GCC acting sick for attention?

[DannyA93]

Hello friends!

My greencheek conure was acting really off last night, I was worried she was fluffy, kinda clumsy walking around, and was squinting. Classic signs of disease! However, I took her out to have a look at her to make sure she wasn’t hurt or anything weird and she just wanted to cuddle and then after about 20 minutes she flew back to her cage and went to sleep. This morning I was going to take her to the vet first thing but she seems completely normal again. None of the above symptoms and she even took a bath like there wasn’t anything going on.

I’m still having someone keep a close eye on her while I’m at work just in case she starts acting funny again(if she does, straight to the vet she goes) but she seemed fine.. do you think she was acting funny cause she knew it would get my attention??? I really hope not. What a stressful way to get scritches! She’d give me grey hairs!!

 

[EllenD]

Green Cheeks definitely love attention and find different ways to get it, or to simply get someone's attention, that's for sure...However, I don't think that a bird who is "fluffed-up, walking around like they are off-balance, and squinting their eyes" is doing this to get attention or anything of the sort. Birds fluff themselves up because they are either sleepy, cold, or simply relaxed and resting. As far as a bird "walking around clumsily", like they are off-balance, when you combine that with the bird also "squinting" their eyes, to me that adds-up to the bird either flying into something, falling-off of something, etc., taking some kind of hit to the head...which would also account for him "fluffing-up" because he was in pain and groggy...

Is there any possibility that your bird flew-into something, like a window or the wall, or that he fell-off of something? That's what it sounds like to me. Think about how you act when you take a blow to the head or have a concussion...

 

[Sunnyclover]

My Finley pretends to have a hurt foot when he gets in trouble. At least one time long ago his foot was actually hurt and he got a lot of attention, got let off the hook on bad behavior and was fused over at that time so it's his go to move if he wants attention or gets told "no". Lol.

 

[GaleriaGila]

The Rb also uses the hurt-foot-trick (he and Fin are brothers from another mother) but I am worried about your little guy. Rule of thumb is that birds hide their illnesses due to long-evolved prey-status.
If you'd like to find an avian vet (which I would urge), here are links.

Most of us swear by our avian vets in the event of health concerns. I don't know where you are, but here are some links. I only have USA info...
Certified Avian Vets
https://abvp.com/animal-owners/find-an-abvp-specialist/
If none are near you...
Avian Veterinarians
http://www.aav.org/search/custom.asp?id=1803
In my opinion, any of the vets listed here should be better than a regular vet.


Good for you for reaching out.

 

[Laurasea]

I would think your bird is sick. Then when you held instict kicks in goota look strong so I'm not tossed out of the flock! I would be taking them to the avain vet absolutely! Those symptoms are serious..

 

[LordTriggs]

this is exactly how my bird was acting before he passed, everything from acting unwell in the cage to then being a cuddle monster outside the cage and even down to acting ordinary at times, so definitely get him to a vet

 

[clark_conure]

My GCC does war dances and exaggerated moves to get attention, I have to agree with lordtriggs he's never tried to act sick, if anything it's a polar opposite of that.

 

[Sunnyclover]

Yeah. Even though my Finley fakes a foot issue to get attention he never acts lethargic and extra cuddly on and off. I'd go to the vet also.

 

[LaManuka]

this is exactly how my bird was acting before he passed, everything from acting unwell in the cage to then being a cuddle monster outside the cage and even down to acting ordinary at times, so definitely get him to a vet

Yep totally agree that was my experience with Baci too, hopefully you were able to get your baby to the vet!

 

[EllenD]

Any update with your bird?

I meant to ask you, or tell you, that what you need to be watching very closely for right now (because he's just started acting this way) are OTHER common/obvious signs that he's not feeling well/sick in-combination with this new behavior. If he starts displaying any regular/obvious signs of illness along with this new behavior, then you'll know for sure that something is very wrong...They include sleeping more than usual/sleeping all the time, general lethargy (meaning he's not playing, flying, or moving around as much as he normally does, and he's just sitting around and/or sleeping a lot), he's fluffed-up a lot of the time and not just at bedtime, loose/runny droppings or droppings with bubbles in them, vomiting, staying on the bottom of his cage for long periods of time, little or no appetite...Any of these signs/symptoms and he needs to get to a CAV immediately...