Parakeet in Depression

[Keets13]

After having birds for 19 years you just know when something is wrong. My new parakeet, Piccolo, is depressed. I have other parakeets but in different rooms. Two boys in one room who are together and a young male and female in another room together. Piccolo is by himself with my Cockatiel next to him they are like five inches away and my Zebra finch also near them. My parakeet eats, drinks, tweets in the morning but then quietly stops. He talks to the other parakeets in the other rooms when they talk and they all respond to another. Though I work and got to school. I leave the radio on for him. I have had him now two weeks and I see he is in depression. At Petco he was by himself and seperated himself from the other keets. So after I bought him and after a few days I took him out with the other keets and he hung out with them and then seperated himself again but he loves talking with them. He LOVES to come out of the cage when I let him out. He has a big cage with lots and lots of toys. I really don't want to get another parakeet?! But he sits in the corner by himself talks to himself sometimes. I just don't want to get another parakeet. Piccolo is something special. He is unique. And he is still very shy of me. He allows me to scratch his head, touch his belly, allows me to grab him, and he lets me kiss him on the head and beak. Usually after getting new parakeets they bite. And when he sits on top of his cage and I approach him he runs underneath his blanket that covers his cage and peaks out his head to see where I went. I do love him but I don't know what to do? He likes other parakeets but he bit one of the males that went by his cage. He likes my tiel and hangs out with him but he loves my Zebra Finch? He is very observant on what I do. So how can I make him happy? He seems like he is in depression but other times he isn't and I don't want to get another parakeet. I am very very picky on getting birds. So what should I do?

[Rhema]

You need to spend as much time with him as possible and you also need to introduce him to socializing with one of the other budgies outside of the cage for a little while at a time so he can get used to be with another budgie. Each budgie should have some time with Piccolo so you can see what personality type he prefers to interact with. I've had this problem only twice and it was a matter of waiting it out and finding out which budgie the seemingly "depressed" budgie preferred. You also need to change out his routine and get him used to doing things that aren't ordinary so he doesn't get bored. Change out his toys and change his scenery. Bring him out with you and let him move about and do things to see if activity can change his behavior.

What's he eating? When is he eating? How often is he eating? Will he eat socially with the other budgies? Will they allow him to eat or do they bully him away from the food?

So many different things going on with this budgie, however, no matter how much this budgie wants to be alone, don't let it be entirely alone. That's not healthy.

[Keets13]

Today I tried different attemps. He kind of socialized with the other parakeets today but as soon as he heard my cockatiel's voice, Sazoo, he went nuts and began talking to him and wanted to fly back into my bedroom where Sazoo is. Now both of there cages are side by side. And at Petco even though he was with other parakeets he was sided next to Cockatiels. Trust me he is not entirely alone. He tweeted with the parakeets today, eats with them when I put all five together but he fights a lot with a much older male who is seven but the older male has always been a bully. He eats alot. His "droppings" are normal. His food is Kaytee Parakeet Seed and a mixture of Zupreem Pellets and freash vegies and fruits which he beginning to eat. The thing is he is attached to my tiel and Sazoo likes his company but is beginning to get use to him. He was out with me today for at least 3 hours without the tiel and he did very well. He talked and ate from my hand and then on his own. Also Piccolo is attached to my Zebra Fich's cage, he kept going in there so I switched their cages and toys and food and he snapped out of the depression. He has been all over the cage and he is still next to the cockatiel and he has been singing and playing with his toys but when I got him and bought him a brand new cage I guess he did not like it and it was big enough for two parakeets. So now my Zebra Finch has this huge cage to herself that she loves flying around in and my baby, Piccolo, enjoys the cage he is in that use to belong to my finch and even that was big for her. So I am going to watch to see how he does for the next few days and if he does go back into depression then another parakeet I might have to get. But so far tonight he is still playing and talking.