anxious rehomed CAG swinging and fluttering: what does he want?

[LakeDesire]

Hello! On Sunday, I brought a ~15 year old male CAG (DNA-sexed male) home from my local parrot rescue. He'd been at the rescue for about 6 months, and had one owner beforehand, and had never been neglected or abused.

I know greys take a while to adjust to change, but after five days, I think JoJo is still anxious about his new home. When we are in the room, he alternates between leaning forward and fluttering his wings like he wants to be picked up, and swinging upside down on the inside of the cage, and swing from his beat with his feet dangling. He'll beep and churp at the same time. I know greys like to swing to play, but he seems anxious when he does it because he is frantic and keeps fluttering his wings while he swings and his eyes are wide. When we pick him up, he keeps fluttering like he wants to go somewhere, but we can't figure out where he wants to go. He also does this at bed-time when we turn out the lights. Once we leave the room he settles down.

Is this behavior normal for a CAG in a new home? What could he be trying to tell us by his anxious fluttering/swinging? Do we just need to give him time?

JoJo is happy to be held if something is going on... he likes sitting on our shoulders if we are cooking or doing chores. He'll relax and fluff up. He likes eating with us, and tries to steal bites off our forks. But when we hold him while we aren't doing anything, like just sitting on the couch, he'll run back to his cage and climb back on top and start swinging again.

We've tried moving his cage in the first few days. Putting him in a corner didn't really help, nor did covering part of the cage to give him privacy/a hiding place. We've got him along a wall right now and haven't moved his cage in a few days, thinking maybe he just needs to get used to his new home.

ETA: if it helps, he hasn't played with any of his toys yet, but he is mischievous, which I think is a good sign. He likes to chew up my books and pencils that weren't meant to be parrot toys!

 

[LakeDesire]

I think I figured out why JoJo was so anxious... he wanted seed! I think his swinging and fluttering was begging for his favorite food. I'd just been giving him pellets and fresh food. Today I threw a handful of seed into his bowl, and he started porking out like he hadn't eaten in days!

 

[suebee]

i think you have a very lucky find with this bird

this swinging etc could be something he does for attention, keep the seeds for treats but not when he does this begging behavior, also if his at the table when your eating, why not plate him some fruit veg, or your foods that his allowed?? it took nut a while to understand table manners but she is good with them now, though she still throws her bowls off table, especially if its something she's not into lol

 

[LakeDesire]

Thank you! He's been talking a lot, especially when we aren't paying attention to him, and the rescue says that means he is comfortable. He has been throwing dishes too! If he doesn't like something, he'll throw (or attempt to throw) the whole bowl!