African Grey behavior question

Hi All,

New to this forum....thanks for all the info.

I have a 1 1/2 year old African Gray Congo (Calypso). Last year went through a horrible feather biting phase (not really picking, but just breaking and eating the ends of feathers). After useless Vet visits and all different kinds of meds that didn't work, went to an all pellet diet, oils and flax seed mixed in her (we think) food, plus daily showers, she has now grown all her feathers back and seems to be only minimally picking. Thankfully!

But, now I have a question, she has been doing this crazy thing with almost a panting sound and goes back and forth on her perch and drops her wings down. I have attached a video if anybody knows what behavior this is as I don't have any other animals that she could be imitating and I certainly don't do that ;-).

This video was done a few months ago but she has started doing it again and I didn't get it on video yesterday.

Oops, it doesn't seem like I can post a video for some reason. PM me if you need to see the video of this.

Any info?

Thanks!

Sorry that your Vet experience was not more productive. The age of your Parrot would have me thinking that in general, young Parrot activity may account for the feather damage that you had been seeing.
Assure that you are seeing an Avian Professional and not a cat and dog Vet that sees some Parrots on the side. There is a huge difference and well worth searching for Certified Avian Vet or an Avian Qualified Vet.
We are an Amazon household and there are differences in behavior between Greys and Amazons. That said, if there is any Tail Pumping with what you are seeing, your Grey maybe ill. I will let our Grey experts chime in regarding the behavior you are seeing.

Hmmm, let me bump this Thread back-up the Active Topic list and see if another member can make comment regarding your Grey's behavior.

When does the panting happen? It almost sounds sexual, assuming that the vet has taken blood-panels, gram-stains, swabs etc and assuming the air in your bird's environment is safe...

Do you run an air filter (non ionizing/non-ozone producing) around your bird?
Have you cleared your home of chemical killers and/or irritants (PTFE, PFOA, PFCs, Teflon, Sillicone bakeware, candles, perfumes, incense , scented oils, bleach, windex, kaboom, scrubbing bubbles, comet, ammonia, bleach, lysol, fabreeze, flea shampoos, carpet cleaners, aerosols, polishes, acetone, markers/paints/glues, vaping, smoke from cigarettes, smoke from burning foods, scented lotions etc---ANY CHEMICAL CLEANER or scented chemical product/cosmetic can seriously harm your bird...) FYI- PTFE/PFOA/PFCs/Teflon are very deadly (even on separate floors of the same home w/doors shut)...These chemicals off-gas and kill---They are hidden in many places where you would not expect them---popcorn poppers, irons, ironing board covers, drip trays, straighteners, blow dryers, curling irons, slow cookers, roasting trays, ovens, toaster ovens, griddles, George Foreman grills, air fryers, popcorn bags (microwave variety), space-heaters, humidifiers, toasters, heck---even some waterproof mascara---the list goes on....
If you are not using any chemical cleaners or other chemical products around your bird, then.......

Are you petting your bird anywhere other than the head/neck?
Is your bird allowed to access shadowy spaces (boxes, pillows, blankets, under furniture, low shelves, under clothing, huts, tents, hollow etc?)
If so, remove access to these places...Avoid any bedding materials such as paper shreds and wood-shreds, Pet only on the head and neck, make sure your bird is getting at least 12 hours sleep each night with roughly the same bed-time and wake-up and avoid warm/mushy food if you think it might be hormonal (as this can mimic regurgitation and aggravate the situation).

I could be wrong since I don't see it, but I believe your grey is hormonal.
The signs should be: (like you said) panting, bobbing their head (regurgitation), wings drooping and wagging the tail.

This is a hormonal sign that a few species of parrot show, including the African grey.
When this happens next time, try remember what happened before to trigger the hormones, this way you can avoid doing that in the future.

HI All,

Thanks for the feedback.

She (Again, I think and all indications are that she is a "she") is very happy, only time in the cage is at night, lots of toys, gets plenty of sleep, no cleaning products near her, outside in fresh air as much as possible (soon though, winter will be arriving), she has only done it few times, most recently the other day and hasn't done it since. Nothing that i recall was happening before she did it.

The first vet I had for her was an exotic animal specialist, including avian. She was constantly wanting to give her all kinds of meds which even after all tests proved negative, so have found another VET that among other qualifications, is an Avian vet and has a Macaw as a pet.

Feathers (as of now) are pretty much back to normal but watching her closely.

Thanks again for all the advise, I will be watching closer when/if she does the panting thing again.

Terri