# Screaming at foot...



## RitzieAnn (Nov 18, 2007)

Hi guys! Haven't been on in a while, and I wasn't sure where exactly to put this.... but I've got a question about Reno, my 25 year old

He likes to put his mouth on his foot... then he'll pick up his foot (with it still in his mouth) and he'll scream "eh eh eh eh eh" and smack his foot on the perch.

:wacko:

Any ideas? The noise is udderly annoying, and it drives me nuts. The behavior is hit and miss. This morning he was doing it. I told him to stop it, then I went and fixed my hair, and came back and he was tellin me how pretty he was.

I'll try emailing his previous owner (she had him for 14 years) but I'm not sure if I still have her email address...

Do any of you have birds who grab their foot, scream at it and smack it onto their perches???


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## Bea (Jul 26, 2007)

:lol: I've never heard anything quite like it! Aly's boy Ziggy talks to his foot, but doesn't scream at it and bang it. Maybe it's just a new game he's developed.


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## Laura (Jul 30, 2007)

I have never heard of that either, thats a new one for me, I know some talk to there foot but not screaming and banging it, hopefully its a game that will pass, I would ignore the behaviour any attention you bring to the behaviour whether positive or negative will just fuel it, you could try distracting him when he starts making this noise get him to step up or offer him a toy to take his attention away from what he was doing.


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

I have never heard of that either. Mabey give him a new toy that he can beat up instead


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## RitzieAnn (Nov 18, 2007)

I hope this is NOT a game.... he's done it since I've had him.... I would assume before so too, but I'm not positive.

I did read about Ziggy talking to his foot... there was a video, right? 

Reno doesn't really want toys. He swings on the swing... and sometimes will touch a toy with his mouth, but really, he just likes to sit.... and eat. And do nothing else. He's old. 

The bummer is that Reno has taught Boomer things. Not only is Boomer now saying "Reno, such a pretty Reno" But now he's screaming that "eh eh eh eh" scream.

I usually whistle something nice, or meow, and then they'll either be quiet or they'll whistle the nice one, or Boomer will usually start meowing.

I can handle talking, nice whistles, and excessive meowing, but when they scream like you're killing them, that's a NO NO in our place. We're in an apartment complex, and of course we face the parking lot, which echos because it's in the middle of like 5 buildings. It's ok if I keep all the windows shut.


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

Mabey give him some chew toys anyway. Just because your old doen't mean you can't have some fun  My cats are 13 they will play for a minute then give up and go take a nap, cats are lazy though


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

Hey...
My Ziggy does seem to have a serious foot fetish...along the same lines as you described. He often picks up his foot and talks to it, sometimes doing that loud cak sound as if he's yelling at it for something. He also likes to stick his foot in his mouth and just sit there...he does it pretty regularly. I did post a small video of him but that was just one part of it..he does more now. He doesn't bang it against anything, actually what mine is doing is quite harmless...just being silly.


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## RitzieAnn (Nov 18, 2007)

Well, he's in the cage with my other three, and they've got:
2 swings
2 "arches" that have popcicle sticks
2 pear branches that they pull the bark off of
one store bought toy that came with Reno & Cousteau. (only Cousteau uses it, and it's to rub his head, since he won't let me touch it! LOL)
There is also a store toy with wooden stars and a bell.
2 toys I made with wood blocks, and "crispy chews"
1 mirror with bell
1 toy made with cardboard (cut tp rounds on a string)
1 rafia toy held together by bead

Reno doesn't play with them. Sometimes he'll mouth the rafia toy, but then he stops. I think he likes the swings, but it's getting hard for him to get on and off of them. I've got one really close to the wall of the cage. So, yes, unfortunately it's a situation of him NOT playing with them, as opposed to me not providing them. There's lots of toys for them, he just doesn't want them.

Reno is the lightest of the 4 now (and I did hang some mineral blocks in the cage, as you guys recommended in another thread of mine) Poor old guy.... I was talking to our local bird shop (which apparently is like "THE" place to go for bird needs around her... and I said "25" and they all were excited because that's really old! I know average is 15-22 or something. And for sure he IS 25.


