Advice on helping rehabilitate a rescue cockatiel?

[LizzyLou]

Hey,

First post so hope this is okay and that its in the right spot. Grew up around birds but this is our first time in this particular situation so looking for any advice or tips on how to proceed.

Had a neighbor contact my dad a few hours ago. They found a cockatiel on the road in the city center and asked if we would look after it. It Seems to be settling in fine and eating no problem but feathers are puffed up (which from what I can remember usually means they aren't 100%?) and it also does seem to be quite thin or underweight when viewed straight on.

Will try attach a few pictures so you can hopefully get an idea of what I'm trying to describe.

so far my dad is think of picking up some kind of tonic and maybe a bit of an egg food mix or something?
Any tips or advice welcome. Thanks in advance.

 

[Tiel Feathers]

Thank you for taking care of this poor bird. No doubt he is exchausted and hungry from his ordeal. I would keep him warm and cover three sides of his cage. Give him anything he will eat, like a good quality seed mix and millet. If you can, you should probably take him to a vet. He could also be fluffed up because he is relaxed. He most likely is someones pet, so every effort should be made to find the owner.

 

[LizzyLou]

Hey Thanks for the advice.
The bird is currently in a cage in the same room as our other two birds and already seems a bit brighter than it did last night. Our other cockatiel is being a bit of a show off.
Apparently our neighbors had tried finding the owner by posting on various social media pages but no luck so far. we'll keep trying anyway.
My dad retired from breeding cockatiels and other birds a number or years back so some of our knowledge is a bit rusty but After thinking back to when we used to have chicks and stuff my dad is thinking it might be a fledgling or quite young. Its tearing through the millet but doesn't really seem to know what to do with the seed or anything else.

 

[sunnysmom]

He does look young. Maybe try feeding him some soft foods in addition to millet. Thank you for helping him.

@Monica ? @Birdbabe ?

 

[parrotluv]

When a bird is found outside it really must be seen by a vet. It could have bacteria from possibly eating something he should not have. The puffiness is often a sign that he is not well and trying to conserve heat. He could even have some internal injuries if other birds tried to attack him or from other animals. Please take this baby to the vet and I would quarantine away from your own birds.

 

[Birdbabe]

Good advice from everyone, but do get him checked if you can. And keep him in quarantine for the safety of your other birds. He may not have any cooties, but best to be cautious. Thanks for helping him.

 

[LizzyLou]

Hey,
Our local Vet was contaced a few hours ago and the situation was explained. The vet told us that if its eating and everything then theres not much of a reason to bring it in to her.
It has come on quite a bit in the last 24 hours. A lot more alert. We have it in its own cage in a quiet corner of the house for now.
We have been trying it with a bit of a warm egg-food mixture and its eating it no problem. A lot of preening and a few naps but thats to be expected after what its been through..
Thanks again for all the advice

 

[Monica]

Do you have bird pellets over there??? Maybe the bird was accustomed to a different diet than what you currently have available.

 

[rocky'smom]

I disagree with your vet. being outside they can pick up all sort of icky stuff including mites & Worms. in my siggie below you will see a budgie called The Turk. he flew into my life, with feather mites all over him. months of quarantine, meds to rid him of mites. he also had worms and I had to rid him of those. so I would say take him to the vet please.

 

[blewin]

I would definitely have an avian vet check him out, at least for mites. Bird mites are extremely difficult to get under control, even when there are no birds around. There's a pigeon that nests outside of my classroom, and the whole room is now infested with mites. I can't keep anything in there any more, for fear of bringing unwanted passengers home.

 

[parrotluv]

I disagree also with the vet. Birds hide their illness very well as a means of survival. Some fecal tests and blood test will give you a good idea if there are any problems.

 

[LizzyLou]

Hey,
Just a quick post. Over here we dont really have too many (if any) specialist vets. It would take a lot of time to try and find someone who would know or treat a lot of birds.
Will look into it though.

 

[Monica]

AAV lists one avian vet in Ireland and I'm not sure if you've already gone here, or if you live anywhere close to this vet.

Bairbre O'Malley - Association of Avian Veterinarians


Sometimes, you just need to call around asking for recommendations of a vet that treats birds.