Strange Behaviour

[nfmgirl]

A couple of times recently Odie has displayed some strange behaviour. On both occasions he started and flitted to the ground. After I got him to step up, he holds his right wing up and squawks a lot, like his wing is messed up. Sort of like when they mess their feathers up and are trying to fix them. He'll get really irritable and bite at me and squawk a lot. Tonight he was lifting his right foot at the same time as his right wing.

After twenty seconds or so of this, I startled him with a sudden hand movement and he stopped.

It was as if he had an itch that was driving him nuts, and he was trying to figure out how to scratch it. But I am really wondering if this is some sort of weird mating behaviour, or something? I never saw my last lovebird do anything like this before, so I am not sure what to make of it.

Any ideas? After I got him to stop doing it, he became REALLY lovey-dovey, putting his head down against my thumb and finger for me to rub his head between them. I'm wondering whether this is some sort of weird courtship he's taking me through, or just one of his temper tantrums that he has on occasion.

[Mydoona]

Is he clipped? My Keiko does the wing thing but out of frustration that my oher bird can fly and he can't yet...he tries and goes straight to the floor.

[nfmgirl]

Thanks for the response. I don't think that is what is going on here. I know the behaviour you are referring to, and that isn't what I'm seeing. The first time he did it, I thought maybe he had hurt his wing when he flitted to the floor (yes, his wings are clipped. They were already clipped at the pet store, and it is probably something of a hack job). He actually holds his wing up and sort of trembles while he screams and squawks, and gets really nippy.

This last time, this behaviour was accompanied by him holding up his right foot along with his right wing. As I said, immediately afterwards when I startled him to get him to stop it and settle down he became extremely "lovey-dovey", rubbing his face on my fingers.

Odd little guy, he is. (Or she is. Nothing to indicate yet that it is a female instead of my supposed male).

[Jally]

My lovie does this exact same thing!! I believe it is due to the clip; when he is going thru a molt at the same time as a clip is growing out, it hurts.

ETA that I did ask a vet about it, and she said that it sounds like a particularly painful molt. Molting hurts :(

[nfmgirl]

Hmmmm. Curious. I wonder if that could be it. Both times it has been his right wing, so maybe there is a feather coming in that it hurting him, and he was raising up his right leg trying to figure out how to scratch it or somehow make it stop.

I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, Jally!

[michael]

Hi Heather. Sometimes birds will stretch if their not getting quite enough activity. Some parrots will also stretch one wing and one foot on the same side of their body because it simply feels good. Really, it doesn't sound like either courting or temper related behavior. My concern is your mention of how he "started and flitted to the ground". This to me is something that should only happen rarely once their free to fly from their cage. I also agree it could be the result of a poorly done wing clip which could cause some feathers to grow "in or out" unevenly or become displaced. None the less, you will have to use your best judgement on whether this is from pain or some other irritation and act accordingly.

[nfmgirl]

Hi, Michael! Thank you for the response. No, what I'm seeing isn't stretching behaviour. I'm very familiar with this (and always make sure to hold still while he does it, so as not to put him off balance).

He is very upset when he displays this behaviour, his wing is lifted but not outstretched, sort of trembling. He lifts and lowers it over and over, like he is in pain and trying to figure out how to stop it. It reminds me of how a bird may act after they get their wing hung up in the cage bars.

This last time he lifted his foot at the same time and kept moving it around, sort of reaching out with it. He would act like a parrot wanting to reach out and grab your finger with their foot. Then he stopped the whole episode and got REALLY sweet. Very weird.

Both times it has happened after I was holding him and he suddenly jumped off my hand and flitted to the ground with a *thunk*. Perhaps there is a feather causing him discomfort, and when it happens it may cause him to start and fall to the ground. Then he may cry for twenty seconds from the pain until it passes.

That is the best explanation I've found so far that could explain what I'm seeing. It's disconcerting when it happens, because I feel as if he is feeling some sort of discomfort and I am helpless to stop it. Then as quickly as it begins, it stops. His wing looks fine, and I haven't spotted any problem.

Guess I'll just have to keep watching him. Thanks all!

[Cindy N.]

Hello Heather,

I notice the same with some of my birds, when they are clipped and have displaced some feathers in their wings, other times they have actually hurt themselves by beating their wings and hitting something.

I have also noticed that in my PF line, some of the babies, who have dark factors, seem sensitive to being petted on their wings and hold both wings upwards when I pick them up or touch their wings.

Cindy

[nfmgirl]

I notice the same with some of my birds, when they are clipped and have displaced some feathers in their wings, other times they have actually hurt themselves by beating their wings and hitting something.

Yes, this is what it reminds me of. My tiel used to sometimes bang her wings on the cage during a night-fright, or on a couple of occasions she actually got her wing hung up in the cage and was hanging from her wing (thank God I was home on these occasions, and I was able to extricate her before she died from a heart attack). The way he holds his wing is similar to a bird trying to realign it's displaced feathers, but he is WAY more irritated and upset when doing it than I've ever seen in any of my other birds.

The painful feathers is my best explanation so far that seems to fit what I'm seeing (I wish I could get video of the display to better explain the behaviour I've been describing).

Thanks all for the input!