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

I bought my cats toy mice for christmas this year :wacko: Not sure why they don't play anymore either. I hope Spike lives to be 25 years old, no wait at least 100  I guess your doing all you can do, I would just make sure he does not hurt his foot. Iam not sure how he would do that though. The only thing Spike does with his one foot is lift it when I say Hi Spike but he does not do it often. I guess you will just have to except his foot fetish. My cat Sugar has a shoe fetish :wacko: Pets can be so strange sometimes, you got to love it


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## RitzieAnn (Nov 18, 2007)

I GOT IT! I'm uploading the short video clip to youtube right now. Reno screaming with his foot in his mouth.... (might take a while to upload though...)





EDIT- here it is... very short, but you see, he has is leg in his mouth, and he bashes it down and screams that annoying noise! (and yes, that echo... Boomer now makes the noise too... )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKihZPJXvTw


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

That does not seem normal to me..Is it always that foot? If I had to guess I'd say old age is catching up with him and he's either having a problem with his leg or his head if you know what I mean.


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## RitzieAnn (Nov 18, 2007)

You know... I think it is always that foot.... I quit paying attention when he does it, and instead start a nice whistle, or meowing so they'll stop making that horrid noise.


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

Something's wrong..like I said, he is pretty old so it could be something gone haywire in his head so to say, behavioral OR it could be that his foot is acctually bothering him. Can you take him in for a vet check up?


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

That is not normal  Mabey it is time for a trip to an avain vet.


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## RitzieAnn (Nov 18, 2007)

Well... I guess I could start looking around for a vet. Maybe I'll get in touch with the gal who had him before- she's a vet tech I believe, or assistant. I think she said they saw birds.

This isn't an "all the time" thing. When everybody gets excited and talkative, then he starts smashing his foot around. The actual noise, he'll make sometimes, but with no foot action. Today he was doing it because the slider door was open, and it was lovely out, Boomer was talking, and Birdie was making noise, then Reno picked up his foot and started smacking it around.

I think it's a behavior thing, just because he does it when they're all taking and making noise but i'll look into an avian vet in the area.


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## Plukie (Aug 26, 2007)

I'm no expert by far but I would say it's a nervous thing. I would say that he is doing it when he gets anxious about the noises around him, then when you whistle or talk to him to get him to stop, that in a way is reassuring him that it's ok, he has your attention, so he stops. How long have you had him? Could he still be trying to get used to a new situation after having so long in his old home?


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

Plukie said:


> I'm no expert by far but I would say it's a nervous thing. I would say that he is doing it when he gets anxious about the noises around him, then when you whistle or talk to him to get him to stop, that in a way is reassuring him that it's ok, he has your attention, so he stops. How long have you had him? Could he still be trying to get used to a new situation after having so long in his old home?


I agree. If he's making it when there's noise around it means it's bothering him. All the other tiels are pretty young so he's like grandpa telling everyone to keep it down. It's just too much for him.


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## Sophia (Aug 11, 2007)

That is a very loud noise,and very sudden,it is like it just clicks in his mind and then he does it.  There may be no cause for this ( E.g his foot) but it may just be in his head.


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

I agree with Plukie as well  Mabey he needs to retire to a nice condo cage


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## RitzieAnn (Nov 18, 2007)

If it wasn't such a horrid noise, then I'd ignore it, and I've tried to, but our apartment faces the parking lot, which is a huge circle of like 4 or 5 other buildings, so it carries REALLY well.

