Puffy seems really unhappy and I don't know what to do

[Jaguar]

To preface, I adopted Puffy a little over a year ago. He wasn't abused, really, just heavily neglected. He's estimated to be about 4.

Things aren't going terrible, but they're just not going well. I've been trying to encourage him to come out of his cage, play with toys, try new things etc. but he's so incredibly phobic and I just can't get him out of his shell. He seems so bored. I never see "happy parrot" behaviors from him. He's a complete perch potato, and I have no doubts that's going to impact his health negatively in the future. He has little to no desire for social interaction from us or the other birds. He's also been overpreening and plucking down feathers for a while now, and I haven't been able to curb it. He has seen a vet for it, and it wasn't thought to be health related.

I just don't know what to do. It feels so awful to see him sitting in the same corner of his cage 24/7 doing absolutely nothing when I know there's a world of fun and exploration right in front of him. I just can't seem to get him to budge. I feel like I'm watching him self destruct... I'm terrified I'm going to wake up one day to him completely naked and mutilated.

Advice?

 

[camelotshadow]

I think just be patient & gentle with him.
Rio is a perch potato too & rarely plays with toys.
Some birds may just not be that into those things.

Leave the cage door open & put a perch on the door.

Not much you can do but talk sweet & soft & offer treats.
Sit by him & read a bit.

Try not to stress. Its not your fault.
Glad his feather picking is not physical.
Maybe a toy with some dangling leather strips?
They are pretty safe & maybe he can preen it.

People get depression so maybe birds can have it too.
Good diet is the best thing you can do for him & try to be calm around him as they pick up on our feelings.

Get a feeling of something that he seems to like or perks his interest & go from there.
Sometimes they just have to work it out in there own time...

 

[CrazyBirdChick]

I wish I had some good advice but all I could do is offer a hug.

I wonder if making him forage a little for his food would help? Maybe put a paper towel lightly wrapped over his food bowl? Idk

I hope someone else has some better advice

 

[iamwhoiam]

If you feel that he is phobic that can take time for a bird to overcome. Three of my red-bellies were "phobic" for at least 3 years give or take and I knew them from the egg stage. They would not come out of their cages, they would back away from me if I walked past their cages and they would hardly ever play with toys. They finally started to come out of it. Maybe they felt more confident, maybe the lightbulb went on in their brains that things were OK. I don't know. Now they like to come out of their cages, be petted, play with toys, talk and be silly. The key is patience and to not give up. Continue offering toys, hide food in toys, play with your other birds in front of him, sing to him, read to him, etc. I do not have experience with Quakers so maybe others who have them can give you more suggestions.@saroj12

Are you 100% sure that he never plays with anything? Do you have a means of observing him without him seeing you?

 

[Jaguar]

He used to play more than he does now. I used to find chew marks on the wood of his toys, or hear the occasional clinking sound of his AS toy, but everything has been untouched for at least the last 6 months

I have tried new toys, moving his cage to new locations, even tried a new cage... he's just so scared of everything, even simple foraging with a piece of paper towel or coffee filter would probably scare him away from eating at all. I cannot get him out of the cage without either scaring him out or a towel - his door was left open for 8+ hours a day with a perch and treat cup on the outside and he'd just cower in the furthest corner the entire time.

At this point I'm considering moving his cage into the living room full time, but he can be so bloody loud sometimes that I'm not really looking forward to it. I wish I could provide him a cage free area, but it's not possible with my current apartment.

 

[Kolkri]

My amazon took years to learn to play with toys. I gave him some cockatiel toys and he finally figured it out. He does not like wood toys much.
Is he getting enough light? How about some music? Have you tried some quaker sounds? Also might want to try keeping part of his cage covered so he feels safer.
Good luck.

