We are desperate

Have been doing that singing his favourite songs quietly and talking to him. Trying to appear as normal as possible but he gets so anxious.
 
I do not know how your bird responds to new toys? if you move the toys you know he likes to the out side of his cage and put some new ones inside this may encourage him to go out side of his cage, ok the problem you may find is that he will not want to go back inside, if this happens then you may have too revert back to the way the cage was. I think it is important that you carry on as you used to do in the room he is in, ignore his groans and just be your self, just giving him a glance and a little attention at times. think back have you moved him and his cage to a different place? if he is not near a window try to see if he will settle better there as the activity outside may help to keep his mind occupied. I am afraid its going to be trial and error, you will need a lot of patients , with Molly she did not start to settle until I changed her cage.
 
Hi Jules, sorry this is happening with Flurry. Sounds like he has paired you with his pain which has escalated into phobia. I'd treat him as if he was a new, untame bird. Go right back to the beginning. He might be less anxious if you get down really low when you clean out his cage. That's what I used to do with my untame Amazon, Ollie. Reason being birds feel safer higher up where they can more easily spot predators. He can't get any higher in his cage, but you can get lower.

Have you thought about temporarily changing your appearances? Wearing a hat/glasses/different clothes? I know a trainer who worked in a zoo. There was a monkey that hated her... would attack. She piled her long hair under a hat to change her appearance and walked through his enclosure with fruit he liked. Gradually over months, she began to pull more and more hair down out of the hat until eventually she was able to dispense with the hat altogether. The monkey was now pairing her with the lovely fruit she gave him each time she walked by. They were now friends.

To gain trust you want to pair yourselves with good experiences. For the moment, that might mean keeping as far away so that his body language remains relaxed. You will be pairing the feeling of being relaxed with yourselves. Then work on getting gradually closer over the weeks. You also might want to be careful with direct eye contact as that can send a timid bird into a melt down as it used to with my Ollie. Just take quick glances showing just one side of your face so that you don't look like a predator (two eyes on the front of your head). With Ollie I progressed to looking at him with just one eye. Also with Ollie he would be fearful at my direct approach so when I wasn't using negative reinforcement to approach, I would zig zag to his cage. In the end I made a game of it and pretended to creep up on him hiding badly behind plants and furniture... he loved it and would display at me (breakthrough!).

Also try to get rid of your own fear and anxiety - they can certainly pick it up. If you are anxious, they are thinking, "OMG - why is he/she so upset? Something awful must be about to happen that I too need to be afraid of." What does Flurry make of music and silliness? Maybe not yet, but that could be something you could aim for too... something to relax you all.

Hoping his wing heals because of course he will be associating you with any pain if you happen to be nearby and he goes and flaps. I have a friend in the US with a Quaker with the same sort of underwing injury. I will ask her for some more details of what she went through - I know it went on for a long time with multiple vet visits.
 
Thank you Ros. I do keep as low as possible and rather than walk direct to him, I do zig zag across talking quietly to him all the time, telling him that I have got nice grapes and palm nuts, which are his favourites. He doesn't like hats so can't put a hat on. I have tried different items of clothing. He just really freaks out as soon as he knows you are coming by his cage. He associates his pain with us and taking him to the vet. It's so difficult for him and I just hate to see my baby so stressed at something I'm doing. At what point is the stress too much for him, would he be happier with new people or would that be even more stressful. I just want the best for him. If I thought he would be happier with someone else, I would gladly pay for his upkeep. I want him to be the happy boy he once was. Thank you for your help and advice.
 
if only I had a crystal ball to answer your thoughts. so lets first look at things from your birds side, He did not like the experience and pain he is or has gone through, to be honest I doubt if even he knows what happened. what he dose know is the first person he saw was you and /or your partner. it has frightened him and yes he may be blaming you for the accident this situation is not uncommon. will he be better off with some one different, your guess is as good as mine but you can try a few experiments. get some one to visit you whom the bird dose not know . get the person to approach your bird slowly and calmly and just watch your birds reaction. is it the same as he reacts with you? if that is the case then he is defiantly better with you. ok I have taken on and helped owner to over come a birds fright and the feeling of insecurity but it can take time.

please try this experiment and let us know the results. one other thing I will suggest is to get your bird a nest box, you may ask why. if he is that frightened it will give him an extra place of him feeling safe and secure, a place he can hide in and a chance to stay calm even if you are in the room. you must never disturb him if he goes in to his box and remember his box is his safe and secure place.

