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Galah strange behavior

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Zelle

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Raspberry sometimes jerks his head and body in what looks like involuntary movements. I made this video for my Vet to view. I told her about it at Raspberry's last check up and she didn't seem to think it was anything to worry about. Has anyone seen this behavior before?

 

suncoast

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I don't know, that looks strange to me. Weird, almost like Parkinson's in a human. I noticed his wing was also flicking.

Ginger
 

igors mum

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that does look strange neither of my two galahs did anything like that.has he always done it . he almost seems afraid of something to me. also is he in the same cage with the macaw and grey?
 

Kristy

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I am viewing this on my old slow Apple computer and I can't see anything that odd on it.

But I will watch it again tomorrow on my work computer where I can study it better. All my Toos are odd so I have no idea what normal is anymore.:o:
 

Kimba

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IDK..... I would be worried about heavy metal toxicity, or maybe a calcium deficiency? I wouldn't see it as something to not be concerned about. Has this just started suddenly? How old is Raspberry? It really does look neurological in nature, the behavior is with out cause.....it's not breeding, or play behavior, or territorial behavior.........many things can cause neurological symptoms, metal and hypocalcemia are the two the come to mind. Hypervitaminosis (insert vitamin here) is also very likely. But there are many other things as well. How well do you trust your vet?
 
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Zelle

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that does look strange neither of my two galahs did anything like that.has he always done it . he almost seems afraid of something to me. also is he in the same cage with the macaw and grey?
He has his own cage. Sometimes he is in a 10' x10' cage with my B&G and my Grey but they get along great. I have a camera on them at all times so I can view them on my computer while I am working.
 

Zelle

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IDK..... I would be worried about heavy metal toxicity, or maybe a calcium deficiency? I wouldn't see it as something to not be concerned about. Has this just started suddenly? How old is Raspberry? It really does look neurological in nature, the behavior is with out cause.....it's not breeding, or play behavior, or territorial behavior.........many things can cause neurological symptoms, metal and hypocalcemia are the two the come to mind. Hypervitaminosis (insert vitamin here) is also very likely. But there are many other things as well. How well do you trust your vet?
Raspberry is 9 years old I think. I rescued him from PetSmart. He was bleeding from his behind and had to be stitched up. The store told me he was 6 months old but my Vet said he was much older. He has been doing the behavior for a few years. My Vet hasn't seen the video yet, this is the first time I was able to capture it on camera. She is a well renown Vet. from Santa Barbara, CA. I'm going to send her the video on Monday.

I'll make sure Raspberry gets foods with more calcium and Vitamin A. I don't think he has any heavy metals in or around his cage. He likes toys made of straw or paper that he can tear apart.
 

Kimba

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good that you trust your vet, I'm glad you are going to show it to your vet. Even if this has gone on for years.....it is still something that should be checked out. It could be many things, but you also might walk away without any answers........I will be very curious to hear what your vet has to say. I wouldn't change the diet just yet. You don't know of you have hyper or hypo vitamin issue (if it is a nutritional issue). If it is hyper....adding more would be a bad idea.
 

Sadieladie1994

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Does your bird eat pellets. Almost acts like toe tapping but it is head bobbin instead. My RB2 does not do this and never has.

Peggy
 

Greycloud

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My first thought was heavy metal poisening as I have experienced this before with a baby too I rescued. Also it looks like the beginnings of stargazing episodes which can be caused by metal toxicity. But I reread your thread and see he has been doing this for several years. Sometimes the ABV or PDD carriers can have symptoms of these diseases and not develop the full blown disease. I don't want to scare you but it is a form of nuerological disorder your bird is showing which can be caused by so many diseases or viruses. Since your bird has not gotten worse I think that is a good sign. But I would definitely have some bloodwork done to be on the safe side.
 
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allison

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I agree with the repetitive motion/obsessive motion theory. My friend has a rescued RB2 who does a lot of repetitive motions. He is now on Clomicalm perscribed by an avian vet and is doing much better. Here is my friend's RB2 Floyd. You can see him flicking his tongue, flipping his wings, and toe tapping. The video doesn't have sound, but he also does repetitive noises.
Edit to say: If it was a virus, it would be unlikely that your other bird would not have contracted it by now given their close proximity. I think it does have something to do with repetive motions which may be fixed with diet. My friend chose to go with the medical route, which is working for her.
 
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