Galah anxiety and finding a mate

[Matt]

Hi all, a couple of questions if anyone can provide some insight please.

I have a ten year old male galah. He is hand reared. He has been with us since he was three months old. Last year we moved to acreage so had a custom built large aviary built for him. He absolutely loved it for the first six months. There was a storm one day (we were in a position to bring him inside) - as around a third of the aviary is covered, he wasn't wet. However, it was no doubt traumatic. Since around that time, he has be reluctant to move to part of the aviary which isn't covered. Plus, he looks somewhat depressed, not really playing at all. I assume the timing isn't a coincidence.

Secondly, as a result of him somewhat looking depressed, I was considering getting him another galah. The aviary is plenty large enough. Should I get another male, or should I get a female, or should I get another variety?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts. Matt

[Lady]

Hi Matt,

:pp_welcome: I don't know if you should get another bird until you can see if you can figure out what is going on with him.

How long ago was the storm? Does he not play when he is in the house with you? Is it just the aviary that he seems to be more docile in? How are his eating habits since the storm? What about the storm do you think frightened him, the wind banging on the aviary? I've never lived in Anchorage but I'm guessing he doesn't see much of other birds does he? Have you spoken to your vet? Seems I have more questions than any answers so I'm going to stop and look to what the other members have to say.

[Dragonlady2]

Welcome to the forum Matt. I am guessing that the aviary was an exciting change for your galah. Maybe the thrill has worn off? Was there a change in the amount of time spent with you due to him being in the aviary? I agree with Lady, a vet check to rule out any health issues.

[Matt]

Thanks very much for the feedback.

The storm was around seven weeks ago. He had previously been in the aviary around six months (we had it built after we had moved in). There is a good deal of wildlife around. Plenty of wild birds around. He seemed to really love the change when we moved to the new house. Playful, moving around a good amount and generally seeming happy and content. We used to have him inside at the old house a good deal of the time. In his new home, I get in twice a day to give him a scratch and give him some attention (which he enjoys). I put branches, small trees in which he used to love but now doesn't touch. Admittedly, he doesn't receive as much now we have moved. He seems fine when taken out of the aviary in the house.

It appears he is frightened to venture out to the part of the aviary that isn't covered (aside naturally from the meshing). If he has developed a fear of being exposed in the aviary, how could I solve this? This morning I put some of his favourite treats down the other end to entice him out. He was very reluctant and only came out to grab only one then went straight back. Had I put them where he likes to sit now, he would have devoured them all.

That is a good idea for the vet check.

Thanks.

[Dragonlady2]

Is it possible to cover the part of the aviary he seems to be afraid of? Even a temporary cover might do. Can he come in and spend more time with you? Birds are flock animals and you are his flock, particularly since you have been the constant in his life since he was a chick. Do you bring him in at night? He may be feeling insecure and lonely. Just throwing out some ideas.

[Lady]

Thank you for sharing more information about his habitat and it's surroundings, I would love to see some pics of such a beautiful place!

Maybe you could also put him on your arm and give him his head scratches and take one small step into the area he is currently afraid of. I would do this every day as often as possible moving ever so slowly into the area he use to enjoy. It will most likely take a long time until he is feeling safe and secure in that side of the aviary again but I would keep trying taking small steps in that direction. I hope you come online here often and keep us updated on his situation. BTW what is the name of your buddy?

[Matt]

Thanks for the feedback. Great suggestions. I have just left for interstate for a couple of days (my wife and son will be giving ‘Mate’ (a good Australian name for a galah right) plenty of attention will I am away). I will shoot through some photos of the aviary when I return. Firstly though, we are getting on to the person who built his enclosure to extend the roof covering so that will hopefully make him feel safer. I don’t bring him in at night. Perhaps only once a week do we bring him inside for a play these days. However, as you will see when I send the photos through, there is plenty of room in his enclosure so we get in there with him to give him some love every day.

I will put him on my finger and bring him to the area of the enclosure uncovered for scratches regularly so that will hopefully help too.

Thanks again for your help.

[Lady]

Mate sounds like a good name! Have a safe trip, will be looking forward to the pics when you get them up!

[Matt]

Hi all, attached are a few photos my wife took for me. In one of them, you can just see Mate back under the cover (where he always sits now). In the more enclosed area, there is a dark roof. However, the next sheet is clear sheeting; idea being that he was protected but could see up. Now though, after the feedback here, I plan on sheeting the majority of the roof to give him more protection. The thinking initially was that he would enjoy being up to look up.

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[Dragonlady2]

I feel that I should express my concern regarding your galah. First, thank you for joining the forum and seeking advice/support for Mate. It is obvious that given the amount of thought that went into the aviary and your concern for his well-being that you care very much for him.
I worry that Mate is frightened and depressed. Just from what you have told us, Mate was in your home for the first ten years of his life, you were his flock and security. Now he is away from the safety and security of his flock and his home. Is there a possibility that Mate could be brought in at night to sleep and maybe he will regain some sense of security? You could try a trial period to see if he rebounds?
The aviary itself may need some adjusting. It looks wonderful with regard to space. However, there doesn't seem to be a safe zone. A place where Mate could hide or sit and be unseen, but still look out to assess if he is safe. By nature, parrots are prey animals and as such are constantly aware of potential predators. He may be reacting to not feeling safe if anything is prowling around his aviary.
Again, just throwing out some ideas/thoughts::th_smile:

[Casper's 2nd best friend]

Helena has raised a subject that I was going to inquire about: predators. Do you have birds of prey in your neighborhood?I know that when we take Casper outside he is always scanning the sky for "bullying bigger birds". Maybe Mate has had a nasty experience when you weren't there to witness it.
However I am inclined to think Mate's problem might be loneliness, when he was in the house he could see and hear what the family (flock) were up to. Casper loves being in the garden as long as we are with him. A companion sounds like an excellent idea to me but I don't have the experience to suggest whether it is best to have another Galah or a different breed. If I was him I would put my selection in this order: Lady friend, Drinking buddy, a companion of a different species. But I'm not a Galah, and being Australian his first choice might be a drinking buddy*
*other racial stereotypes are available.

Its a lovely aviary but how about a bit of lawn in the bottom for him to play in/search for bugs etc. If he trashes it, just keep replacing it - he is obviously having fun.

[Matt]

Thanks once again for your suggestions. It sounds like you guys are right. Firstly, now I think about it, I guess he would be lonely. The thing is, when we first put him in the aviary, he seemed to love it a number of months. He would come out and play, he was loud at times having fun etc. I will start bringing him in each night to see how that goes.

A more enclosed area would be the go. In building the aviary, I am not sure how much he would like.

Certainly, there is every chance he could have had a traumatic experience that I am not aware of with other animals in the area (we get a lot of snakes in the area of example). The concrete looks a little cold but laid it so as predators (such as snakes, couldn't burrow beneath the aviary to get at him). Great idea with lay some grass though. There are a heap of cockatoos in the area that sit in trees near him at dawn and dusk. This didn't seem to concern him overly at the start.

Thanks again, Matt