Cockatiel Care
Although its not nice to think about, there may come a time when you will need to seek professional help for your cockatiel. If you think this, you must go for professional help by going to a vet.
To transport the cockatiel, put them into a shoebox or similar, ensure you make a few air holes before you put the bird into the box. It is nice to talk to your bird in a calming voice during this period, as it will be comforting for them.
The diseases that a cockatiel can contract are many, it is good to know though that few of them are fatal.
To help you be aware of these problems we have compiled a list of the common conditions.
- Diarrhoea - A symptom of an intestinal infection. The cause can be because of spoiled food or parasites to name a few. If your cockatiel has a dirty vent area it is a good sign that they have diarrhoea and it requires urgent treatment. Check that your bird does not dehydrate by ensuring plenty of fresh water is available.
- Moulting - Young cockatiels will usually first start moulting at around six months, after that they will normally moult once or twice a year. Moulting lasts a few months and will normally go unnoticed, if your cockatiel gets stuck in moult mode it could be cause by lack of nutrition or even disease.
- Obesity - This is caused by lack of exercise, probably because a small cage restricts the cockatiels flying space, excessive toys inside the cage, or poorly maid out perches. If you notice your cockatiel is becoming obese, try to encourage it to fly.
- Vomiting - Can be signs of a crop infection, help must be sort from a vet. Other things to looks for are loose droppings and weight loss.
- Respiratory Disease - Can be the result of an infection, psittacosis or a cold. You should consult your vet.
- Poison - If you think your bird has eaten a poisonous plant or ingested something it shouldn't have you need to contact a vet before it escalates.
- Permanently fluffed feathers - If you ensure your bird is kept warm and there are no draughts present around the cage you should consult your vet if your cockatiels feathers stay fluffed all the time. It could be an infectious disease.
- Plucking feathers - Many larger parrots are known to pluck feathers but come cockatiels can also be know to do this when they are bored and do not get enough attention. Give your bird plenty of green to chew on to try to get them to stop and pay it regular attention. Sometimes a radio near by that the cockatiel can hear can help birds with boredom.
- Conjunctivitis - This can be caused by draughts, if the bird has a cold, respiratory disease or anther infection. You can notice it by parts of the eyelid being inflamed.
- Crop Disorders - You should contact your vet if you think your cockatiel has crop disease, signs are similar to diarrhoea and it can cause vomiting, this is very common in psittacine birds.