Quail Shaking Head and Walking Backwards

[silverbird317]

Hi! I’ve noticed recently that one of my quails occasionally shakes his head and move backwards really fast. He is 1 year and 9 months old. It seems like he’s having neurological issues, but I wanted to make sure before I tried anything. Any ideas what might be happening? I have a video in case I’m describing his behavior wrong.
Thank you!

 

[Nabiki]

That is often a symptom of a bird that hit its head. It is possible that it is something neurological, but either way, there's not much you can do. He'll most likely heal if his symptoms aren't too bad.

 

[le_bwah]

I have a bird who has always done this. She was born with a beak malformation—the "quick" was set too far back, and from the start she would do her little "back-up" during eating, loosening dirt for bathing, but especially drinking.

I've long suspected her beak is hyper-sensitive, as she only backs up shaking her head during activities that involve using her beak. Can't be certain what's up with your roo, but it's very likely neurological (like from a head injury) or sensorial (as though he were "shaking off" an irritating sensation).

As long as he isn't doing it constantly and it doesn't impact his normal activities, I suspect he'll be fine. There's likely nothing you can do in either case anyway—good thing these birds heal fast. Best of luck.