Urgent My cockatiel Coughs whenever he drinks - Video

[Tara81]

Hi, I posted about this in another thread but now I am really worried and had 1 response but he is still doing this.

Today , with the advice of someone, I moved his perch down lower and added more water to his bowl, so its completely full but he still coughs whenever he drinks.

I had him for a week and 3 days. Should I see a vet or am I doing something wrong ? My cockatiel is not hand tamed and appeared very stressed for the first 3 days I had him. It took him a full day to eat. I don't want to scare him again so soon. He doesn't know how to step up yet.

 

[JLcribber]

No he's just gulping too much water. Part of the problem is the bowl is too low and the perch too high. If the perch was even with the bottom of the bowl he wouldn't need to reach down.

Nostrils got a good cleaning!!

He could use about 10 more perches of various sizes, shapes and textures. Nice big room with no furniture.

 

[camelotshadow]

Advised to lower perch yesterday.

 

[Tara81]

I lowered the perch yesterday and added more water to the bowl so its completely full and hes still doing this :/

Yeah I know I ordered more perches , theres not many perch varieties for pets in my area.

I will pimp out his cage , I only got him a week and 3 days ago.

 

[enigma731]

Actually I would get a vet check if he's doing this every time. This certainly can happen in a healthy bird that just drinks too fast or inhales a bit of debris accidentally, but if it's that consistent, I'm suspicious of a respiratory issue.

 

[cassiesdad]

Milton loves showering, and the first couple of times he was in there, he'd lean too far forward, causing him to cough/sneeze like Pablo does. He almost sounded like a duck, to be honest.
Since he's still doing the coughing, I'd also suggest it's time to see the vet...

 

[camelotshadow]

Is he breathing OK otherwise?
You don;t know his history & hope you are trying to do quarantine.
Its possible he could be sick.

 

[Tara81]

Yeah he appears to be fine except for when he drinks. He always puts his nose in the water

 

[camelotshadow]

Not supposed to put your nares in the water when you drink just the beak...
Maybe he was trained to use a water bottle & has never drank water from a bowl?

Can't see but does not look like he's dipping his beak too low in the water

Is he coordinated? Does he have trouble getting around?

 

[Tara81]

Yes he is coordinated. He just doesn't fly because his wings are clipped. He wouldn't touch a water dispenser and at the pet shop they had a cup of water for him, which is why I bought the same one.

The last couple of times i caught him drinking he didn't cough as much. I think hes getting better at it . It's so hard to catch him drinking ! I was with him for an hour this morning and he ate but didnt drink.

 

[cassiesdad]

The last couple of times i caught him drinking he didn't cough as much. I think hes getting better at it

Sounds like he's adjusting to the situation. Milton quickly learned not to stick his head under the shower head after he got water in his nose...

 

[Tara81]

Yeah i was with him for 2 hours today talking to him and watching tv and he didn't drink in front of me today at all. Usually i catch him in the morning but not this time. Maybe he got a drink while i was in the bathroom little bugger.