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Proper weight?

haze

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There’s probably nothing wrong at all, but I’m a little concerned about my cockatiel, Pepper, because I can feel his keel bone a bit. I just weighed him and he weighs 120 grams, which is pretty normal. He’s got his general wellness check soon, but I’m a little worried because I heard you shouldn’t be able to feel the bone. His mannerisms are all the same, and he seems to be eating as much as normal, that is to say his bowl is still empty at the end of the day. He’s not a big fan of eating seed as treats, never has been since he was young, so maybe that has something to do with it?
 

haze

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If it helps, he is probably the longest cockatiel I’ve ever seen. He’s not fat at all, just a very large bird, about the size of a galah cockatoo.
 
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Ripshod

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I don't recall - does he get to fly much? The feel of the keel bone is more about muscle than it is about body fat. You can still feel the bone quite easily through even a large amount of fat.
For the size you're describing he should be heavier. Can you measure his length? Even without his main tail feathers (moult) Tau is almost 12 inches (30cm) and currently weighs 112 grams. He still has a lot of muscle growth to work through, so you can imagine most of his weight is fat and stored protein.
The sheer range of recommended weights shows there can be a huge difference in size across the species. I remember seeing 70-120 grams quoted, don't recall where.
 
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haze

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I don't recall - does he get to fly much? The feel of the keel bone is more about muscle than it is about body fat. You can still feel the bone quite easily through even a large amount of fat.
For the size you're describing he should be heavier. Can you measure his length? Even without his main tail feathers (moult) Tau is almost 12 inches (30cm) and currently weighs 112 grams. He still has a lot of muscle growth to work through, so you can imagine most of his weight is fat and stored protein.
The sheer range of recommended weights shows there can be a huge difference in size across the species. I remember seeing 70-120 grams quoted, don't recall where.
He does fly multiple times per day. Anytime I’m home he’s out and able to fly around. I’ll be able to measure him in a bit
 

Monica

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A bird that gets a lot of exercise, therefore has muscles, is more likely to be on the heavier side than a bird that doesn't get to exercise. (of course, there will be exceptions.... some birds will be lighter, regardless of being flighted or not)

120 grams is considered heavy, if not overweight, for the majority of cockatiels. If he's not fat and he has a nice round/thick breast/chest muscles, doesn't sound like anything to worry about. However, if behavior is off, or there was a sudden weight change (up or down) then a vet visit may be in order.
 
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