Healthy Cockatiels
By Eleanor McCaffrey,
Copyright, No portion of this text may be used, copied,
printed or reproduced without author's written permission.

It is important to know how to recognize the signs and symptoms of a  sick bird if you are planning on buying a cockatiel (or if you already have one). All cockatiels are beautiful and the markings of a particular type, such as pied (yellow, white and gray), normal grays, and lutinos, (all pale yellow) are so similar, it's difficult, even for an expert, to tell one bird from another. It's better to wait and purchase a healthy cockatiel, than to make an impulse purchase. It's also important to purchase your bird from a reliable source. Purchase a bird that has been bred in the Spring or Summer. Spring is when the natural nesting instinct occurs. Pairs that are bred all year long, become worn out and produce weaker chicks.

What are the symptoms of a sick bird? Birds hide their illnesses all too well. By the time a symptom appears, it can be too late to save a bird's life. The sure signs of a sick bird are inactivity, loss of appetite and fluffed up feathers. A sick bird usually sits on the bottom of the cage with its eyes closed, but may do the same thing while on a perch. Most likely there will be a noticeable change in the droppings. They will be much smaller since the bird is not eating much, and they may be watery with yellow or green urine. Other symptoms may include: excess sleeping, diarrhea, drinking more water than usual, discharge from the eyes or nostrils, inflamed nostrils or eyes, irregular breathing, coughing, sneezing, loss of balance, unsteadiness or inability to fly, inability to grasp onto a perch, vomiting, droppings that contain whole undigested seeds and food, black colored droppings or blood in the droppings.  A reputable breeder can be located by asking an avian veterinarian, by attending a bird show or contacting a bird club. The American Cockatiel's Society's website has a schedule of shows and listings of your local bird clubs. Some breeders may require you to wear a smock before seeing the chicks. This is to protect the birds from illness that may be brought in by other bird owners. A pet shop that isolates birds from the general public is usually reputable. Their birds are kept protected in separate rooms with glass doors. People can look at the birds but can not touch them.   Shop for your cockatiel when they are most active and feeding, in the morning or evening.   The breeder's facility or the store should be very clean, well lighted and uncrowned.   The person in charge should be friendly, caring and knowledgeable about cockatiels.   Are the birds talked to and handled gently or just grabbed from the cage? Ask how the birds were fed as chicks. Hands-fed chicks are more friendly and sociable.   Some breeders feed the chicks by pumping food into their crop with a tube attached to a syringe. This can cause behavioral problems such as biting and eating problems in the future.   Ask when the birds were born and weaned. Cockatiels should be fully weaned for at least 14 days. The longer the bird is handfed, the friendlier it will be. Birds weaned too soon can become moody, temperamental, biters or feather puckers   Notice what the cockatiel's diet consists of. It should include pellets and fresh greens.   Birds eating seeds alone will be reluctant to accept greens and pellets.   Water dishes should contain clean, fresh water that is free from droppings and food.        Cages should be spacious and clean, without droppings caked onto bars and perches. Birds should not be crammed into overcrowded cages or boxes on kitchen countertops.  Are the birds banded? Ask about their parents. Inbreeding causes physical problems.  A Lutino bred with another Lutino results in a genetic condition called Lutino Baldness. Their heads will have a permanent bald patch..  Lutinos should be a very pale yellow to white. Bright yellow feathers are usually an indication of malnutrition or liver problems.  Male pearl cockatiels revert to normal gray after the first molt. Only females retain the pearl markings. If you want a pearl, get a record that it was DNA tested to verify the sex.  The bird should have an upright posture with a full-chest appearance.  Feathers should be thick, glossy and smooth without any bare patches. Black, raggedy edges of feathers may indicate stress or disease. These markings are different than the ones that suggest a bird may be a female. Choppy looking feathers may indicate a feather plucker.  Eyes should be bright and clear. There should be no puffiness, redness or discharge.  Nostrils should be completely open, clear of any blockage and without any signs of redness indicating a sinus infection.  The beak should be smooth and close evenly, without and growths or rough spots.  The feet of a young health bird should be pink/gray and soft. Older birds have white scales on their feet. Nervous, frightened, or malnourished birds have white-gray feet.  Legs and feathers around the vent area should be clean without stains from droppings.        Watch how the bird is breathing. It should be relaxed without wheezing or labor.  Avoid birds that are puffed out and look sleepy, a sign of illness.  Avoid birds that are hiding on the cage floor, usually a sign of a sick or nervous bird.  Avoid birds that are trembling. This indicates sickness, nervousness or fright. (Young birds not accustomed to people can tremble when talked to).  The droppings on the bottom of the cage floor should be firm coils, not loose and watery. The droppings should contain a solid green/brown part (feces), a white part (urates) and a clear water (urine). Green droppings indicate a seed diet, larger brown ones, a pellet diet. The water in the droppings should always be clear. Yellow or green water indicates a sick bird. The white urates should be white. Yellow or green urates indicate a sick bird.  Look for a bird that is alert, active, lively, interested in people and its surroundings. Handfed cockatiels are very sociable, allowing you to handle them, without biting. Choose the bird that is the most interested in you or the one that is trying to get your attention.  Get a receipt and a written 2-week guarantee of the bird's health until you have a veterinarian examine your bird. Always have a new bird checked by an avian veterinarian.  If you see birds that are sick, neglected, abused, coming from dirty facilities, report the owner or breeder to the ASPCA.  When you return from a breeder or pet shop, shower and change your clothes to avoid exposing your other birds to a possible infection or disease.  New birds must be quarantined for at least 30 days, to prevent them from infecting any other birds in your home, with a disease or illness. Even if they were healthy when born, they may have become infected from other bird owners handling them. Quarantined birds should not share the same air space with your other birds since many illnesses are air borne.  If you have purchased a second cockatiel, do not put it in the same cage as your first bird. They may fight for territorial dominance with one bird pecking the other to death. The dominant bird may also prevent the other bird from eating. Introduce them to each other very gradually by placing the cages in the same room for a few weeks. Give them time to communicate with each other by whistling and chirping. A few weeks later, take them both out of their cage so they can play together. If they are compatible, they will follow each other around and preen each other. Give them a few more weeks to play with each other outside of the cage. If you want to put them inside of the same cage, it's advisable to use an entirely different cage so the territory is neutral. Provide 2 separate food and water dishes.

Warning:   If an aviary wasn't kept clean, a NEWLY purchased cockatiel may carry the salmonella bacteria  even if it appears healthy. You and your family can get sick. If you or a family member comes down with flu-like symptoms  tell the doctor that you have a bird.  Have a dropping sample analyzed by an avian veterinarian. Birds can also get an illness called Psittacosis--Parrot Fever. This is also contagious to humans. One of the symptoms of Psittacosis in a bird is lime green urates (the white part of a dropping). If you think your bird is sick, it probably is. Please take it to an avian vet. If you don't have an avian vet and live in the USA or Canada, you should be able to find on on this site. Click Here

         
Back to Top

Graphic Garden
Heartfelt Graphics
Mary's Little Lamb

Page Contents, Layout and Design Copyright Cockatiel Cottage,
All Graphics Copyrighted by Credited Artists and are Not Public Domain