Senegal Parrot acting strange? need advice please

[sammiestella91]

hello all, 4 days ago my boyfriend and i got a senegal parrot from a pet store, when we saw him in the store he was chirping making noises, saying hello ect.. its now been 4 days and he looks kind of depressed. i dont know if this makes a differnce but we already have a Green Cheeck Conure, and we tryed interducing them and my GCC was not being so nice, but after that we didnt put them by each other, he has his own cage and all that. another problem is when i put him in his cage he will stand on that same perch he was on for an hour or two without moving. i am so worried about him. now he IS eating and drinking and he has no physically signs of being sick or anything. im just wondering how long could it possibly take for him to open up and be himself again. hes also a year old just to add more info. thanks for the help.

 

[mtdoramike]

Welcome to the forums. First thing you should do if you feel that there may be something wrong with your bird is take him to the vet. By the time that a bird shows signs of illness are when they to sick to recover or close to death. In nature the strong survive and the weak do not.

Senegals are known for their antics and playfulness. But it may take some time for your bird to open up and bond with you. Plus Senegals are a tad territorial in nature and they prefer to be the only bird in the house hold.

Also, it sounds to me like you have not Quarantined your New addition(Senegal) from your current Green Cheek Conure. Pet shops deal with pets and people all day long some may be sick and could pass that sickness on to your Senegal and if that is the case, your new Senegal could quite possibly pass an illness on to your Conure.

New birds, especially birds that come from aviaries, pet shops, rescues, pet shows (and the list goes on) should be quarantined for at least 30 days before introducing them to your current flock.

 

[mtdoramike]

Also let me add here that if it were me, I would grab that Senegal and get him to the vet asap and make sure he isn't sick!

 

[Enjru]

Pet stores are notorious places for people to buy birds with pre-existing health issues such as infections, nutritional deficiencies and even heavy metal poisoning. I'd take this bird off to the avian vet ASAP. If your GCC was sick, it'd be acting just like how you're describing this Senegal is acting now. Sure, maybe the Senegal is healthy and it just needs time and space to adjust to your new home, but it would be a waste of the bird's life, if it adjusted well to your new home and got lots of positive reinforcement, just in time for it to die because whatever health issues it had didn't get diagnosed and treated, and now your GCC has caught whatever the Senegal had as well.

Better to avoid this scenario, I think.

 

[MelanieAnn]

I agree taking him to vet is a good idea, but he is also not used to your environment, he might be having separation anxiety from the pet store being used to everything there and now a big change. If i were you, second to taking him to the vet, i would spend as much time talking to him and socializing him with your home as best you can so that he knows where he is! I just got my first bird a few weeks ago (a BG Macaw) and at first he was very nervous, and quiet but i just talked his ear off until he talked mine off! good luck hope your new baby is ok!

 

[Sulphiria]

Welcome to the forums and congratulations on your new one! My vote is for a vet visit too.

 

[osnyder]

Emotionally speaking, your bird is surely feeling out of place and unsure of himself. Birds are very sensitive and can take a very long time to adjust, so while it can be frustrating to see such a change from how he seemed in the store, he will likely slowly come around to his old cheerful self as he gets to know his new environment-- but this can take weeks and months. I am infamously impatient, but also can vouch for how patience is key to the human bird relationship

 

[wolf0994]

Welcome to the forums and I too recommend a vet check. Our Kawie was very nervous when we took him home. He did begin to warm up rather quickly (a few days) and although I know very little about birds I attribute his rapid adjustment to 2 things. #1 I went to see him and spent 5 hours at his former house just talking to him and his former owner while in his familiar environment. Then #2 I spend alot of time talking to him and giving him treats. I work fulltime but when I get home from work opening his door is the first thing I do and greet him. And I spend the next 4-6 hours in that room talking to him a bunch giving him treats and standing close to him and trying to show him that I am no threat. I wish you the best with your new family member.