Night terrors Blue and Gold

Jdee

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Blue and Gold And A Scarlet
I'm new here but have been searching for the past few years about bird night terrors. My vet says my Blue and Gold is very healthy. His night terrors are very hard on me. He seems only half awake and flops around in his cage. 4th of July he did it and this weekend there was a Bus demo derby across the street nothing I could hear. But I think he can hear big booms that I can't. I have videos. Just afraid to upload he is a feather picker. had him for 12 years and got him as a feather picker. He can not fly at all and has crashed and popped some air sacks I believe a long time ago. My vet saw him a few months ago and says he is very uncoordinated but in good health. Does anyone here have a Bird like this? It is hard when the vet says he is good but hard for me when he is having trouble at night. Sorry not to good at writing. John
webpock.jpg
 
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Jdee

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I guess I'll post the videos. But people can be mean. I live at my workplace with Tupoc.
We are always together. My vet is right up the street. No heavy metal problems. Its just a few time a year. I live right between 3 gun ranges and a Speed Way it's a loud place.
 

Flboy

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I guess I'll post the videos. But people can be mean. I live at my workplace with Tupoc.
We are always together. My vet is right up the street. No heavy metal problems. Its just a few time a year. I live right between 3 gun ranges and a Speed Way it's a loud place.

You will find this forum much different! I've been through many of the others, and I know what you're talking about!
There have been a few threads on night terrors, and I can understand how hard this is for you and your companion!
 
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Jdee

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Oh and he is playing tonight and having fun..... My boy LOL John
 

Kentuckienne

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If the noise is scaring him....that's hard to control. Maybe a white noise machine would help, something loud enough to reduce the contrast between the quiet room and the bus wrecks might make the noises less startling. Also, if the room is completely dark at night that can be bad. It's good to have a small night light, enough so he can see where sounds are coming from and recognize that it isn't a predator climbing his tree branch. If his cage is covered at night, try leaving part of it open, and if he has no cover maybe try one? You will have to experiment to see what is calming for him and what stops the night frights. Good luck!
 
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Jdee

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The bus event was just a special event this past weekend. There are two computer monitors in his room as night lights and he is never completely covered. I do think he gets startled awake. But how he has a hard time recovering is what's so scary. In the past 4 years, this has happened maybe 7 or 8 times so it is not a regular thing. But it was twice this weekend with the crazy demo derby stuff going on at least I hope that was all it was. Lola has never had this happen But they have completely different personalities. We had a good night last night so hopefully, it's over for a while.
Jdee
LolaandTupock.jpg
 

chris-md

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Cuties!! He's handsome :) who is his companion?

We few of us have pluckers/barberers (myself included, my ekkie boy is a grey monster!), or otherwise involved in rescues and plucked animals are not unusual to see at all. What matters is that you e addressed what may have been - if it's ingrained habit thereafter, there nothing you can do. Like my vet says, "there's nothing wrong with a naked, happy bird!"
 

YUMgrinder

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wow he just fell over for no reason at the end of that video. that doesn't seem right?
 
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Jdee

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Thanks for the replies. His friend is Lola I had her here for six years while my business partner and his wife were working in the Bahamas. She is now at home with them and doing great. They raised her as a baby. Tupock had a hard start He was traded for an air conditioner and the man who got him had a problem with his wife and daughter they did not like him. They sprayed him with water and squirt guns and threw pillows at him. They finally tossed him out of the house and told him Tupock got out and flew away but when he went outside Tupock flew down to him. So My business partner got him and brought him to our shop. And we have been together for many years I think I got him in 2003. We went through 3 Hurricanes in a row together. All three hit Winter Haven dead on. No night terrors then he just danced on his perch:D
 
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Jdee

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wow he just fell over for no reason at the end of that video. that doesn't seem right?
Yes, It looks more like some kind of Seizures to me. The Vet said his blood work came back fine. I give him Cal-D-Solve Supplements. But this happens every so often. At the end of the video, there was a very slight bang in the background from fireworks that the video did not pick up. But it still seems very odd. It sure is scary being alone at night with your best buddy so scared and there is not much you can do except talk to him and hold him.
 

EllenD

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Welcome to the forums, and I'm so sorry you're dealing with this. I'm assuming that your vet is a certified avian vet? And that he has run all the pertinent blood work, x-rays, etc.? I'm asking just to cover all the bases.

Has this ever happened during the day, when he wasn't sleeping? I'm talking about the seemingly neurological issues of losing balance, falling, being disoriented, etc.?

If it is only at night and only happens when he is asleep, it seems very similar to a sleep disorder such as a parasomnia, like Night Terrors and more likely Confusional Arousals. This is a very real disorder and is common among people and other animals and birds. If it happens while he's awake too then it's more of a seizure disorder, but if it is only while he's asleep and is suddenly aroused by a noise then it is very likely that he has this disorder. Search "Confusional Arousals" and read about them, see if it seems to fit him, because there are a lot of things you can do to help it not happen, everything from white noise machines to medications. This is why I asked about your vet being a certified avian vet, because he definitely needs to see an avian vet rather than a general vet.

In the meantime, I'd lower his perches, specifically his sleeping perch or the spot he usually sleeps in, and I'd also pad the bottom of his cage with folded up towels or blankets and then put newspaper on top of them. That way he won't take such a beating when he falls, he could really hurt himself doing what he did in that video.

