FINCHforum

So I'm new to finches and just found out what twirling is and it's exactly what my male Gouldian does.
Here is some background info.
I have had him and a female Gouldian for about a month and they came from a reputable breeder.
They were in a large flight cage at the beeders with about 5 other finches (Gouldian and parrot finches).
I had them in a smaller cage when they arrived away from my pair of Zebra Finches.
This is when I first noticed the twirling. I however was googling 'spinning' to try and find out what he was doing, but had no luck and figured it was just a Gouldian thing.
He twirl on perches, or if I place anything on top of the cage (seed container) he will look up at it and twirl. He also almost looks under his feed dish and does it.
Since quarantine is now over the pair has been place in a large flight cage next door to my pair of Zebras in their flight cage. This behaviour has still continued.
He is however totally balanced and stable on perches, flies from perch to perch fine, eating, drinking and other wise acting totally normal.
If it's from a injury will it get worse? Can I treat him with that sulfer medication just to be on the safe side? Maybe on Monday I will book a vet appointment for the little guy. I want to be as proactive as possible.
Any info or suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Thank you

Alley

I am NO expert by any means, I'm just sharing my personal experience with you!

I had a gouldian that developed this behavior a couple months in to owning her as well. She was in a flight cage with another female, 18x18x30. When I noticed the behavior start I started googling too, couldn't find an answer as to whether she was sick or not. Then I found a link that said it could possibly be related to having too small of an area/feeling "closed in", especially when the bird has something above its head (like you mentioned). This seemed to make sense for my situation--it would always start when she was up on the highest perch, and it'd seem like an obsessive behavior. Like once she got into the pattern, it was an OCD tick that she couldn't stop herself from doing. I also noticed that it always started around the same time at night, too.

So I thought it was from the top perch being positioned up too high, and it was making her feel claustrophobic. I had plans to move her to a much bigger cage anyway, so when I designed the larger one I kept this in mind when positioning the highest perches--I wanted to give ample space where the birds wouldn't feel the top wires were "pressing down on them", so to speak. Sure enough, as soon as I moved her to the new cage, the behavior stopped IMMEDIATELY. I also make sure that nothing is ever placed on top of the cage so as to bear down upon the birds, so no cage stacking or anything.

I don't know how big your new flight cage is. But maybe you could try repositioning the perches in there to see if it helps, and don't put anything on top. Also--what type of items do you have in the cage? I'm thinking having some fake foliage, swings--essentially different things to occupy the bird's mind--may help to distract as well if it is an "OCD" type behavior.

My gouldian lived for a year longer and never showed the twirling behavior again.

Thanks you so much for sharing your experience and what you did to help your bird.
I have all the perches high up so I moved them and took everything off the top of the cage as you said. I haven't seen him do any twirling today which is good.
I have many different perches, fake foliage, swings and even a few toys. Once a week I wrap millet into little pieces of encourage them to look for some treats.
Again thank you so much for sharing!

Just a little update on my Gouldian, Boomer.
I took your advise right away and moved all the perches down and took the plant off that was sitting on his cage. I have been keeping a close eye on him and he hasn't twirled since! Not even once that I have seen. Thank you so much for your help!
Alley

Yay, so happy it worked for you Alley!! Glad I could help you and Boomer out.