Ekkie Girl Sleeping on the Ground?

[JSyle]

Any idea why my girl would start sleeping on the bottom of the cage? This started last night, she usually sleeps on whichever perch is highest (with this set up is was usually the top left towards the front of the cage), but last night she slept in the shallow box that is usually in the back right corner. I moved the box tonight in hopes that she wouldn’t sleep in it again and now she is just on the grate sleeping (back right corner). She is very alert, if I open the door she pops up and climbs to the spot where I bring her out of the cage from. She is behaving normally when awake and her weight is fine. Is this normal or should I be concerned?

 

[chris-md]

Hello and welcome!

it’s a little challenging, especially with a black and white photo. But a couple things stand out to me:

1. the alertness

2. the BOX

I am not quite sure what you mean by a box, I can’t make it out in the photo, but if it’s something she goes IN TO, then my very first thought is that this could be an issue of potentially trying to lay eggs. There shouldn’t be any sort of box in the cage the bird can enter, please remove it. It can cause hormonal issues and unnecessary egg laying.

hens will often to the bottom of the cage when ready to lay eggs.

start with the basics: how is she eating? How is she pooping?

 

[JSyle]

Hello and welcome!

it’s a little challenging, especially with a black and white photo. But a couple things stand out to me:

1. the alertness

2. the BOX

I am not quite sure what you mean by a box, I can’t make it out in the photo, but if it’s something she goes IN TO, then my very first thought is that this could be an issue of potentially trying to lay eggs. There shouldn’t be any sort of box in the cage the bird can enter, please remove it. It can cause hormonal issues and unnecessary egg laying.

hens will often to the bottom of the cage when ready to lay eggs.

start with the basics: how is she eating? How is she pooping?

It’s black and white because it’s night vision on a pet cam. It’s a screenshot to show her sleeping on the bottoms because I can’t go in the room without her popping up and climbing to a perch.
The box is like the kind that you’d put canned goods in, the walls are no more than two inches high. I was using it as a foraging box. Is that kind of box still triggering for hormones. I’ll attach the pic again with the box circled in red and my girl in blue.
Eating and pooping normally, as started before she is acting completely normal aside from sleeping on the ground.

 

[chris-md]

Ok, so it’s not like nesting box. Good to know. And I love that you have something like that😁

my recommendation is vigilance for the next 24-36 hours. The ONLY reason I can think of for an otherwise vigilant and healthy hen to actively seek the bottom is because she’s about to lay an egg.

the problem is, and you may know this, with parrots they hide their illnesses well until it’s almost too late. If things don’t change soon, you’ll want to make an appointment with an emergency avian certified vet, because there could be either egg binding issues, or something else unrelated but far more serious going on.

but your biggest immediate signals will always be whether she’s eating and pooping. If she stops eating especially, that’s your sign something is especially wrong.