silent parakeet

Question
I bought a parakeet four days ago and he doesn't make a peep.  He has skwaked a
couple times trying to get him out of his cage but thats it.  I was able to teach him to step
up but otherwise he is very inactive.  He stays in one spot on his favorite perch and if I
get him out of his cage he doesn't try to explore, he just sits until I try to
pick him up.  If he does move around outside his cage he is only trying to get
back into his cage.  Could he be ill?  Any suggestions on how to get him to be
more active and vocal?

Thanks,
Maggie


Answer
Hi Maggie,

I would assume that your bird is just very scared, and that is why he is so quiet and not very active. It might take weeks for him to settle in and feel more comfortable.

However, it is not a bad idea to get him checked out by a vet, because being quiet (for a bird that is normally vocal), or sleeping a lot, etc. can be symptoms of illness.

You can search for an avian vet near you at these websites:

http://www.parrotpro.com/avianlst.htm

http://www.birdsnways.com/articles/abvpvets.htm

and

www.aav.org

You can also read about evaluating a healthy bird, and the new bird exam in these articles:

http://www.companionparrot.com/evaluating_the_health_of_parrots.htm

http://www.companionparrot.com/New%20Bird%20Exam.htm

I hope this helps.

-Maggie