Is Chipper depressed?

[ct92404]

I got my new parakeet, Chipper, on Sunday. Physically, he's perfectly fine. Yesterday, I took him for a checkup by an avian vet and she said he's doing great. She checked everything...his beak, chest, feet, his vent, preen gland, and she even gently unfolded his wings to check them. His weight is good (34.9 grams). He's eating fine, and drinking water. His droppings look normal.

So I'm not sure what's going on. The problem is he barely does anything in his cage. He has 3 perches in his cage, and he just stays on the top one pretty much all day. He does go to his bowls and eat food and drink water, and sometimes he'll climb down to the 2nd perch and eat spray millet. But otherwise, he doesn't do anything. He doesn't play with his toys, and he hasn't gone down to the lower part of the cage at all. And he sleeps a lot.

Since physically he's okay as far as I can tell, I wonder if I might be dealing with a psychological issue. Is it possible for parakeets to get depressed? Could he be homesick or something? I just can't figure it out.

If I take him out of the cage, he's very gentle. I can hold him and pet him, and even scratch him on his head and neck. He puffs his feathers out and seems to like it. Also, I got a play gym for him, and he does like to climb on it. Today, I bought a book on birds that came with a digital audio player with bird calls. When I played it, he started chirping. That was pretty funny actually.

But I just don't understand why when he's in his cage, he doesn't do much. Is he still just getting used to it, or could he be depressed?

 

[HalfInsane]

It's good that you're worrying about the little guy, but I think you might be worrying too much

He probably just needs some time to get used to his new surroundings and new toys. He's also young, and so everything is new to him. A lot of birds don't initially take to toys, but it sounds like he's already found of you, so try playing with the toys yourself and let him observe you.

When I first brought Pixel home she did EXACTLY what you're describing. Eat, drink, sit on top perch. It took her a couple weeks, but she did start exploring her own cage and getting more confident, too. I'm sure Clipper will as well, he just needs a bit of time

 

[WannaBeAParrot]

Hi CT. So glad you have your new parakeet home. I can just imagine how much you would worry about your new birdy after what you've been through. Sounds like he might be slow to warm up to his surroundings, like unsure of what / where / when sort of thing. Was he in a big cage with lots of other parakeets when you bought him?

Maybe he's just confused being king of his own castle and not having roommates hopping around all the time. I'd say just keep interacting with him. If you normally leave him with the cage door open a lot, then keep getting him out as much as possible since he seems to like you holding and touching him. Give him sole little toys to fool around with, grab something from the kitchen for a quick toy, like plastic measure cups and spoons. A golf ball around? I would imagine that parakeets would find it hard to adjust to a quiet empty cage after usually being with like a dozen others.

Keep us posted. And some photos too when you can.

 

[Birdlover11]

He is still getting used to the house, and like wannabe said, he is still a little scared because he was used to so many other budgies around him. Just give him some more time and keep handleing him so he could feel a little more safer. When a budgie is on a the highest perch and only go's down for food and to stretch his legs for a bit then that means he is still uncomterble and to a bird the higher you are the safer you are

 

[MeganMango]

When we first brought Mango home he just slept and yawned for days. We too had a vet check tell us all was well, but he was just exhausted. I was really worried, but over time he slept less and played more. The vet told me that when they are stressed they dont sleep properly and so they need to do it more. I think stress had just wore Mango out and he needed to recover. I can relate, after my MCAT exam I slept for two days straight just from be busy and stressed, and then the actual energy of writing the test. Most of us can think of a situation that just wore us out physically and mentally. I imagine any move to a new place with new people is going to affect your little guy. We see a little more personality every day with Mango, but it took a long time for him to play or want to come out of his cage. He was silent for the longest time, he really only makes noise now and its been a month since we brought him home. I suspect your new baby just needs to settle in and adjust to his new life.

 

[sammybird]

It is good that you are concerned but like halfinsane said you might be worrying to much. the best thing for chipper is for him to get used to his surroundings and his new toys. one of the most frustrating things for me is when i get one of my birds a new toy and they a:ignore it. or b:completely and utterly destroy it 5 mins after i give it to them. so be patient, keep an eye on him, and be patient. Im sure he'll come around

 

[Niner10Tango]

It took Tango at least two weeks before he would start moving around his cage. Some birds adjust to the new surroundings quicker than others. It took him a week before he made any kind of peep. Around three weeks, he started with his normal cockatiel chatter.. After about six weeks, out came a wolf whistle than he started barking like my neighbors dog.. Now he says Whatcha doin? It takes time and patience for your new friend to adapt.