Rescued tiel

[Bookoovoodoo]

Hi,

my wife and I are long time bird parents, both of us have had birds since we were kids. Today we were walking around an outdoor market and came across a bird store where all of the birds were kept in terrible condition.

One cockatiel in particular caught my wife's eye. Out of all the other birds he was the only one that didn't seem depressed. He was singing and wolf whistling to my wife immediately and seduced my wife into rescuing him. I am perfectly ok with it because he is still very young (baby feathers) so I know hes not a lost cause and we only have one bird, (another tiel) so it shouldn't be a problem.

The only problem is he smells absolutely terrible. I mean make you gag stink. Neither of us have dealt with this problem before as we generally only buy from reputable breeders. So our question is, how can we wash him and what with. Is a small amount of dish soap ok? Vinegar water mix?

TLDR: Tell us how to wash a putrid Tiel please, plain water is not going to work in this situation.

 

[Ripshod]

I've never come across a smelly bird, but someone will be along with good advice.
I just jumped in to give you both a slap on the back and thank you for taking a chance rescuing a bird. I hope your new bird rewards you well.

 

[Peachfaced]

I've heard that sometimes a really poor diet can cause a bad smell. I would highly recommend getting a well bird appointment with the vet to make sure nothing else is going on with this newcomer.

I can't really suggest anything for the bath situation, other than water or something like this: Feather Glo Bird Bath Spray for Birds

 

[iamwhoiam]

Thank you for rescuing the 'tiel. Don't have recommendations for removing the smell. Maybe just misting and lightly bathing.

 

[Bookoovoodoo]

Thanks, going to try the spray first. If that doesnt take I'll give him a dawn dish soap bath in a few days (dont want him to stress) since it's supposed to be non toxic and pet friendly. Also, our birds eat pellets and fresh fruits and veggies so his diet is about to drastically improve

 

[MommyBird]

can you tell if it is the feathers or the poop that smells so bad?
If it's the poop he has an infection.
I would definitely quarantine him until he checks out OK at the vet. People usually do at least 30 days.
I know they use regular Dawn for oil-spill rescue wild birds. So I guess it's relatively safe, just keep out of eyes.
Vinegar would also be safe enough, again keeping out of eyes.

 

[CeciliaZ]

Welcome - I would try spraying him with water first and see if that helps. Hope he converts to eating healthier foods soon - it can take a long time.

 

[Bookoovoodoo]

We ended up giving him a very gentle very diluted bath with Dawn dish soap, the smell is gone and he is acclimating quickly. Here's a pic after he dried out, still pretty rough but hes going to be a handsome birb

 

[Appolosmom]

very beautiful bird

 

[HolliDaze]

Gorgeous!

 

[zoo mom]

What a cutie. So glad you were able to get rid of the smell.