my conure is fluffing up his feathers for quite a long time.

[cucumber!]

my conure is a dusky-headed conure. he is fluffing his feathers for quite a while and doesn't 'unfluff' them. he is also lethargic and sleepy when usually he will be crawling around the cage. he is now sleeping (or closing his eyes) while perched outside the cage, which he wouldn't usually do. he also keeps scratching the underside of his wings or vent (he doesn't let me see where he's scratching), and bites/preens (?) his feet. (so after scratching, he would bite his feet/clean them.)

when i gave him pellets, he unfluffed and started eating. he also drank some water. after a while his feathers started fluffing up again and he got lethargic again.

attached is the video (IMG_9920.mov) and (IMG_9921.mov) of him.

is anything wrong with him? I've had him for a week now (i bought him last Saturday).

 

[Pat H]

Whether it's my lack of computer knowledge or whatever-- I can't get either of the videos to play.. just shows a black screen and never starts...

But-- WELCOME to the Avenue!!!

 

[Ripshod]

1. Where's his toys? He looks bored.
2. Don't pet his back, this can trigger things you don't want and can frustrate him.
3. You may want to get rid of that pink pouch thing. Can make them nesty.

I don't see anything in the videos that you described. He's preening - and bored. That looks a small cage for a conure.

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Hormonal Behavior in Companion Parrots

All parrots will get hormonal at times. This is a normal natural process. The challenge, however, is greater with some parrots than with other species.

www.beautyofbirds.com

^^^look at the section on triggers

 

[A.K]

In my experience with budgies - keep it mind it may be different with conures - closing their eyes is a good sign. What your conure is doing with his eyes, I’ve seen in my previous budgies, and it meant they were relaxed and happy. He doesn’t appear to be puffed up, the way he would if he was sick, but feathers do ‘puff’ a little when preening. Don’t pet him on his backside like you were, but I know some birds enjoy head scratches, so try that instead. Seems to me like he’s bored. I didn’t see many toys inside his cage, and for me, when I take my birds out, it’s play time! All the toys that aren’t in their cage, are waiting to be destroyed outside. Also, look to buy a play gym, where he can perch and play when out of the cage, otherwise, he’s doing the same thing he was inside the cage, preening and sleeping. Do get rid of that pink pouch as well… What is it? A Happy Hut? Happy Huts are very dangerous for birds, so please get rid of it.

But,

 

[Teckechick]

+1 to everything that @Ripshod stated. He needs toys, a bigger cage, Stop the petting, and get rid of some of the dowel rod perches. If you haven't had a vet check yet that is a really really great thing to get done as well.

A bit on why you should change these things...

Toys- Birds need wood to chew and toys to play with. The chewing of wood helps keep their beaks in shape/healthy and provides enrichment which helps boredom and destructive behaviors among other things.
Here is one of our forums on Cages and Toys, there is a DIY section on how to make fun safe toys. Toys & Cages Bypass We also have several vendors that sell really great safe toys at reasonable prices for birds. The Marketplace

Cage- Birds need as much room as you can give them as they are use to flying miles a day. Your birds current cage is not big enough for a Conure. The smallest your cage should be is 24in X 24in X 24in with bar spacing of 1/2 inch or less. The rule we like to go by is get the biggest cage you have the space for and can afford that has the proper bar spacing for your bird. Bar spacing is important because your bird can get its head stuck between the bars if not spaced properly. You can find used cages at many places as well such as craigslist, facebook marketplace, and we have members post on here as well with cages for sale from time to time. The Flea Market

Petting- The petting you were doing can cause hormone issues and behaviors in your bird. Birds should only be petted on the head or feet. Don't stroke other parts of your bird as it can cause you a real problem down the road.
Sex and the Psittacine

Perches- The dowel rod perches you have in your cage can cause issues with your birds feet. Dowel perches are straight, smooth, and generally the same size which is why they can cause problems with feet. Remove a few of the dowel perches and put in wood branch type perches, rope, or stone to mix it up a bit.

Are Dowel Perches Bad For Birds? Here Is The Truth

Dowel perches usually come in the price that you pay for a regular cage for your pet birds. But with other perches available in the market, dowel perches

beakcraze.com

Perches For Birds | VCA Animal Hospitals

 

[LovieLouie]

You have gotten some great info from other members. I have a black capped conure and he is a busy bird who loves loves loves toys all different kinds of toys. Conures just love to play and explore ..well at least mine does.