"Dance like nobody's watching..."
 
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Jdee

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Hi, it is only after he goes to sleep. Never during the day so far.
He seems just fine after I wake him up all the way and get him to perch. Sometimes I think its harder on me than him, he will start playing and talking after he is awake I'm not so sure he even knows it happened. The video is the worst time we have had. He likes paper towels and rolls of TP So that's what I put in his cage now. He can't come out of his cage on his own because he can not fly at all. I think when he had his X-rays he strained his wings so bad he can't fly at all now. I asked my vet how they took the X-rays, I know how bad he fights and the vet said it took three people to hold him down. He has never flown since. X-rays were fine. He is just over 3lbs he is a big boy so when he hits the floor its real bad. Thanks so much for the info I'll keep trying to help him. I will check and see if my vet is a certified avian vet. All I know is he did have a Blue and gold but that's all a know. I will check. Thanks again Jdee and Tupock
 

SilleIN

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I have a male scarlet plucker, who used to fall of his perch during the night/late evening. I also had large perches, so no fault on the setup. He now sleeps on a flat surface (cloth or bars on cage top). He hasn't fallen in 4 months.

I don't know if that will work for Tupock, but I guess it's worth a try :)
 

Birdman666

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Yeah. Unfortunately some birds do get night terrors. And they do hear everything that goes bump in the night.

Every once in awhile I'll have an incident with one of mine, but it's pretty rare. Usually it's an unusual shadow, or something like that. Is there something outside by a window, or something like that moving around your bird... Like a plant blowing in the wind, throwing shadows that makes it appear like something is moving?! THAT could be just a matter of relocating the cage.

Unexpected Noises can do it.

Startle training can sometimes help with the night frights. Basically that involves gradually, over time, exposing them to more and more startle stimulous until NOTHING startles them. THEN those noises suddenly aren't so scary anymore.
 
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Jdee

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Thanks for the replies I feel better about him now. The vet said he was very healthy. I hope it is just a sleep disorder. He got out of his cage somehow a few hrs ago and is very proud of himself:D But he falls way to easy so I have to keep him in or on me. He can't be on the floor because he was bitten by a spider a few years ago and the vet said he most likely will not make it but he did, it was a terrible time. Thanks again.
This a photo of what Tupock thinks he looks like today after his escape bald belly and all :D
2p.jpg
 

EllenD

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So you don't get him out of his cage at all? I'm just asking because I don't think I quite understand the situation. I understand that he can't fly, but that isn't a reason to not allow him out of the cage, he needs exercise and out of cage time each day, that's simply for his well-being. I'm assuming his wings are not clipped because he can't fly anyway, but is he able to at least use them to glide to the floor a little less violently? Either way he needs to be allowed to walk around every day. I understand that the spider thing was scary, but that was a freak thing, I'm sure there aren't spiders all over the floor of your home. If there you have a real problem, as a spider could climb up onto and into his cage and bite him just as easily as it could bite him if he's walking around on the floor. Actually it's worse having him locked in his cage because when a spider gets on or in his cage he's trapped and can't get away. At least if he's on the floor he has a chance to get away. Like I said, I'm sure that you don't have spiders everywhere, and getting him out of his cage every day and letting him walk around on the floor would be great exercise for him. Or getting him a t-stand/playstand or making him one from PVC pipe to sit on. You can buy them or easily make them so that they are lower to the ground just in case he does happen to fall off. Either way I hope he's getting quality out of cage time every day and some exercise and interaction. Maybe I'm misunderstanding.

As I said and Birdman said, he is a big bird and he does hit very hard when he falls off his perch. So it would be a very good idea to lower his perches, at least the perch he sleeps on, to be close to the cage floor, and pad the cage floor with folded up blankets or towels to cushion his fall. He could seriously hurt himself if he falls in his sleep that hard to the floor with no awareness.

"Dance like nobody's watching..."
 

EllenD

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Also, just to add, if he doesn't get time out of his cage every day and isn't using his wings at all, not even to stretch them, this could very well be the reason he isn't flying anymore. If they don't get exercise and don't use their wings daily they basically atrophy and they lose the strength in them to be able to fly. He could have "strained" his wing or wings at one time, but I'm willing to bet that's not the reason he can't fly anymore, especially if he's in a cage all day long every day for a long period of time.

I'm saying this because I have been a volunteer at a parrot and exotic animal rescue for years, and it's unfortunately common for birds to be either surrendered by their owner or brought in by authorities because they were abandoned, abused, etc., and they've been inside their cage for years, not allowed out to walk around, stretch/use their wings at all, and they are no longer able to fly. We work with these birds every day, actually rehabbing them and concentrating on them using their wings, running with them and getting them to flap, etc. There are a lot of wing exercises you can do that are online if you search. And I can't tell you how many of these birds that haven't flown in years, sometimes decades, start using their wings again, first to glide to the floor, then to start to get lift from a stand and go forward, and finally they regain the ability to get elevation and fly again! It's a wonderful sight when a bird that hasn't flown in years and years first takes off! Even if their first flight is short, low, and has a bumpy landing, it's just a glorious sight!

"Dance like nobody's watching..."
 

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