days) Sully has been acting different. He has been eating and drinking just fine and still talking up a storm, but he just isn't himself. For one, our normal morning routine is gone. In the past I would enter the computer room (where Sully's cage is) and say "Good morning" while I open his cage and put my hand right inside where he would immediately be saying "Come here" and step onto my hand. Now he fluffs up and starts bobbing his head up and down, still chirping and talking, telling me to "come here" but he refuses to come out. I try to encourage him without forcing, but he doesn't want to come out, he just chills in his cage, playing with his toys and chatting to himself. He's also been a bit more nippy lately. What's going on? Any ideas? Can the season change be causing the changes in his behaviour?

[Luvparrots]

If you are worried about Sully's health then take him to an avian vet. If Sully looks and acts fine and is eating, I wouldn't worry. Some times our greys just want to chill. Open the cage door and let Sully come out or stay in as he wants. Talk to him and just see what he wants to do. I find eating something my parrots like across the room is a sure way to get them to come to me and steal my food.

[SRSeedBurners]

How old is Sully? They do eventually gain some level of independence and want to do things their way. Kind of sounds a little like what your describing.

[Muse]

Mar started having spells like that. He never really got nippy with me but bit my husband, who he normally was very affectionate with. It was around the same age, too. He'd dance and make this really pathetic whimpering sound to Megan, who completely ignored him. The first time it happened when he was a little over a year - hatch-day was Jan. 11 and it started around March or April (about the same time we were blessed with three baby conures). It did not last very long. A couple of weeks, at most. The spring after he turned two was a bit worse, lasted longer, he bit my husband fairly hard several times, and straight out of the blue. He actually went through a few of those the second year but none lasted as long as the first one in spring. I was told that he was too young, but he was doing all the things the grown-up males do - dancing with wings out and hanging low, bobbing his head and 'whimpering' and regurgitating for Megan. I think some of them just mature faster. We will never know for sure what he would have been like in full-blown breeding mode as we lost him in January, just two days after his third hatch-day.

[SullysMom]

Thanks for the replies! Sully is a year and five months. He did just lose a feather which is was VERY cranky about so perhaps that might have been the cause. Thanks for all your help!

[murfchck]

All of ours are doing that right now too. Bongo, who is our chilled out boy, never a problem is being stubborn as all get out. There is one area of his cage that he knows if he goes to, we can't reach him. So now whenever we enter the room he dashes for that area then climbs to the top of the cage and will come to the front and start his head bobbing for me. I play with him for a bit like that then just leave him to call me when he is ready to come out and sometimes that has taken hours, other times just minutes. Sometimes there has to be cheese involved to lure him out too, but we always let him choose. Last night we went out for dinner and when we got home, he ran to the door of the cage lifting his little foot, i brought him out right away and we sat and watch tv and he got lots of loving. This is rare for him to allow me to touch him, but that was all he wanted so of course i obeyed his wishes!! What was funny is he even let my hubby pet him, in three years Pat has never touched him but for the feet to move him around, and hubby couldn't believe how soft his feathers were, lol. He has 2 greys that only want him and their feathers do have a different texture, not as soft. Sorry, i went off course but my point was that changes are in the air right now, lol.