New Meyers

[Lexberge]

Hi all, I got a roughly 3 months old Meyers 5 days ago, he was a bit scared to begin with, then seemed to get settled in and calm down a bit, and willing to eat seeds from my hand through the cage, or larger pieces of fruit/vegetables with my hand inside the cage. Last day or two he's seemed more restless/anxious or stressed though, pacing back and forth, while screaming. Yesterday he woke up about 5:30 and started screaming, mostly taking breaks while eating, but some other breaks as well, so when he started pacing around later I put the cover over a bit over 7pm hoping he would calm down and not be so stressed. Naturally he was up early again today since he went early to bed, and got started about 6am.
Is this normal behavior having just recently moved in? He don't seem to spend any time on his toys, I'm worried I might have made it a bit crowded in the cage, I also plan to get him a better cage, maybe the cage itself is what makes him upset, it's large enough, but got small door openings, and too short bar spacing, it's better suited for multiple budgies I guess.

I'll attach a picture of it, and a cage a budgie lives in, maybe the Meyers would be more comfortable in the smaller cage until I've gotten a new one for him, so they could switch over?

He's eating well, and eats pellets, fruits and vegetables and seeds, it kind of seems like he's just very bored when he's not eating or napping.

Appreciate any feedback.

 

[Rozalka]

The bigger cage is better, I don't think it is necessary switching for smaller one when the bigger one is available. Maybe he just needs more time to accept his new home

 

[Lexberge]

Alright, I'll try and clean the cage, maybe take out the biggest toy. He's not touched it, maybe it's scary. I'll try to ignore him when he's making a ruckus and give him some attention when he's calm. At the start I might have inadvertently given him attention to calm him down when he got a bit wild, which I assume might have just encouraged the behavior.

 

[saxguy64]

Might be easier if you try to look at things from his perspective, and consider him like a small child. It's normal for him to be terrified. Think about it. He's been torn away from his whole world, everything that's familiar and comfortable is gone, and now he's in a strange place with all new people, surroundings, sounds, smells, everything. That's scary. Your job is to take your time, and make sure he sees you as a source of only good things. Parrots are much different than cats and dogs, who accept and love unconditionally in an instant. Parrots don't work that way. Earning their trust or affection can take weeks, months, even years depending on the bird. Patience is the most important tool in your shed.

Now, another thought. The screaming. I have no experience with Meyers, so I don't know at what age they're typically fully weaned, but screaming for food is a telltale sign that he may still be needing some hand feeding/formula. Here's a link to look at, and see if it applies to his behavior.

So you bought an unweaned baby...

Today I spent several hours trying to help someone save a baby bird they had purchased unweaned. The baby died; they are usually almost dead by the time the new owner realizes something is wrong, not because the owner doesn't care but because they are not educated about what to look for or...

www.parrotforums.com

Hope this helps, and please keep us posted!