CockatooCarl

Dealt with this for months. What finally worked was changing how I approach the cage and just being really patient. They come around eventually.

You're clearly a caring bird owner — the fact you're asking for help shows that. Your bird is lucky to have you.

Welcome to the forum! Great to have another bird lover from the GTA. Your African Grey sounds adorable — what's their personality like?

Great question! So in my experience with budgie, this usually comes down to a few things. First, stuffing paper towel rolls with treats for foraging. Second, make sure they're getting enough sleep — 12 hours of uninterrupted dark sleep is crucial. And third, pay attention to jealousy of a new person, pet, or even object in the home because that was a huge factor for my Pistachio. Hope that helps!

Revisiting this thread because I have more info now. After talking to my vet, they confirmed exactly what people here said. This community knows their stuff.

I struggled with this too until I started stuffing paper towel rolls with treats for foraging. Now it's like a completely different bird.

Totally normal, don't stress! Birds go through phases just like any other pet.

LOVE this post! More of this energy please. The bird community needs more positive threads like this.

Nice to meet you! Always great to connect with fellow bird owners. You're going to fit right in here!

Okay but counterpoint — what about birds that are the complete opposite? My Senegal parrot breaks every rule lol.

My Biscuit went through a phase like this around 15 years. I was terrified but it passed. Birds are weird sometimes lol.

Noticed a small red bump on my Hahn's macaw's foot. Could this be bumblefoot? I have varied perch sizes but maybe not enough natural wood. What should I do? Is this a vet emergency or can I treat at home?

Oh my bird did this for about about 10 days and I tried everything. Honestly, time was the biggest factor. They just grew out of it.

I've tried a bunch of brands and Hagen Tropican is hands down the best value. My Noodle devours it.

My Bean went through a phase like this around 10 years. I was terrified but it passed. Birds are weird sometimes lol.

So I had this exact problem about a year ago. Let me share what I learned. The key thing is getting a kitchen scale and weighing them weekly to track health. A lot of people also recommend rotating toys weekly so they always have something "new". My avian vet in downtown Toronto also suggested checking for stress from loud noises like construction which can sometimes be an underlying factor. Good luck — feel free to DM me if you have questions!

Can we start a support group for this? Because SAME.

Dealt with this for months. What finally worked was changing their perch layout and just being really patient. They come around eventually.

What does their diet look like? Sometimes these things are diet-related.

You're clearly a caring bird owner — the fact you're asking for help shows that. Your bird is lucky to have you.