They all get along, as long as nobody touches Reno, and the other three know to let him be. He came to me a few months ago, with Cousteau, and even the gal Jasmine (who's not emailed me back yet) said he doesn't really like Cousteau, but he tolerates him. Now that ll 4 live together, he tolerates the other two as well, though I think Reno would rather be an only bird. This isn't exactly an option for me, and seeing that he's 25 (26 some time this year) I don't really want to rehome him. Not just because he's super old, (and starting to display his age in his actions/balance) but also because this is only his third home ever, and I don't agree with rehoming animals constantly. Especially since most of the people around here seem to know nothing. (you should see the lost adds for pet birds down here... omg)


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## Plukie (Aug 26, 2007)

So if rehoming isn't an option and putting him in a room on his own isn't an option, what can you do? He obviously wants to be on his own, he's an old man now and I think that by biting and banging his foot like that, he could do himself some harm. If needs a quiet space just for himself now to finish off his tiel days just quietly and being pampered.


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## RitzieAnn (Nov 18, 2007)

I can start screening new homes, I'd have to do it very carefully though. I've got a small cage that i could maybe put on top of their current cage for him, I guess it's not like he can fly anymore.

If I do that, do you guys have a timeline on anything? Like should I be able to see a difference quickly? Or is it nearly impossible to predict?


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## Plukie (Aug 26, 2007)

If you just put him on top of the others I don't think things will change. He will still be able to see and hear them, although it might help if he knows they can't get in with him. Try it and see, but I've just got a feeling that he wants peace and quiet in his old age. Like I said though, I'm no expert, it's just going with a feeling.


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

I would put him in a cage by himself, not too small though. With some nice soft perches for him like rope or soft latex and mabey a bird shelf to rest on. Mabey he just wants to be in his own cage.


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

I don't think you should rehome him either. I think he's done his fair share of moving around in his life. What he needs is stability, not more change. If the cage is small then don't put him in there. It doesn't matter that he can't fly anymore, just because he's old doesn't mean he should be in a little cage waiting to die. Acctually it should be the opposite. He should be the most spoiled one.


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## RitzieAnn (Nov 18, 2007)

Well, I think the cage is small. It's the one I got Boomer and his sister in originally. The store sells it as a "cockatiel/parakeet" cage.

13'deep, 17in wide, and 27high Looks like this one:
http://www.petsmart.com/product/ind...s=A-StorePrice-PET&parentPage=search&keepsr=1

He has two sticks and a swing. One water dish, one food dish. He has 3 hanging toys. I'll exchange the large perch for the rope one I've got later today, and I'll hand in his grape mineral block and a cuddle bone.

It's a lot quieter already.

And of course Aly, I wouldn't want to put him in a small cage and wait for him to die. This why I didn't want to put him in this cage anyway... because "I" think it's small.


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## Laura (Jul 30, 2007)

I agree the cage is small it should be a minimum 18x18x30


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

Ritzieann, has he gone to the vet yet? On another thread we were talking about yellowing of feathers and looking into fatty liver disease and Spike noticed one of the signs to be the toe tapping and biting of leg issue came up. Here is the thread: http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?p=26894#post26894 You may want to take him in for a blood check.


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## DeBree420 (Nov 14, 2007)

xxxSpikexxx said:


> I would put him in a cage by himself, not too small though. With some nice soft perches for him like rope or soft latex and mabey a bird shelf to rest on. Mabey he just wants to be in his own cage.


just keep in mind that soft Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is toxic to birds if ingested 

he really does look to me like an old man, banging his cane and yelling at those 'young whipersnappers'


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## RitzieAnn (Nov 18, 2007)

Reno is actually living with a retired lady named Debbie. She has a female, that is "more than 10". Debbie is this girls third owner, and she's had the bird for 10 years.

I did fully expect to bring Reno back home with me when I met them, but when he walked past her, and his tail got in her face, she groomed it, and he was NOT mad. She groomed on his tail several times, and he was completely fine with it. Now, my three at home- he would scream at if they touched him.

Debbie has the link to this thread, and I sent it to her before she ever met Reno in person. We chatted online for a while about him before we went to meet her and her girl "Butch"


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

So he's been rehomed? I would still have her take him to the vet.


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

Thats nice that he likes Debbie  But he is really old and should go have a check up at the avian vets.


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