Hi,
In the past week or so my 6-month-old male cockatiel seems to be really on edge.
He screams almost all the time, especially while preening. When he's on me, he acts like he's on crack and runs from one place to another. He just seems like he's on edge worried about something happening. He also started biting my finger and getting mad at me when I try to get him to step up, something he has never done before this (he is tame and trained to step up). He asks for scritches and appears like he's enjoying them but suddenly he will get angry and bite me, then begs for scritches again. The bites are not that hard and he has never drawn blood.
Our biggest issue is the pacing/moving nonstop like he's worried about something and the screaming (it's not whistling, flock calling, or singing, he's literally screaming). Otherwise, he is pooping normally, eating/drinking normally, and appears healthy if I don't count the raggedy look from all the feathers falling off.
He had a "mini?" molt two months ago for about three weeks, I could feel the pin feathers on his head and he only lost the small feathers during this time (body and head). The wing and tail feathers were not affected during that molt. A week ago it seems like his real molt began because all the big feathers on the wings and tail are falling and being replaced by new ones. I can still feel pin feathers on his head, but not in the same quantity as in the mini molt. Around the time he started the big molt, he also said his first word "peekaboo" and is badly singing "If You're Happy and You Know It" lol.
Is he going through puberty? Is he stressed out by the molt? He had a vet check-up last month and was in ideal health and weight.
Any insight would help.
Thanks
In the past week or so my 6-month-old male cockatiel seems to be really on edge.
He screams almost all the time, especially while preening. When he's on me, he acts like he's on crack and runs from one place to another. He just seems like he's on edge worried about something happening. He also started biting my finger and getting mad at me when I try to get him to step up, something he has never done before this (he is tame and trained to step up). He asks for scritches and appears like he's enjoying them but suddenly he will get angry and bite me, then begs for scritches again. The bites are not that hard and he has never drawn blood.
Our biggest issue is the pacing/moving nonstop like he's worried about something and the screaming (it's not whistling, flock calling, or singing, he's literally screaming). Otherwise, he is pooping normally, eating/drinking normally, and appears healthy if I don't count the raggedy look from all the feathers falling off.
He had a "mini?" molt two months ago for about three weeks, I could feel the pin feathers on his head and he only lost the small feathers during this time (body and head). The wing and tail feathers were not affected during that molt. A week ago it seems like his real molt began because all the big feathers on the wings and tail are falling and being replaced by new ones. I can still feel pin feathers on his head, but not in the same quantity as in the mini molt. Around the time he started the big molt, he also said his first word "peekaboo" and is badly singing "If You're Happy and You Know It" lol.
Is he going through puberty? Is he stressed out by the molt? He had a vet check-up last month and was in ideal health and weight.
Any insight would help.
Thanks
