Elvis tailbobbing

[Artagiel]

Last night I was on the floor watching TV and basking in the awesomeness that was Abby being perched on my knee grinding her beak and preening her tail feathers most of the evening and I looked up at Elvis on the play stand to see his tail bobbing. At first I thought since he was on a thinner branch of the stand that he was doing it to maintain balance and get at the millet at the same time. I was forced to dislodge Queenie pants Abby and had him step up on my arm to check if that was the case and no, he was tail bobbing.
The soonest our usual vet can see him is Sunday but she gave me two emergency numbers in case he seems worse and told me that they can forward his records there too if I need it.
I didn't put him in a hospital cage last night, other than the tail bobbing he was eating and acting normal, no trouble perching and I worried that it would stress both him and Abby out if I had him locked away until Sunday. I made the room warmer and this morning no bobbing.
He is still whistling and tapping and acting himself. Poo looks fine, no discharge or sneezing from the nares. If he has an RI will it be intermittent like this or could it be an outside cause or allergy? I wasn't cooking anything or using anything at the time, there is construction going on outside for the gas lines and that concerns me a little. Elvis is the only one affected but addmittedly Bill and I have a bit of a cold coming on ourselves.

Should I isolate El from Abby until the vet or is it OK to let him be with her unless he seems worse?

 

[Renae]

I was told that if tail bobbing is evident then it's a sign of sickness or early indication of breathing problems. Not sure if it's anything to do with allergies.

It's good that you are still going to take him in even though his tail is no longer bobbing, better to be safe than sorry! hope everything goes okay.

ETA: D'oh, missed the last part. I think he'll be okay in the cage with Abby, keep him warm and hydrated and there shouldn't be any problems unless he starts showing other symptoms.

 

[suncoast]

I have only seen it once, and that was when Zamir had an egg in her pants and was flying all over the place with Trinket. She over exerted herself. After she caught her breath the tail bobbing stopped.

I don't know about isolating him. Part of me thinks yes, but part of me thinks it probably wouldn't matter at this point. I hope somebody with more experience shows up soon.

Ginger

 

[ncGreyBirdLady]

Haley,Can You hear if his breathing is different? Keep a real good Eye on him ,If there are no more symptoms(sneezing,discharge from nares,lack of appetite,change in activity and or droppings)Then You can probably wait and take Him to the Vet on Sunday.Its far better to be safe then sorry

 

[Anne & Gang]

I would definitely keep a close eye out as they are incredibly adept at hiding their illnesses...myself, I would not wwait until Sunday

 

[Billie Faye]

Haley, I also think keeping an eye on him is best right now and agree with Bonnie...if you can hear "wheezing" when he breathes then I would be getting him to a vet ASAP...some birds are more sensitive to things than other birds...and he could be starting a RI and you want to nip that in the bud asap...
Please let us know how he is doing today...if he is sleeping more or just not as active...that is something else to be alert to...I would then consider keeping him warm in the carrier with water/food and keep him quiet...until you can see a vet

 

[Artagiel]

I am stuck at work today for 17 hours but Bill is home with him and checking him every hour and keeping me updated. If he gets worse I will have to have Bill rush him to the Vet, I can't get out of work today.

He doesn't sound raspy, no more tailbobbing so far. I asked Bill to keep an extra close eye when they start the construction again outside and to make sure all the windows are shut, even the ones out in the front hall that the neighbors keep opening on us.

He is acting normal, not sleeping more than usual and when I was on the phone with Bill he was whistling and chirping cutely.

I might call the other Vets today and see what they think about bringing him in sooner. I would prefer to be there because Bill will not feel comfortable enough to medicate Elvis, hell I am worried about being able to do it but if it has to be done I will learn to do it.

 

[Danita]

If it is tail bobbing even a little bit, I would take him in. imo

 

[WingedVictory]

You are doing a great job by keeping him warm and a close eye on him. I also think he will be fine to Sunday if his breathing is normal, poops look fine, and you can't hear any strange breathing sounds. Please watch for labored breathing also.

Heat and hydration are very important should you have a sick bird.

gary

 

[Daisy's Mom]

I'm sorry I wish I had advice for you... I hope Elvis feels better. I will be praying for him. Please let me know how your little guy is doing.

 

[Artagiel]

Thanks all! Elvis seems to be doing well so far. Bill, Abby and he all had some peanut butter wheat toast yesterday which Abby tried to hog as usual and he spent a good deal of time fixing the paper I had put in his cage by turning it to confetti. He is still whistling and being a total cassanova and looks bright and active. I am going to put him in a hospital cage by me this after noon so that I can keep a good watch on him and get some good fresh poo's for his appointment in the am tomorrow.
I called the other vet and they do have emergency care but couldn't say if it would be an acv that I would get for it so I decided to wait and see my usual vet as that place also couldn't give me an earlier appointment with the acv although they are a bit cheaper.

Thank you all for the support help and prayers for El, we all appreciate it here!

I also have a horrible cold now, I am curious if I didn't give/get it to/from El. I feel like yuck, my poor little baby if he is hiding that he feels the same way.

 

[Billie Faye]

Thanks for the update!
Sorry you are feeling under the weather!!!!
Please let us know how the vet visit goes!

 

[Artagiel]

Will do. Here is the patient so far this morning.

 

[Beatriz Cazeneuve]

Thanks all! Elvis seems to be doing well so far. Bill, Abby and he all had some peanut butter wheat toast yesterday which Abby tried to hog as usual and he spent a good deal of time fixing the paper I had put in his cage by turning it to confetti. He is still whistling and being a total cassanova and looks bright and active. I am going to put him in a hospital cage by me this after noon so that I can keep a good watch on him and get some good fresh poo's for his appointment in the am tomorrow.
I called the other vet and they do have emergency care but couldn't say if it would be an acv that I would get for it so I decided to wait and see my usual vet as that place also couldn't give me an earlier appointment with the acv although they are a bit cheaper.

Thank you all for the support help and prayers for El, we all appreciate it here!

I also have a horrible cold now, I am curious if I didn't give/get it to/from El. I feel like yuck, my poor little baby if he is hiding that he feels the same way.

No, birds do not catch any of the viruses that cause the human cold.

 

[Tamara]

Will do. Here is the patient so far this morning.

Ashlee does that! Silly cockatiels...
I'm glad to hear he is still ok atm, but definitely keep us up to date!

 

[Artagiel]

Just got back, airsacs sound fine, no tail bobbing and no mucus, the vet could see nothing wrong with him and held off doing a culture because she didn't want to charge me more money if he had no other signs. They will call in a few days to make sure he is still doing well but she thinks he was just overly stressed from the construction outside.

 

[J*M*L]

Oh good, I'm so glad!

 

[Billie Faye]

This is good to know!
Please keep us posted and loved the video! They do get into things, don't they?

 

[Birdiemarie]

I'm so glad there's nothing serious going on atm. Very cute video.