I have worked with many needing birds and it is only by trying different methods that you will find there is a way he will accept you and gain trust but this can take time and needs a lot of understanding and patients from you, good luck
 
Thank you Ros. I do keep as low as possible and rather than walk direct to him, I do zig zag across talking quietly to him all the time, telling him that I have got nice grapes and palm nuts, which are his favourites. He doesn't like hats so can't put a hat on. I have tried different items of clothing. He just really freaks out as soon as he knows you are coming by his cage. He associates his pain with us and taking him to the vet. It's so difficult for him and I just hate to see my baby so stressed at something I'm doing. At what point is the stress too much for him, would he be happier with new people or would that be even more stressful. I just want the best for him. If I thought he would be happier with someone else, I would gladly pay for his upkeep. I want him to be the happy boy he once was. Thank you for your help and advice.
If he freaks out only go as far towards the cage for his body language to remain relaxed. And when cleaning him out or changing food bowls keep as low as you can without eye contact. The more he can associate you with his relaxed body language the better. Every time he freaks you lose that trust again so just go really slow. In fact I would stop direct eye contact completely for the time being. See if you can notice what you are all doing when he relaxes and try to increase those times. Don’t try to take him treats for now if it makes him uneasy. It sounds like he doesn’t want your close attention right now and that’s ok. Include him gradually from across the room.

Stick to a routine. Routines give the bird confidence as he knows what to expect. You on the other hand expect nothing from him. I don’t think another home is a good idea as not only will he have lost the flock he was with, his whole environment and routine will have changed.
 
Sorry you are having a tough time and I agree that moving him sounds like a bad idea. I'm sure you'll find a path back to a good relationship with him. He's lucky to have such a caring owner.
 
I asked my US friend about her Quaker and she came back with: "It was Tunia with the sore in her wingpit. It was horribly traumatic for her and me to have her collared for 6 very long wks while it healed. I don’t recall the name of her meds, but prob an anti-fungal. With a diff bird 20 yrs ago, the meds contained a drying agent that worked well. Sorry for my lack of info, but you can surely convey great sympathy. The poor birdie." The good thing is that it is healed now.

What is Flurry's diet like? Is he getting a complete protein - which is necessary for the body to heal? Here's something I found on Google about nutrients essential for healing. Vit A (in the form of beta carotene is vital for parrots ill or not):
https://advancedtissue.com/2015/07/nutrients-essential-for-wound-healing/
Have you tried sprouting grains and legumes? This is the ultimate nutrition. They not only provide vitamins and minerals but enzymes too.

I am wondering if you could add Omega 3 oils to his diet. They are anti-inflammatory. Best sources are flax oil, freshly ground flax seed and walnuts. I am also thinking of holistic remedies... Bach Flower Remedies, Homeopathic remedies, I use Essential Oils for my birds, but you have to be careful as nearly all oils are not 100% pure even though they say they are on the label. I use Young Living or maybe DoTerra if pushed and diffuse a very small quantity in a cold water diffuser. I'm currently looking into homeopathic remedies for one of my Amazons who very likely has PDD/ABG and the vet can do no more for him.
 
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Dear all it is with a broken heart I have to tell you Flurry started to act even more strangely yesterday, tremors, and looked like he was hallucinating, then a seizure. Got him to vets yesterday morning but he passed away. Vet believes he had a brain tumour or haemorrhage. We are absolutely devastated. We saw our boy go from a loveable interactive parrot to this terrible condition in such a short space of time. It has been heartbreaking. Thank you to all you wonderful people for your advice. Your parrots are lucky to have you. Bless you all.
 
I'm terribly sorry to hear this news. You can take some comfort in the fact that his strange behaviour was nothing to do with you and could not be helped. He no doubt had a better life than most captive greys, and was lucky to have such a caring owner.
 
Oh no @Jules4 that is so very sad I am sorry to hear this. You have looked after him so well and sought help & advice to help him, it was not to be,bless him, fly free now Flurry go find my Tommy who passed 3 weeks today xx
 
Oh no @Jules4 that is so very sad I am sorry to hear this. You have looked after him so well and sought help & advice to help him, it was not to be,bless him, fly free now Flurry go find my Tommy who passed 3 weeks today xx
Thank you Diana, sorry for your loss too. There is such a void in our lives. These beautiful birds deserve the best we can give them, I just hope I did. One day I shall meet my flurry at the rainbow Bridge, with my beloved dog Prince who passed away 11 years ago whom flurry loved too.
 
I'm terribly sorry to hear this news. You can take some comfort in the fact that his strange behaviour was nothing to do with you and could not be helped. He no doubt had a better life than most captive greys, and was lucky to have such a caring owner.
Thank you for your reassuring and kind words. Such a void in our lives.
 
I am very saddened by your loss, fly free to rainbow bridge Flurry, I was wishing there was not another underlying medical problem that was causing him to change so much, I am thinking back and thinking could your bird had a stroke, some thing your vet may of thought was the cause by looking at both eyes and may be why they said what they said. you have done your best for Flurry and at least he was in a place he knows. our thoughts are with you as most of us have had the sad loss and just know how much of a hole it will make in your harts and home. thank you for making his life so happy and caring for him so well, we will always be here to support you and your other half xx
 
Awwwww so very sorry, Jules. Sounds like his underlying medical condition was much to do with his behaviour. You did all you could to help him.

Fly high and free, Flurry with your beloved friend Prince xx
 
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