 

[finchly]

Don't give up

Don't give up

Don't give up

This is how Ernie was; it took until year 2 to get him moving.
First thing I did was open the cage door, never to close it again, and put a nice perch on the outside. It took a long time but he'd come out, then run back in if he saw us looking. Now he comes out for scritches, and I hold his food dish out in the morning to let him choose his favorite things to eat, then the bowl goes into the cage with the rest (he won't take food from my hand on the perch).
I serve food from different locations in the cage to force him off that inside perch. I move toys. I purposely put scary things near his favorite spot so that he has to find a new place to sit.
Is there a toy he likes? Offer more of it, in different spots. Tie one on the top of the cage so he has to go upside down to get it. ETc etc.
Every time I find something he likes -- for instance, a 1" square piece of wood from blu's bird toys.... I offer several tied onto a rope, a few tied between other toys on a different rope, a few in his food dish (to toss out) and a couple in a foot toy box.
Keep offering different things. Rotate them out, and back in. Something might be ignored now and played with in 2 months. Ernie got a parrotlet toy from Avian Stainless (the big ones would be way to scary) and he loves it.

***I'm assuming you've ruled out medical conditions. Right?

 

[Jaguar]

He gives me mixed signals! He's super duper cage defensive... like, throwing himself at the bars hissing and trying to bite me if I'm even a few feet away kind of defensive. I guess I have to stop taking it personally.

I opened his cage door today and he rocketed out and landed on my bike. I stepped him up on my arm and he climbed up on my shoulder, so I brought him out to the living room where he jumped off and flew to his play stand. He hung out with us for a few hours. We gave him lots of treats, some millet and a bit of tortilla chip. He started getting kind of antsy and flew off in a panic when I stood up, so I stepped him up off the sofa and put him back in his other cage for bedtime.

I think I just need to get him in the living room permanently. Last time I tried it, he was right beside my desk, and every noise he made drove me bonkers. I think him being across the room might be a little better? I guess we'll find out. I'm going to make an OG order and get him his own oddball, a peek a buoy for foraging, and maybe the hanging anchor as well. I don't know how much he can really be out with the cat, but I think maybe I'll also get a small settee or something so she can snooze in the utility room for a few hours a day.

 

[metalstitcher]

That is how Bo is with me when I walk past his cage but only with me. He hisses at me and acts like he is going to try and kill me. But if I take him out and play with his AS toy in my hand he is a totally different bird. He does pluck and has times when he is a total perch potato so I know how you feel. I just leave the door open for him and hope he will just kinda do his own thing and sometimes he does and sometimes he doesn't. Then there are the times he thinks it's a good idea to track Gracie down and attack her while she is in her cage.

 

[Jaguar]

It's tough, isn't it.

I've always seen quakers described as bold and even boisterous. Puffy's a total chicken. Scared of his own shadow I think that's the only reason he even lets me handle him at all.

 

[metalstitcher]

It is tough because I want Bo to be happy and playful instead I have a bird who acts like he is out to kill me one minute and scared to death the next. I never know what I am going to get with him from one day to the next. He is perch trained but I can no longer get him to step up on to my hand without him trying to rip my finger off so I don't go there. We found the new food we have been giving him is doing wonders though. He hasn't been plucking as much so I see that as a good sign and he chows down on it. We got the Lafaber pellets for cockatiels. He wouldn't eat anything but seeds for the longest time but he finally made the switch. I though it would never happen. Just be patient and in time he will make progress at least Puffy is young. I am still trying with Bo and he is going to be turning 16 this weekend lol. I am not going to give up on that little booger if it's the last thing I do.

 

[Jaguar]

His plucking seems to have mostly subsided. It can get pretty cool in his room at night so I think he's finally kicked into winter mode. I honestly really do think he wants to be social with me. I had him out on the tree tonight while I was on the sofa, and twice he re positioned himself so he could see me when I was laying down. Just wish he'd stop being such a butt about his cage

 

[fidsmom]

Have you tried foraging toys for him, ? Bubba 1 of my Quakers, Loves playing with his box, at bottom of cage, He loves to drag his foot toys in thee, and even thou he has many toys in his cage, he prefers playing at bottom of his cage with his box , foot toys and plastic jar lid. Some Quakers, are cage agressive, Luckly, none of mine are, as when they are out, they go visit each others cages. i see you have other birds, Is he in same room with them ? Maybe if in same room, with them, he would be more happier?

 

[Jaguar]

He was soooo close to stepping up from his cage today. Came to the door, put his beak on my arm to steady himself, then backed away. Next time! We are close to a breakthrough.

 

[cassiesdad]

He was soooo close to stepping up from his cage today. Came to the door, put his beak on my arm to steady himself, then backed away. Next time! We are close to a breakthrough.

Small birdie steps...