'Tiel not doing much?

[Tonkatiel]

Not sure if 'not doing much' is the best way to explain it but anyway...

We brought Tonks home a week ago, we bought him from a pet store where he was in a large cage with 1 other 'tiel and 1 perch (no toys or anything). Hes now in a smaller but still good sized cage with a few perches and toys, but he stays on 1 perch 99% of the time, only moving to get to his food and water bowls, and hasnt even attempted to go near his toys...

He will eat a millet spray from my hand and step up onto a perch but pretty much as soon as he's worked out you're moving him, quickly flutters back to his main perch (his wings are clipped). I've left the cage door open for hours at a time hoping he'll come out and explore but he's shown no interest...

I know I haven't had him long and he's probably still getting used to us etc but is it normal for him to be so completely (for lack of a better word) lifeless?? He doesn't even preen himself?

I've checked for any signs of illness, but as far as I can tell he looks healthy. Has normal droppings, eyes, nostrils and vent all look clear and normal etc..

 

[MikeyTN]

That just tells me he wasn't socialized much at all. Use a perch to get him out of the cage and have him sit with you. He's just afraid that's all! A well socialized baby will quickly come out of the cage the moment you open the door. As long as he sees you watching him, he most likely isn't going to play with his toys period. You will see the difference in him once you start socializing him.

 

[DallyTsuka]

he's still settling in, so he may take a bit to settle, but it does sound like he isnt used to having such interaction. he isnt used to toys, so it will take a bit for him to learn to play.

many times when a bird is marked as "handfed" it isnt *always* necessarily tame. handfeeding might give him less fear of hands, as he is at least going to you for millet easily, but handfeeding means very little if the bird was not socialized well. a baby who is handled and played with at a young age during handfeeding or even just handled daily being parent raised, you will get a very friendly baby who will want to interact with you. however, your baby doesnt sound like he got this, so he isnt sure what to make of you. in time let him settle, then spend time with him daily, keep giving him millet by hand, make sure every interaction he has with you is positive

 

[Niner10Tango]

Your tiel has been only home for a week. Like MikeTn and DallyTsuka both mentioned he hasn't been socialized much. Some tiels adjust to their new environments faster than others. When we first brought Tango home, he stayed on one perch near his food and water bowls but he didn't explore his cage much, plus he was a bit on the quiet side. When he was with us when the third week approached, he started exploring his cage and became more vocal. Just give your tiel some time. Continue with feeding millet from your hand even if he is on a perch, your going to have to earn your tiels trust. Being patient is important.

 

[Tonkatiel]

Thanks for the replies everyone

I thought it might be just that he wasn't used to us yet but thought I'd better double check. I've been trying very hard to be patient, and to be honest I was pretty amazed at the fact that he would even eat from my hand so soon. It was more the not moving around much that worried me... As far as I know, he was aviary bred / parent raised...

Niner10Tango - Tango looks a lot like my Tonks, beautiful

 

[MikeyTN]

That explains a lot since he was parent raised you have to try to socialize with him even more or he will be quite wild. But even my wild pairs eventually calms down over time after getting used to me.