Hi been awhile since ive owned any birds and was wondering how long does it take a new arrival to relax and look for its food and water..ive spread small amt of food on bottom of cage as well as have filled reg food cups..its not even been a full day that this keet is home with me but even tho not a flighty bird and is truly a VERY young baby bought from a breeder..it is finger and hand tame...but im concerned as it isnt really investigating things yet to find food and water..how long will this take before i should become VERY concerned..I know its healthy as its droppings are not watery or discolored it has no dropping wing or is not coughing sneezing or puffy...so whats the next step and when should it get hungry enuf to look for some food...thanks for your help

I think most new birds, even hand tamed babies from a breeder need time to get used to their new home. It's very scary for them.
Most of the time I think they eat/drink while you are not watching. Check the food dish for empty seed hulls to see if he's eating on the sly. It's also a good idea to get some spray millet and hang a small piece next to a perch that he likes. That way he doesn't have to go far.
Covering their cage, all but the front, for a few days helps them feel more secure while getting used to their new home too.
I got one of as a baby-just under 7wks, from a breeder too, and I think it took almost 2 days for him to eat in front of me. I was getting very worried and came here and sais He's not eating..help! LOL I had to place a small dish on the cage floor with his seed in it..I think he was used to dishes on the floor. So you might want to try that?
We'd LOVE to see pics of your new baby. Does he/she have a name yet? Do you know how old he is?

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your new keet. I agree with every thing that kksuns said. I do think that covering three side and top of the cage is very important for the first few days.

They will find the food and water. Your new one probably alread has and has been sneaky getting a drink. Quite often they are a little parakeet statue for the first two days. That is very normal.

Hi THANKS A LOT FOR QUICK RESPONSES...i did spread some seed on floor and placed him on floor a couple of times and just also now placed him on a water cup where he did take just a couple of small sips ..pheww i KNEW afer 24hrs he had to be VERY thirsty and its a start..once i saw him do that at least i let him be to go to his already favorite perch...i do have some millet also in the cage on that perch site..just he doesnt move around or make but only a chirp here or there once in a great while giggle..im considering removing all from the cage except the food and water cups so he HAS to perch on them from the floor to discover whats in them ..in the meantime ill try a couple more times to acclimate him by placing him on the food and water cups without removing all from the cage and hope for the best...and i dont have a name for him/her yet gonna wait on that ... also he is only 6weeks old ..breeder pulls them at that time for sale purpose...its what use to be known as harlequin color where it is beautifully marked blue and white...with a blue bib and between wings the rest is white with just the shoulders being with the pearl scalloping and very symetrical. It also has a white spot directly on top of head like a lil bald spot giggle. AGAIN THANKS SO MUCH for such quick responses cuz im gonna get REALLY WORRIED if in three days he isnt getting about and doing his thing and finding his own food/water.

illuseve - for at least 36 to 48 hours just cover three sides and the top of the cage. Leave all his stuff in there, including food and water. Give it some time. The more you keep changing things around to longer it will take him to adjust. There are such scaredy cats that they are affraid of anything new.

You misunderstood Tin ive changed NOTHING and said i would only do so (taking out things)if the keet didnt show any signs of moving around or getting curious etc. He/she is now preening and its not a scaredy cat at all...it does not display even remotely fearful tendencies. In fact its quite relaxed with preening and stretching and the occasional chirp..i just dont want to wait till it gets too weak to perch by waiting to long for it to get some nourishment.
Thats why i said if i dont see some real interest soon and with the aid of showing him/her where the dishes are by HIM allowing me to place him there...that this is what id do. He is not intimadated nor resisting my actions on any level. So just to let you know nothing is being changed around since his arrival as YET. Thanks for your encouraging thoughts

Just a thought - since you said he was very young - he is weaned, right.

yes i made a point of being sure to ask the breeder this question...as i said in first post im not a newbie bird owner its just been about 15yrs since ive owned. I use to breed/show clear face pied and clear face cinn. pearl pied cockatiels .. so im just regenerating my grey matter of info. Forgot how long it may take for a bird to acclimate so being cautious rather than foolish..and yes he is 6wks old and was not hand fed which amazes me at how calm he is..especially NOT being hand fed. He/she is a jewel in deportment..and just a major head start bonus on training....again really im quite glad of your feedback dont think im not but just wanted to clear up some things..text can be soooo misleading sometimes. Appreciate your help and comments and input VERY much...THANKS.

It sounds like your new keet is doing very nicely and will soon get over the shyness!

Definitely post some photos, I would love to see the coloring!

Hi illusive,
Just checking in..is your baby eating/drinking yet? I hope so, I know how worrisome it can be.
The one I got from a breeder,Levi, was not handfed either. But he was somewhat hand tamed as they did hold the babies. He was still pretty scared at first tho, because after all, we were strangers to him and it was a whole new home and he was used to being with his family. I know he was a lil birdy statue the fist couple days, and I felt bad for him so I contacted the breeder.I know that in most cases you probably shouldn't try handling a new keet for a while until they get comfortable in their surroundings. Which is what I was doing..just talking to him alot. But the breeder said I should try holding him, that it might help. And it did. Once i held him,he became much more relaxed rather quickly. Have you held your baby yet? If not maybe it will help? And BTW-Is he clipped?
Oh, and you said it's been a while since you've had birds? Just in case you didn't know, it is now known that sandpaper perch covers are not good for keets. They can cause problems for their poor little feet and also if they chew on the sandpaper it can bind up in their crop. Same goes for gravel and grit..in the old days they used to say keets needed it..now it is known it's actually bad for them. Same for mite protectors-big No No.
You might have already known about these things but I thought I'd mention them just in case.
Love tio see pics of ur new baby, awww just 6wks...sooo sweet