this morning was a little traumatic for Zeba and i. to give you a little bit of background, Zeba has been exhibiting a little "tick" (what i call it) since saturday. i notice it when he and i are sitting on the floor together and he's very comfortable, (eyes slightly closed, sometimes on one leg, a little fluffed from contentment) he will shake his head slightly (as if he has something on his face or in his nose that is bothering him and he wants to get rid of it) and at the same time slightly lift his wings away from his body - only about an inch or two max. its a head-flit/wing-flit. and he did this every few seconds or so continuously until either i reached out to give him head scritches or he starts waddling somewhere else.

i was getting a little more concerned about it on sunday when he continued to show this "tick", so i called the amazon coordinator of Mickaboo about Zeba and we got the go ahead to set a vet appointment for this morning.

well, i gave Zeba a few minutes to see if he would go into the travel carrier on his own (with a big "juicey" walnut placed in the rear of the carrier. He didn't budge and knew something was up (outsmarting a bird is a very difficult undertaking!) so i unfortunately had to towel him. i turned off the light and caught him in a towel and gently placed him in the carrier. he surely did NOT like it. i really felt guilty doing it and i was only hoping that he will forgive me one day.

that was the traumatic morning. i took him to the vet and i had to leave soon after to go to work.

the avian vet called me and to make a long story short, on physical examination, nothing looked wrong with Zeba. They may have to do more tests to see if there are any other underlying problems. But i also voiced my concern about Zeba possibly not getting enough sleep and if that could be the cause of his "tick". Zeba lives currently in our bedroom as he goes through the regular quarantine period. my husband and i both go to bed a little late, i sometimes toss and turn and my husband uses the bathroom in our room during the night. i was also keeping a night light on for him thinking that could ease him to go to sleep.

well, i will be making alot of changes - 1) no night light; 2) no use of the bathroom in our bedroom at night; 3) Zeba's cage will be covered when he goes to sleep; 4) Zeba will be going to bed a little earlier.

when the weather gets warmer and if he is still in quarantine, we will put him in our second bedroom so that he has his own space with no disruptions.

well, i will keep you posted...