Please help! What is he doing?

[Cindylynn]

He does this off and on. It worries me. But after a few minutes he quits and acts perfectly normal. Can't seem to find a pattern or trigger. He also twitches his wings when he is doing it.

 

[Cindylynn]

He does this off and on. It worries me. But after a few minutes he quits and acts perfectly normal. Can't seem to find a pattern or trigger. He also twitches his wings when he is doing it.

 

[Laurasea]

Hello and welcome!
How old is he? How long have you had? What does he eat?

I'm not sure about this, whether it falls under normal, or a sign of neurological.

Avian vet exam, always the best place to start. And if hadnt been in a while , is good for baselines.

Nutrition...like calcium , low vitamin A...other
Or chronic zinc toxicity if this doesn't fall under normal..probably lots of ideas

Your Complete Guide to Bird Calcium for Optimal Health and Happiness

Discover the vital role of bird calcium for optimal health and what to do if your pet lacks this essential nutrient.

birdsupplies.com

 

[Cindylynn]

He is 7 months old. I've had him for a month. He was and is on a mix of Sleek and Sassy Pellet and Large Hookbill Seed. But I'm trying too add some chop into his diet too. He gets fresh fruit and veggies daily.

 

[Kentuckienne]

Macaws seem to to the Bob-the-head thing. Our B&G does it…he will bounce up and down on the perch if he’s excited, and Bob his head up and down which seems to mean “I want to interact with you but if you come any closer I will bite”. But he’s a kind of a strange character. Hopefully someone with more macaw experience will chime in.

 

[Laurasea]

I defer to all macaw owners.
But now that i know he is so young, it can be me more if a baby bird bob and beg wing flick. Usually is asking for food/ attention. At 7 month his parents would still offer comfort feeds...untill about a year, macaws are often rush weaned.

 

[Cindylynn]

He's definitely a head bobber. But usually fast and excited like you're describing. He's almost trance like with this.

 

[Laurasea]

He's definitely a head bobber. But usually fast and excited like you're describing. He's almost trance like with this.

Agree... I also thought lethargic/ neurological

I myself ( having never owned a macaw) vet visit, weight check myself weekly
And I'd get baby bird formula and offer a pre bedtime comfort feeding. 10-15 ml

Because in this video he also doesn't seem to be keeping his feathers well groomed..
It tgst health? Or is is lack of preening knowledge. Fine misting pointing up and letting a fine midt settle on them, not drenching, will encourage them to preen.

Some burds rushed weaned ( not saying he was) miss out on vital nutrients and this. An cause neurological issues.

You might enjoy reading this, as doess discuss issues from early weaning.

Stress Reduction for Companion Parrots – Pet Birds by Lafeber Co.

To put it bluntly, keeping companion parrots is similar to trying to pound a square peg into a round hole. The fact that they do as well as they do is testimony more to their adaptability than it is to our husbandry efforts.

lafeber.com

From above link

Hunger = Anxiety = Stress​

One of the most powerful tools for reducing stress in a young parrot is to feed him warm, soft, nutritious food from a spoon at least once every day. Most hand-reared parrots were never spoon fed when young, since the practice of using a syringe is so popular, but they can learn to enjoy this if the owner is willing to be persistent about offering it on a nightly basis.

The majority of parrots reared for sale by breeders or pet stores are weaned too early, in addition to being deprived of the fledging experience. Early weaning helps to insure an early sale, which maximizes profits. In order to accomplish this, the hand-feeder eliminates feedings according to an arbitrary schedule that will insure that the young parrot is weaned as early as possible. The huge problem with this practice is that hunger and anxiety become closely linked in the minds of baby parrots.

In the wild, no adult parrot wants a chick to be calling for food because this elicits the attention of predators. Babies are fed constantly, rarely ever wanting for food for long. Further, as more breeders allow their pairs to raise their young through weaning and fledging, observations accumulate that prove what we long suspected … that adult parrots will continue to feed their chicks even after they are weaned, apparently to provide reassurance or nurturing if the chick encounters a frightening experience as it becomes more independent. The chick not only does not experience hunger, but it receives feedings even when it only needs to be nurtured or reassured.

Contrast this reality with the common rearing practice of eliminating feedings according to a schedule, which can leave a parrot chick hungry for hours at a time, as he learns to manipulate food in order to feed himself. Further, to compound the anxiety caused by the hunger that he instinctively understands to be unnatural, he also receives no feedings simply for the purpose of reassurance as he meets the challenges of life in a pet store or new home. Thus, hunger and anxiety become inextricably and forever linked in the mind of the parrot.

I believe this is why so many adult parrots do not eat well when feeling anxious. In more consulting cases than I care to count, close questioning reveals a pattern of eating that results in a hungry bird. An anxious young parrot will eat enough to keep himself alive and maintain his weight, but will not eat enough to reach satiety, the point that usually brings a greater sense of relaxation. In many cases, a young bird weaned through deprivation weaning techniques will become food independent, but will have a permanent behavioral disability as a result.

 

[Cindylynn]

He is molting. And we put on our harness and have a little outside time everyday. So he is "light" on feathers where the harness rubs. But I feel like for how much he loves the outside, I can deal with imperfect feathers.

 

[Cindylynn]

Well, I refilled his food bowl (it wasn't empty, but apparently his favorites were gone ) and he immediately started eating and quit with the slow bob and twitch routine. So maybe it was hungry baby bird moves?

 

[Laurasea]

Molting has increased protein needs, and I "think" macaws have a higher protein fat need.
You can increase nuts, soaked and cooked legume, boiled egg with some shell, even a small amount boiled chicken likes about 2-3 inch strip. To help meet those needs.
Absolutely wonderful thst he us harness trained and gets time outside!@@

 

[Cindylynn]

Thank you so much!!!

 

[Kentuckienne]

Macaws need a higher calorie diet than some other parrots. In the wild, they would be eating lots of nuts. Our burbs won’t touch chop, but they both love Harrisons adult maintenance pepper formula. And the macaw gets more “Power Treats” which are higher calorie. The Amazon doesn’t need that - Amazons tend to get fat which can cause fatty liver disease and other problems. But the macaws seem to be able to metabolize the fats better. Also., feathers are made of proteins (keratin) so parrots need extra protein when molting. Any kind of meat or fish or cooked egg is good - they would eat insects and lizards etc in the wild, but those are harder to come by. There is some controversy about soy products. Some research says they can have a hormonal influence on parrots, some show they don’t.

 

[Cindylynn]

Thank you! Boiling him some eggs today!