# New behavior - bored of me?



## Arora (May 25, 2018)

Hi there!
Our budgie Breakfast is a very friendly and social bird. We take him out every day usually for about an hour and he’s usually very eager to socialize with us and chat. Usually we have to coax him back into his cage after a while (we have cats so we close the door when he’s out). But often he goes back in on his own after he’s had his social fill and wants to play/eat. 

This week however, he’s gone back in after about 20 minutes! Is that normal? He’s going to be two in February so is he just more independent now? Or should I be concerned about anything?


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

Is he by any chance beginning a molt? Molting takes a lot out of a bird and they can become less energetic and crabby. Any sudden change in behavior should be monitored closely, birds are masters at hiding illness and once we see outward symptoms they could have been ill for a while. Could he be stressed out by the cats? Do you keep him in an area where the cats are never allowed or can the bird see the cats? Since birds are prey animals and cats are predators even the sight of a cat can cause stress for the bird which can lead to behavior changes.


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## Arora (May 25, 2018)

Oh wow you are spot on. He is just on the tail end of a rather fruitful molt (so many feathers this week!). I hadn’t considered that at all but that definitely makes sense. 

We are conscious of the cats but they’re really interested in him anymore. He’s on the top of a tall dresser and we bought a scat-mat to train them when we first got him. The batteries have been dead for months but the cats still won’t go near the mat haha. 
If anything he gets as excited as they do when we shake the treat bag to coax them out of the room cause he knows that sound means it’s flying time! 

I’ll be sure to keep an eye out in case anything else seems off in terms of his health though as well. Thanks for your advice!


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

It takes a lot to grow in all the new feathers and he would benefit from some extra protein. You can offer him a piece of hard boiled egg or buy some commercially prepared egg food for birds and give some of that to boost his protein. I do not recommend letting the cats in the same room as the bird, it creates a dangerous situation for your bird. What if one of the cats jumped up on the cage and knocked it down, that could be the end of your bird and that is unfair to the bird.


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## Arora (May 25, 2018)

That’s a good idea, I’ll try the boiled egg and see if he takes it and if not look into some egg food. 

The cats are only allowed in the room when we’re in the room as well and the breeder we got him from had many birds and a cat that was fine with birds, so he has no fear of them (though ours probably aren’t as fine with him and we’d never want to test it out!) and has a barrier so he can’t see them from the sides of the dresser due to a metal sheet.
As I said, they were a bit interested when we first got him but they no longer pay him any mind. And he’s on a high dresser that they can’t get to without going on the shock mat. The cage is in our bedroom where we spend most of our time as we live in an apartment with roommates so it’s the best place for him. But I appreciate the advice to be mindful.


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