New Bird

Question
I just purchased my parakeet yesterday. She is small and looks
young. She doesn't really fly around ( she stays perched most of
the time) nor does she talk very much and I'm not sure if this is
a quality due to her youth, I have a shy bird or if she's ill. I
purchased a book from the petshop and they mentioned birds
who aren't active are probably ill but she does walk around a lot
when I let her roam and she eats all the time. Another thing is
when she is in her cage she faces the wall when she's not eating.
Could she just be moody?sad? shy? or is this something I should
be concerned about and take her to a vet? or am I simply
overreacting?
:)
Thanks!
Frances

Answer
Hi Frances,

Many birds who are stressed from being in a new environment and away from their birdie friends at the pet store or breeder will be very quiet and seem less active. As she settles in, you will probably hear her volume increase and her activity level pick up. However, if you see symptoms of illness like sleeping during the day (especially if she is fluffed up), discharge from her eyes or nose, a dirty vent, etc. then you should bring her into an avian vet asap! However, it is always a good idea to take a new bird into the vet for a general check up (and then once a year after that).

Her flight feathers are problably clipped, so that is why you don't see her flying around. (Most, if not all, pet stores and breeders clip their baby birds before sending them home. This is not always true, but is the general practice). However, her wings will grow back in, and need to be trimmed regularly to keep her from flying. This will help avoid accidents that might injure or kill your bird when she is out of the cage. (flying into mirrors, bowls of water, onto the stove, flying to wood-work or houseplants and then chewing on them, etc.)

I hope this helps.

You can check out these websites for more information on birds and their care:

www.companionparrot.com
www.wingedwisdom.com
www.forthebirdsDVM.com

-Maggie