Quaker parrot feathers and bobbing??plz help!

Question

I had asked a question previously about a quaker parrot that some lady gave to me, she found him in her driveway and took him to the pet store, saw me there and asked me if i wanted it.... i took it and it is extremely tame and didn't have its wings clipped and still didn't fly away. but all he does and it is getting worse is he nods his head really fast, my last question was in regards to this and they said it is possible it is a young bird and has not been fully weaned. he has been eating good and i attached some pics to see if you all knew about how old he was. his stomach has little fluffy feather almost like baby feather but i think he has been plucking a little as well so i am not sure if those feather are just showing cuz he plucked himself. well just take a look at the pics and let me know if u might know why he is nodding so much. thanks

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y280/whitecuty/yjghkyf.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y280/whitecuty/xdhnfghf.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y280/whitecuty/rduitfkuytf.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y280/whitecuty/htjjhvjmh.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y280/whitecuty/5u56e75e.jpg

Answer 1

Take it to the vet?

Answer 2

From your last photo, it looks like the Quaker DOES have it's feathers clipped; you can see the cut off white quill stems under the green feathers, the blue flight feathers should extend well past the green ones. It does look young, maybe a year to a few years. How long have you had the bird? The head bobbing might be part of the stress of having a new home to adjust to; it usually takes upwards of a week (maybe 3 or even a month) for a bird to completely adjust to it's new home and it's new owner. It's also an attention getter for birds. Talk to it lots.

The bird might be molting (which explains the fluffy feathers poking out); does it also have the little fluffy grey feathers on it's back, poking out from under the wing? If you can, feel around the head, belly and neck area, do you feel little spiky things poking out from the skin? If you do, these are new feathers growing in. Molting is always uncomfortable for birds; try misting it with a little water or get it to take a bath. Don't force it in water, let the bird decide if it wants to wash or not.

All in all, take it to an avian vet if you can. New birds can always have problems, especially if it was found outside. I know sometimes it can get expensive, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

Answer 3

Your bird looks like it maybe alittle over a year old. As for the feathers, Have you seen it plucking? The feather plucking could be from being in new surroundings, Show it alot of attention to make it feel safer. If not it maybe just finishing up molting. As for the head noding, the ones I have owned has done the samething.                It's was a way of letting me know they wanted attention.  

Answer 4

It could be a number of things. If the bird is fully grown but does not know how to fly it could be that he has been kept in a small cage most of his life and just does not know he can fly. His bobbing could be for the same reason kind of like a caged tiger pacing the front of the cage for hours. Birds in the parrot family are highly intelligent and being caged without company is very hard on them and some will actually go "crazy".

What baffles me though if he does not know how to fly how did he get into  the ladies driveway? My guess would be that he flew away from somewhere. So the other option would be you got a sick bird that is not tame but too sick to move. Probably another reason why the lady was actually able to catch him. I would take the bird to a vet who specializes in birds for a check up. It is a good idea for any bird you take in and really know nothing about. It is for your own good too since birds can be carriers of a number of a diseases which can spread to humans.

BTW I can't really tell much from your pictures. Sorry. Plucking feathers as you think he is could also be a sign of frustration.