Trance like state

[atecom]

Rarely (Maybe like once every 2 months) I will notice my quail in a trance like state. It lasts several minutes and it will stand there perfectly still in an unusual pose, honking at regular intervals and will not react to stimulus.

Here is an example (Usually it will back away from my finger but no response while in a trance):

Anyone know what can cause these trance like states?

 

[Nabiki]

I've never seen anything like that.

What are you feeding her? Is the one bird your only bird? How old is she? Does she have a hiding place in there?

 

[atecom]

It gets feed Peckish game bird layer. About 10 months old, previoustime this happened was at about 7 months, I think the first time I saw it was at about 5 months.

I had 2 but 1 recently died. The previous time it happened was when they were both still alive. It was before I put the mirror in also, so I don't think the mirror could be messing with them. Its something about that corner, it always happens in that area of the cage - the previous time was very strange, one was over in that area in the trance like state, the other walking around like normal, then that one snapped out of it, and the other one walked to that location and immediately went into the trance like state for several minutes while the other walked around normally. They can see out the window from that are of the cage, could a swooping bird trigger it maybe?

There is a smaller compartment that it can retreat to if bothered. I usually don't bother it in there so it can consider it a safe place.

 

[Nabiki]

I'm stumped. I can't find any references in my sources to anything similar.
@007Sean - have you ever seen anything like this?

 

[Chip76]

I don't know if it's the same thing, but when there's a predator in the yard my quail will freeze and make a chirping sound (they live in a screened in patio). They stare straight ahead and aren't generally distracted by anything else. When there's babies they will silently freeze usually against a wall while the adult birds make the warning chirps. I also saw Pedro freeze silently by the wall when her babies were little. She was so still the first time I saw her do it I thought she was injured or dead. Sometimes it will last for several minutes, especially if there is a hawk. If I'm around when they do it I try to go out and scare off whatever is scaring them.

 

[007Sean]

The only thing I can think of is 'tonic immobility'. It's not understood very well why not only birds but rodents exhibit this behavior in response to a predators presence (predators can include hawks, owls, raccoons, snakes or people, really anything they precieve as a threat) I have witnessed it many times with my birds but they were also outside in an aviary, when a hawk or even certain song birds have flown over their pen.
Sometimes I'll be feeding and watering when 1 or 2 of the birds will do that for no apparent reason....looking to the sky I will usually spot a hawk, or a vulture circling at several thousand feet, the threat doesn't have to be close to get that response.

 

[atecom]

The only thing I can think of is 'tonic immobility'. It's not understood very well why not only birds but rodents exhibit this behavior in response to a predators presence (predators can include hawks, owls, raccoons, snakes or people, really anything they precieve as a threat) I have witnessed it many times with my birds but they were also outside in an aviary, when a hawk or even certain song birds have flown over their pen.
Sometimes I'll be feeding and watering when 1 or 2 of the birds will do that for no apparent reason....looking to the sky I will usually spot a hawk, or a vulture circling at several thousand feet, the threat doesn't have to be close to get that response.

This to me is what it sounds like. Sometimes I get Ibises and currawongs that fly by outside, I am guessing that one may have flown by the window in a swooping motion and triggered the response.

 

[QuailTail]

This to me is what it sounds like. Sometimes I get Ibises and currawongs that fly by outside, I am guessing that one may have flown by the window in a swooping motion and triggered the response.

My covey do this as well - all at once they'll freeze and stare in one direction and I can pet them and poke them and they don't respond, they're so fixated on whatever has their attention. I'm not worried because I've seen them do it a lot and as they're in an outside aviary it's pretty clear it's a response to seeing a potential predator. It would be strange to see just one or two doing it so I can understand why it would be alarming for you!

 

[FloorCandy]

Ive seen hamsters and rabbits freeze due to predators or noises. Like was said earlier, it’s a common prey response. Often prey in the air will not really see them until they move in the wild, so if they get scared they freeze and hope for the best. It’s about as sensible as lost chicks alarm calling, lets make it easy for the predators huh?