I have had Lady for 1 week and i am concerned about her behaviour. She is a lovely young (07) hen , but she dose this thing where she almost rips her legs from their joints when doing over 180 degree turns while holding onto the cage wire.

 

 

She is doing this all the time, along with hard chewing on the wire.

 

Is she bored? Is she playing? Is she nutty?

 

I have seen birds do this on the odd occasion when confined to a small cage, but not to this extent. She likes to do it most when i come over to her and look at her.

 

I have felt her breast bone and she is under weight. Her poops are normal and she seems fine other wise. I have tried distracting her with millet, natural leaves and branches to chew, toys etc. - she ignores them all.

 

I don't want her to loose more weight because she is too "busy" to eat.

Edited April 15, 200817 yr by **Liv**

hmmm sorry not going to be much help... but look forward to seeing the responses... keep us posted on her weight and good luck.

Is she on her own at the moment? Maybe she is not coping with the loneness.

Yes she is on her own, she is in quarantine so she has 3 more weeks at least on her own.

She is just testing her limits Liv - seeing if she can find a weak spot to get out. Perhaps she is used to being in a bigger cage. It's possible she is frightened when you come around so tries anything she can to escape. Or perhaps she can hear the others and wants to be with them.

 

Squee did this for a good week or two before she settled down. She wasn't afraid of me however - she was just learning about her new environment, which was smaller than the aviary she came from.

I'm not sure what else you can do to distract her but I think if you give her some time she should settle down.

I think any bird that is used to a larger cage can act like this in a smaller cage, especially if they are not used to people.

 

Even in my breeding cages, I have birds that often look for a way out. Nibbler has worked out that if he hangs onto the perch with his feet really tight and flaps his wings really hard, he can simulate flight. Heaven help him if he ever lets go with those feet of his.

 

Nibbler and Hugo also went through a stage where they would get down on the floor of the cage and run from side to side, trying to find a way out.

 

I think it is natural for birds to do things to seek a way out. I agree about giving them time to settle.

My 2 that were in Birdy Jail did the same ..... I was waiting for them to spin the otherway LOL .....

Oh thats good to hear. I was starting to think she might have been a little loopy.

She came from an aviary and she can see all the others in my aviary, so I will move her to a new spot in the morning and hopefully it will settle the problem

i hope she settles down for you Liv, but i do love the photo of her :hap:

Coco did that when I first got him and I didn't have as many toys to keep him busy. I used to worry he was going to snap his legs off :hap: But he stoped after I think a few weeks to a month :fear

It's horrible to see :hap: it looks painful!

 

I can not find a spot to move her where she will be out of reach of the kids and out of sight of the aviary. I might do some budgie shuffling and empty my small aviary, so i can pop her in there instead. She is already thin. I'd like to breed with her later in the year so i don't want her to loose any more condition.

I have just rearrainged my entire flock, all for one precious little Lady hahahha

 

She now has the small aviary (which is away from the big one) all to her self, and she seems MUUUUUCH happier now.

 

 

 

Spoilt little miss

These aviary birds dont like small cages, do they