 

[cucumber!]

hello,

thanks for the feedback! i'm still searching for the right cage, and waiting for the perches to come, this cage came with the bird so I'm using it for the time being...

i was asking about the fluffing because i read that fluffing throughout the day might mean something, apparently i was overthinking, the weather was just pretty cold, it had been raining the entire week. I've just made a toy for him, it's made out of popsicle sticks, hopefully that's fine right? will he swallow the pieces of wood that he chewed?

cucumber likes to go in that pink pouch to sleep, though... may i ask why it should be removed?

thanks for the comments! I'm new to bird-owning, so I'll do more research in order to give the best for cucumber

 

[cucumber!]

(writing here because my time limit for editing has expired) cucumber is 3 months old. I've read the article about hormonal triggers, but i would like to ask, would hormonal behaviours come at his age? he's quite young. is the pink pouch thing acting like a nest for him? do males nest? he's been sleeping like that for a week now, so if i remove it, will there be any problems? do conures sleep standing/perched? (it might sound like a stupid question, but yeah.)

thank you!

 

[Ripshod]

My concern over the pouch is mainly the material it's made from. As parrots grow older they start preening the soft things that they like and can injest the fibres. Chances are he'll likely want to hump it as well when he matures. I don't know what the proper name is but there are little snuggle things you can attach to the bars at the end of their perches - they snuggle against them rather than climb in. I'm sure someone will link one for you, I'm across the pond.
Popsicle sticks are great for chewing on, but it's down to you to keep an eye on him to make sure he's not swallowing. If it turns out you enjoy making him toys have a look on our vendors' forum fo parts and ideas.

The Marketplace

A place to share your favorite places to shop for bird supplies

forums.avianavenue.com

 

[A.K]

hello,

thanks for the feedback! i'm still searching for the right cage, and waiting for the perches to come, this cage came with the bird so I'm using it for the time being...

i was asking about the fluffing because i read that fluffing throughout the day might mean something, apparently i was overthinking, the weather was just pretty cold, it had been raining the entire week. I've just made a toy for him, it's made out of popsicle sticks, hopefully that's fine right? will he swallow the pieces of wood that he chewed?

cucumber likes to go in that pink pouch to sleep, though... may i ask why it should be removed?

thanks for the comments! I'm new to bird-owning, so I'll do more research in order to give the best for cucumber

Can you tell us exactly what that pouch is? Like Ripshod said, there are the dangers he’ll pull out a thread, and choke. I’ve hear many horror stories of them dying because of these pouches. They can get tangled in them. Conures and other birds do sleep standing up, that’s their natural position. I don’t think he’ll have any problem adjusting, because all birds sleep standing up.

 

[LovieLouie]

When my conure was young he liked to sleep on one of those seagrass mat toys. Really though he sleeps all over the place. Lately he hangs from the bars inbetween a toy and the bars or hangs off the side of a platform perch with the same toy behind him. he has plenty of platforms and perches to choose from but he chooses to hang onto the bars lol

 

[FeatheredM]

I don't think there is wrong with his fluffiness, most birds have their normal fluffy level. But he deos seem bored, he needs more to do.

 

[Spearmint]

Hello! As of the pouch, I'll share you my experience. I'm sure you've probably changed it but my internet isn't working the best right now so I cant see the whole thread. I was also under the impression my conure, a male too, loved sleeping in it. I felt guilty to take it out. That's when one morning I woke up to see his foot stuff around the fabric! If I hadn't gone down right then he wouldn't be here now.
Birds have a tendon in their foot that allows them to sleep comfortably throughout the night on a perch. Its safer, and because the pouch mimics a nest, it can start hormonal behaviours, such as sexual frustration and psychological irritation. AS for the patting on the back, the same thing with that. Its pretty much sending off mating signals to your bird, keep it to the head only. Def get a larger cage, natural perches, veggies and pellets if he's on an only seed diet, and even a vet check-up would do him wonders. Best of luck!

 

[HemlokHex]

My concern over the pouch is mainly the material it's made from. As parrots grow older they start preening the soft things that they like and can injest the fibres. Chances are he'll likely want to hump it as well when he matures. I don't know what the proper name is but there are little snuggle things you can attach to the bars at the end of their perches - they snuggle against them rather than climb in. I'm sure someone will link one for you, I'm across the pond.
Popsicle sticks are great for chewing on, but it's down to you to keep an eye on him to make sure he's not swallowing. If it turns out you enjoy making him toys have a look on our vendors' forum fo parts and ideas.

The Marketplace

A place to share your favorite places to shop for bird supplies

forums.avianavenue.com

I had a conure (my first) tangle his feet in a fibre dislodged from a sleeping hut. Luckily I saw and removed it immediately, as it could have cut in, caused circulation issues, and eventually amputated feet or toes.
Those sleepy huts are lethal. I now use coconut/sisal fibre cylinders instead, or simply nothing.
Birds don't need a nest unless they are nesting (breeding)!