Possibly Injured Cockatiel

[Reti]

You can give him 1 cc of yogurt as long as it is not with chocolate.
Is he eating and drinking now?

Reti

[Pidgey]

I don't know if it's the same thing, but I sure have seen a lot of those kinds of birds doing a funny swaying as though they were centering their weight over first one leg and then the other. The frequency is usually around one and a half shifts per second near as I can remember.

Pidgey

[rialize]

He is not eating and drinking without some coaxing - meaning, that I have to set the food right in front of him, and then he will eat it. He doesn't yet go after it on his own. I have not seen him drink with my own eyes, but the dish seems to have moved a little. I fortified his water with liquid vitamin for birds.

I will try the yogurt, as long as I can get a good pair of gloves. His bites are very nasty.

Thanks you for the information about the swaying. He seems to only do it now when I am close to the cage, and he hisses, so I am certain that it is just a sign of aggression toward me.

rialize

[jazaroo]

Hi Rialize,

Please continue to monitor him, but I would not be overly concerned about you not seeing the bird take water, one of our parrots, 9 yrs. old when we got him, and without exaggerating, would not allow us to see him drink for over two years. If the water is there he will drink when thirsty.

The hissing and biting towards strangers is normal and actually a good sign, as it shows his energy is not bad, when these birds are truly not feeling well they get much more docile.

I am not sure whether you provided a stationary stick or branch for him to perch on, it could even be a simple as cutting a maple branch and passing it from one side of the cage to the other.

One last thing, he may enjoy a bath at some point. To do this this take out any toweling and seeds in the cage and replace the toweling for his bath with newspaper (if you are using newspaper, just leave it and change after). Get a spray bottle like you use on plants to spritz them, it is VERY important this bottle has never been used for anything else than only water (no chemicals of any kind). Fill it with warm water and start to mist him. Depending on his mood he may open his wings and allow you to wet him well, it also allows them the opportunity to drink as well.

Please keep us informed.

Ron

When you bathe him, have the cage on a counter top, these birds really do not like to be kept low, as Lindi mentioned (thanks), and he will not enjoy the bath if the cage is on the ground and you are spraying down at him.

[Rooster2312]

Hi Rialize,

Sorry I am a bit late to this thread. Thank you for rescuing this lovely lutino. As others have mentioned, the swaying motion displayed by the bird is a normal cockatiel defensive behaviour which is understandable after all it has been through. It's good that you have now provided a cage of sorts for the bird. Thoroughly washed branches (fruit trees best) or plain wooden or plastic bird perches should be fed through the bars so the bird can perch comfortably. It is also important, if you have not already done so, to place the cage well above the floor. This will help minimize stress and allow the bird to become familiar with its new surroundings and human interactions.

I am assuming you have provided some cockatiel/parakeet mix. You could also try offering some millet sprays to stimulate appetite. Cockatiels relish these and nibbling away at these can also keep the bird stimulated and content. I understand your concern about not seeing the bird drink. I am sure the bird will be getting sufficient water as long as a fresh supply is available daily. It may also help if food and water are available at perch level instead of the cage floor.

Lindi

[rialize]

The bird has been off of the ground since he got here. I never put a bird on the floor, because they are sensitive creatures - no animal deserves to be forced to stay on a cold, hard floor.

Our area has been hit by some severe flooding these past few days, and the basement (which is my room) was getting a little water in it. I took him upstairs until the water receeded, and now he is on a high table, with a warm lamp shining down on him, where he can look around and see everything. I figured he would want to have a look around!

I cleaned his cage this morning, and was met with considerable hissing and screaming. (He seems more lively!) His poops are still a little green, but not watery in any sense. Whenever he hears my voice, he cocks his head at me. He's been experimenting by climbing around on the bars of the cage, and moves around freely, now. He likes to have his food on the bottom of his cage - he screams if I move the dish, or forget to scatter some on the bottom of the cage for him. He is also this way with the water dish, which he likes to have on the top, wide perch of the cage.

I have yet to receive any calls about the owner. Although I quite enjoy having him around, I would love to be able to reunite him with his owner.

Lindi - at the moment, all I have to offer is a dove mix of seeds. I've been packing him full of safflower and other fatty seeds, to help him gain some weight back. This weekend, I'll be getting some cockatiel mix and mixing this in for him, gradually. I'm concerned about his weight, at the moment - I have read that these birds lose weight dangerously fast.

Things are looking good! If there are any other problems, I will be sure to ask you guys. You've been a great help. I really appreciate it!

rialize

[mr squeaks]

Just My Opinion, Realize, but I'd be willing to BET, you won't find the owner.

Are you willing to keep this cutie? I'd be thinking of a name...

[jazaroo]

Hi Realize,

Sorry to hear about the flooding in your area.

Green droppings can be considered normal, with a little white urate, our Cockatiel's droppings range from the colour of spinach, to green peas to slightly brown/green depending on what he has been eating. The Dove seed mix will do just fine until you get him his cockatiel mix (they do love spray millet as Lindi mentioned).

Glad to hear he is adjusting and is a bit more lively, it sounds like you have things well in hand with him concerning his comfort. And yes, they can be very bossy, ours knows how to keep us in line when we don't do things as he likes. Also, if you do buy some millet sprays for him, many people use these to hand tame Parakeets and Cockatiels, as they love it so much. Try hand feeding him a little through the cage to get him more use (read friendly) with you.

It may take a little while to find his owners, make sure you do check the local papers. This bird sounds like he has been out for a while and an owner may have just run an ad for a few weeks and then stopped. I don't know your ability to access you local want-ads for the last 6-8 weeks to check, just a thought. As well, the owners may not be Internet people, so please do call some of your local vets, especially avian ones about this bird. After that, you have done the best you can and if you can not find his owners you will have to make a decision on finding a home for him.

Ron