Stargazing?

[jgk]

Our African Grey sometimes rests with his head back/up like this:

And yesterday when taking him to the pet store to have his nails trimmed, a person who worked there noticed and said he could be stargazing. We thought she was joking, like he was literally looking at the stars, but then googled it and realize now that it's an actual disease, so now we're concerned and my Mom made an appointment to take him to the vet in a few days.

I've noticed him doing it for a few years now, but the thing is, he only seems to do it in the fall/winter months, and seems to start right after his mating behavior of the spring/summer seasons stops. At which time he gets kind of mopey/crabby in general. But then once spring/summer comes, he doesn't sit with his head up like that anymore and is full of energy all day. And goes back to being crabby and resting with his head up when fall/winter comes again.

This cycle has been going on for past 3 years, and I always thought he was just maybe depressed that mating season is over or because the weather is gloomier etc.

So I'm wondering if it's actually stargazing or could be a behavioral/psychological thing. I know only the vet can tell me for sure, but just wanted to know if anyone else's parrot behaves this way after mating season is over and if it's normal or not.

The fact that he doesn't do it in the spring/summer months makes me feel like it's not a physical illness, as physical conditions don't usually come and go like that.

Also I should add that he doesn't sit like that constantly and he still plays during the day and eats/poops/talks normal. It's just that he seems to take more "timeouts" to rest in the fall/winter, and when he does he sometimes sits with his head up like that.

Anyways any advice is appreciated. Thanks

 

[noodles123]

I would definition get him to a certified avian vet. It does look like it could be stargazing...How is your bird's diet? What does he eat daily?
You said he only does it in the winter? About how long does he sit that way when he does? It could be behavioral, but I wouldn't bank on it without a certified avian vet's opinion.
Some seizures can also look like that--- do you change his lighting significantly during the winter?
How old is your bird?

 

[SailBoat]

Of the many behaviors I have seen, Stargazing is not one of them.

Well worth having an Avian Profession take a good look at your Parrot.

 

[jgk]

Update:

We took him to the vet on Monday and they said he seems fine. His poop was normal, heart sounded good, weight was in normal range, and she said he felt strong by the way he was fighting with her. She said the "looking up" thing could be neurological, but she didn't seem to think anything was wrong. So they did bloodwork to investigate more and everything checkout out normal except his "GGT" enzyme was a little high. His was 12 and I've read normal range for a Grey is 1-10.

But she said some birds are naturally higher than others, so 12 could be normal for him. She said she just had another bird in with a 14 and he seemed healthy too. So she suggested we do another test again in 1 month to see if any change, and that's where we stand now.

I'm still a little concerned though because that enzyme has to do with his liver, and I know liver disease is common in birds from fat, and he eats a lot of nuts in his diet. My mom started giving him almonds and pistachios daily a few years ago because she read it was healthy for them (the unsalted/no oil kind). We thought it was just the seed mixes that contribute to liver issues (and he gets no seeds), but nuts seem to have similar fat content so now I'm little worried that could have been affecting his liver anyways.

Is anyone familiar with this particular GGT enzyme?

I'd like to know if anything over the 1-10 puts it in the "liver disease" category, or if being slightly over at 12 means it's something we caught early and can be reversed with a change in diet?

We already stopped giving him the nuts and she recommended changing his pellets to Rowdy Bush brand (from Harrisons). But she didn't say anything else like he needs medication or anything.

So I guess I'm just seeking some closure, as I'm not sure if she was just being nice because there isn't anything they can do even if he has liver disease, or if she would be putting him on some kind of medication if that's what they thought it was?

 

[jgk]

I would definition get him to a certified avian vet. It does look like it could be stargazing...How is your bird's diet? What does he eat daily?
You said he only does it in the winter? About how long does he sit that way when he does? It could be behavioral, but I wouldn't bank on it without a certified avian vet's opinion.
Some seizures can also look like that--- do you change his lighting significantly during the winter?
How old is your bird?

He's 19 (will be 20 in April).

He has been on a Harrison pellet diet since a baby, and we supplement with fruits and vegetables + some treats. Cantaloupe/honeydew/apples are his favorite fruits that he gets every day. And while we give him a variety of vegetables every day too, he doesn't really like veggies that much and will only eat a little (such as cauliflower, Sweet Potato, and sometimes broccoli).

He also gets nuts every day (alternating almonds one day and pistachios the next). But I think we've been giving him too many, as my Mom puts like 5-7 in each of our 2 parrots food bowls every day as a treat- and the Amazon only eats a couple, while the Grey often eats all of his and then goes over and eats the rest of hers.

We also give him rice/pasta (cooked) occasionally as a treat.

As for the stargazing, I really only see him doing it in the fall/wintertime. In terms of duration, it depends as he often does it when he's resting, so however long he rests. But he doesn't always rest in that position. So it's tough to say, but maybe like 10-15 minutes at a time like 3-4 times a day.

No change in artificial lighting. Just the natural change in sunrise/sunset, and the fact that the sun just isn't out as much this time of year. It's been mostly cloudy every day for last month here ( Michigan).

 

[noodles123]

Cut back on nuts for sure- they are like bigger seeds. Maybe a single almond when you get home from work but not more---
Any high-fat food in a sedentary bird can cause issues.
If it is liver, it can probably be correctly if you give him time and potentially milk thistle etc (but wait and see what the vet says).