cocketiel not well

[hidecote]

Hi, all, I'm new member can someone help pls? My cocketiel Acorn isn't his usual self. In autumn he lost feathers and that continued till he couldn't fly. His beak is growing to his left and his jaw? seems to grow too much then crumbles and I don't know if it affects his eating, he's lost weight. today I noticed the tip of his beak seems to be crumbling. He only eats seeds I can't get to eat anything more interesting. he shares his home with Willow a budgie. She seems ok. Acorn has flown recently but caught his claw on the curtain and bled quite a bit. he has been to the vet but I don't know if he's strong enough for the trauma of another visit. hope I'm not rambling too much. Thanks

[Admin]

Hi Hidecote, sorry to hear your sad news. i would recommend taking him back to the vet - it would be less traumatic to have him seen to than to leave him how he is im afraid. it sounds to me like it could be some sort of vitamin deficiency, does he eat the same food as the budgie?

[hidecote]

Thanks for response. I have 2 dishes, one for each of them, plus millet plus fruit stix. They share all of it. Today I tried again with some fruit and veg made into a kind of kebab. They've moved away cause they're scared of it by I'll hope they have a go. Thanks again for your info. I will get him to the vet asap. J.

[Admin]

you are very welcome, would you come back let us know how he gets on?

you are doing the right thing by continuing with the fruit and veg, it might take them a while but they will try it eventually. a trick you could try is to put a little bit of broccali (for example?) on a small mirror at the bottom of the cage, the budgie will try and eat it before the "invader budgie" eats it first seeing the budgie enjoy the fresh stuff might then encourage the tiel to do the same

[Angela]

Although I can't give you any advice apart from what Sal has already, I hope that your little pet is soon on the road to a full recovery .... fingers crossed.

[Scully]

What did your vet say was wrong, when you took him for the bleeding claw.

As hes not eating veg, perhaps a dose of vits in his water might help.
I hope he gets better soon..how old is he by the way?

[battybirdie]

Hi Hidecote - Welcome to BC!

Sorry to hear that your tiel isn't doing so well. I've had a bit of a 'google' to see if I can see anything helpful for you and found the following information on the Australian National Cockatiel Society Website (it's hints and tips on selecting a new bird):


Observe the bird in question from a distance. Is the bird active, moving about the cage or aviary freely? The bird should not be fluffed, sitting quietly on the perch or floor. It must be alert and aware of its surroundings. Birds cover their illnesses very well, and it is not until they are very sick that their appearance indicates their condition. Do not feel sorry for the quiet, sitting-on-its-own type, as this could be the first sign of a sick bird.

The next step is to handle the bird and feel its breast bone, making sure that the bird’s weight is within the normal body weight range for that species. The bird should not be too light nor too heavy. Overweight birds can have health problems, as do underweight birds.

Look at the bird’s feathery. Is it complete? Some cockatiels have bald heads, which is normal for the breed. Are there any abnormal feathers or any stress lines in the feathers indicating previous stress conditions? Check for mites or lice on the bird's body of feathers. Start at the bird’s head and look at the eyes for any sign of discharge or blockages, and at the beak for malformation or scaliness (this could be the first sign of mites). Move the feathers and look into the bird’s ears, making sure they are not blocked or discharging.
The bird’s beak and mouth should be clean, with no caking of food inside the beak or wetting of the feathers around it or over the bird’s head. Check the bird’s vent, making sure there is no green diarrhoea or soiled feathers indicating diarrhoea.

The bird's legs and claws should also be observed for normal confirmation and skin texture. Poor confirmation of the feet may interfere with the bird's breeding ability. If a clean dropping cannot be observed for the bird in question, place the bird in a clean holding cage and wait for it to pass a dropping so as to observe its colour, texture and consistency. Birds with abnormal droppings should be avoided.


The section in the middle sounds as if it might be a possible cause for his feather loss, and if this has been happening for a couple of months then it might be contributing to his beak problem too.

He might be a bit reluctant with his veggies to begin with, and especially if his beak is wonky as he won't be able to exert enough pressure to crunch on it properly. Have you tried offering them some egg food? You can get this in packet form at most birdie shops, and the secret with mixing this is not to make it too wet or they'll refuse to eat it. Otherwise you could try mixing up some at home.

I agree with the others in that getting him back to a good Avian Vet is your best course of action - do make sure that it's an Avian vet though if you can. They are easy enough to track down through the web if you just google avian vets and your country you'll get oodles of options.

The very best of luck from all the Batties - let us know how you get on

[avril]

sorry to here your baby is not well.

Another way to try and get your birds to eat fruit and vegies is to grate them and give in small lots to start off. Don't leave fruit and vegies in the cage as they go off real quick.

I find with them being grated the birds find it much easier especially when they haven't had it before and don't know what to do with a large piece of fruit or vegie.

I would take him back to the vet and ask what is wrong, the best way is to ask questions of your vet and keep asking until you have the answers, that is the only way to know what the problem is.

My vet says to me now to answer your questions before you ask otherwise and I quote " I will have no peace until I have, you ask all the questions you want." buts that's me Mrs Want to know it all about my birds health heheheh

[battybirdie]

Hey Hidecote

How's Acorn doing?