Well, my little guy has only been home for a few hours and already the questions and concerns begin. I noticed earlier when he was sitting on top of the cage he had his beak open and his tongue was going up and down. It looked like he was panting....is this normal? Also he has been sleeping since I brought him home. He wakes up for maybe 20 minutes playes a bit then nods off where ever I put him. I set him on his dish to see if he wanted a bit of warm rice and he is now sleeping on his dish It think maybe its just been a rough day for him but I cant help worrying.

Is he hot ..?? drinking o.k ??
Maybe he is stressed I would put his cage up higher than you had it and keep him quite for a few days till he gets use to his surroundings...Having the critters stare at him might be quite frightening ..
((good Luck ))

Thank you, yes he seems to be drinking ok, and I haven't seen him "panting" since..thank goodness. When I noticed this behavior the animals weren't near the cage, and the kids weren't home from school yet. The thermostat says 25.6 C, not sure if that is to warm or not. I will get a proper stand for the cage as soon as I can which should bring it up higher. This evening he seems to be a little more active and had some more food and water. Even played with the toys a little bit.

He'll take several days to settle in, usually panting is a sign of stress though (in addition to overheating) Can you put him in a quiet are of the house for a bit? Maybe your bedroom. That way he can get used to the sounds of the house without being right in the middle of the action.

Only time my bird pants like that is when he comes back from the vet and has his wings clipped. So its probably stress. give him time to settle down a bit.