How normal is it for Blue front amazon to always nod off?

[BlueFrontOwner]

Seems like my 30 year old amazon is always closing her eyes and nodding off. She does seem normal and alert if stuff is happening and she is excited.

I notice if she is just on her perch or on my shoulder she will nod off. Even sometimes in the morning.

I was wondering if this is because of a problem or old age, or is it normal for these birds to always be falling asleep.

I don't notice any other signs of problems, just that she seems to always be nodding off. I also can't remember how much she used to do this.

 

[Dinosrawr]

Lethargy can be a sign of illness. If it's a behaviour that's concerning you, then please book a vet visit. There's no harm in having her health checked over just in case.

A few other things to consider if you're worried:

- Is she drinking and eating normally?
- Are her droppings healthy?
- Can she focus, or does she seem disorientated when awake?
- Is she getting enough sleep at night?

30 years "old" isn't really that "old" to me for a parrot in a domestic environment, considering they can live to be 60-80 in captivity. Unless of course they've had an incredibly unhealthy life style prior that you're aware of.

But a certified avian vet will be able to tell you for sure!

 

[Birdman666]

My 38 y.o. BFA was very active, but it's not uncommon for my 43 year old LCA to take naps at every given opportunity...

But it doesn't hurt to have a well birdie, and a blood panel done, just to make sure there's no infectious process at work.

And 30 really isn't all that old for a zon. It's middle age. Yours still probably has as many years left, as have gone by...

A friend of mine has her grandmother's bird (DYH). (Grandma got the bird when she was 12.) That bird is now somewhere in his mid 90's. Other than cataracts and arthritis in his feet, he's still kickin'. He's a "priceless" family heirloom, passed down from Grandma, to Mom, to Grand Daughter.

Multi-generational bird.

 

[BlueFrontOwner]

Lethargy can be a sign of illness. If it's a behaviour that's concerning you, then please book a vet visit. There's no harm in having her health checked over just in case.

A few other things to consider if you're worried:

- Is she drinking and eating normally?
- Are her droppings healthy?
- Can she focus, or does she seem disorientated when awake?
- Is she getting enough sleep at night?

30 years "old" isn't really that "old" to me for a parrot in a domestic environment, considering they can live to be 60-80 in captivity. Unless of course they've had an incredibly unhealthy life style prior that you're aware of.

But a certified avian vet will be able to tell you for sure!

Thats the thing everything seems to be normal.

I do know she had a problem for a while now, for years of falling when in her cage at night. Every once in a while I heard her fall and flapping at night. Seemed to be happening a few times a night but not as common now as it once was, but I still hear it every once in a while.

Maybe this is waking her up more than I think?

The other possible issue is that I'm awake until 3AM at night and she is up, is it possible that she awakes when it gets light outside even though her cage is covered? This would make her sleep less during the night.

 

[Birdman666]

All of mine take naps during the day.

The thing you are describing can be explained by night frights (which happens),
actually sleeping so soundly that they fall over, which happens more often than you think, especially if the bird doesn't have the foot strength it once did, or possibly by some sort of neurological deficit... which a vet may (or may not) be able to diagnose. (Not sure there's an effective treatment for that.)

Sleep disruption during the night would cause them to nap more during the day.

 

[henpecked]

I agree with the birdman, all my zons take frequent naps during the day. My house is pretty dark and quiet at night, it's not like they're being kept up at night. The wild amazons i've watch often have "quiet time"during the day. It does seem like some are napping during that time. Maybe the amount of napping depends on the amount of activities during the day. Nothing to do equals a good nap. if they had to search for food ,water, etc. they probably wouldn't have as much time to nap.

 

[Aquila]

I try to nap when my birds are napping...

Like parents do.. lol

 

[Kiwibird]

We have 'concluded' our 17 y/o blue front must have "birdie narcolepsy" He can be playing furiously with a toy one second and taking a little nap the next. He's done it since we first got him and is in great health, so it's just a 'quark'. If this is a new behavior, I might mention it to the vet next checkup and keep a close eye for any other 'slightly off' behaviors.

 

[Peppo]

I don't think I have ever seen Paco nap during the day while I am at home. In the cage or on his playstand that is. If he is on my lap just watching tv with me, his head goes right down to my leg or in the cup of my hand and he dozes off and can be hard to wake up! He is 22. I guess while I am at work he naps but I think he is too busy watching sponge bob reruns with the dog and rabbit.

 

[IamJolyn]

Davy is only 5 years old, but he takes lots of naps. Being cage bound most of his life, he is somewhat a perch potato, but we are slowly getting him to be more active. On a day that he is more active, he takes more naps lol. But to echo everyone else, new onset behavior like that, a vet check is best.