Cockatiel having problems drinking

[Syme]

Our 7 year old 'tiel, Akira, has been acting a bit weird lately. He had a couple of days a week or two ago where he spent most of the day sleeping and his grip was a little off. His nasal passages looked a little red and he had some stuff in them.

My husband thought it was a vitamin deficiency, so he started giving Akira liquid vitamin drops in his water and food. Akira perked up in a couple of days and got his energy back. His nasal passages looked better too.

Today Akira was chirping like he wanted something. We assumed it was water and he was upset because of the vitamins in what he had, so we got him some fresh water with no vitamins. Akira tried to drink, but as soon as his beak touches the water, he slings his head around like it bothers him. We've watched him try and drink multiple times, and each time he does this. He's not getting any water.

We have an appointment with an avian vet tomorrow morning at 11:30am (it's 4pm here). They said if we wanted to pay $175, we could get him in today as an emergency visit.

We went out and got a handfeeding syringe to try and give him water with. We also got a water bottle to see if he can use that (he's used them before). We also got him a cuttlebone and ornabac.

Aside from the drinking thing, he seems normal. He is eating with no problems and is active. The last time we are sure he drank something was yesterday.

Anyone have any idea on what this could be? Do you think waiting until tomorrow for an appointment will be alright as long as we get water down him with the syringe? Any other suggestions/comments?

Edit - My husband thinks he saw Akira go into his cage and get a drink. He said he thinks he did it almost normally the first time, but the second time he drank towards the end he ended up shaking his head. We don't see any sores on his beak, but his nose does look full of crusty stuff.

Edit 2- ornacycline not ornabac

 

[WingedVictory]

You might try mix water and Gatorade 50/50 and see if he will drink it. The electrolytes in the Gatorade may help perk him up and the flavor may help. You can also try putting drops on his tongue one by one.

Gary

 

[Anne & Gang]

he does sound ill....I wouldn't wait until tomorrow..they can go down hill so very quickly.

 

[Danita]

Good luck at the vet, please let us know how it went.

Are you giving him the fresh water in his nighttime dish? That might alleviate some worry. Vitamins in the water during the day, and fresh at night.

 

[WingedVictory]

How is Akira doing?

Gary

 

[Syme]

Thanks for asking. He started drinking again this afternoon. We tasted the water coming from the tap in the morning, and it tasted very heavy of chlorine, so we're thinking he might have been upset by that. We're still taking him to the vet in the morning, just in case.

 

[Kathie]

Glad to hear he is doing better and happy you are still taking him for a vet visit.

 

[Laurul Feather Cat]

He may have a nasal infection or even just a lot of dust in his nares. My birds do not do well in low humidity and if I have them in airconditioning, I have to mist them at least once a day to they get crusty noses.

Those over the counter antibiotics they sell in pet stores are dangerous and I will not use them on my birds. If my bird is sick the vet will give me what I need. You cannot be sure of the purity or efficacy of those otc drugs.

My birds have bird bottles with demand activated needle valves so there is no way they can contaminate their water. The water still must be changed daily to assure clean and healthy water, but I know there is no way those bottles can be contaminated by food or excretment. I have Bird Butler water bottles and the Birdy Buddy bottles. The Buddy bottles have been discontinued by their manufacturer but you can get similar ones from rabbit or small animal supply companies if you want to. The Bird Butler waterers are quite expensive but are one hundred percent indestructable and almost impossible for a bird to dismount from the cage. They are ideal.

 

[Daisy's Mom]

Please let us know what happens with the vet visit today... So glad that he's feeling better today..

 

[Syme]

Back from the avian vet. Little guy got a clean bill of health, the only thing of concern was his weight (a hefty 91 grams). Lungs, nasal passages, feathers, etc were normal. We're thinking it was just the overchlorinated water. Now to start him off on a diet.

Thanks again everyone for your concern!

 

[WingedVictory]

Great to see everything is OK.

Gary

 

[Anne & Gang]

ok why s 91 grams considered hefty? that is really not an unusual weight for a bird and I would not be putting him on a diet...exactly what is t his diet to be?

 

[Syme]

The vet said he was 5-6 grams overweight. He is a smaller sized cockatiel as well. I know his diet is bad, he eats pretty much 100% seed and no matter what we do, he won't eat much else. The vet suggested mixing cooked rice and frozen veggies and using that as a primary food. I know our conure goes to town on frozen veggies, but never tried rice. Very skeptical on if Akira will eat it, even if we take his seed away. What do you guys think?

 

[Daisy's Mom]

I'm soo glad you got a clean bill of health for your little one.. My Mikey weighs around 90 grams and my Miss Daisy well she is petite little thang and she weighs 76 grams.. Mine love their Uncle Bens whole grain rice, quinoia, coucus... I too get the frozen mixed veggys.. Sometimes they are good and eat it and then other times they are brats and don't.. But I offer it anyway..

 

[Laurul Feather Cat]

My cockatiels get 50% seeds in the form of Nutriberries. Then they get frozen mixed veggies and brown rice with lentils; and to make it even more tempting, I scatter a few pieces of millet across the top of it. They get fresh greens and steamed sweet potatoe at least five times a week and have Harrisons pellets available all the time; which they do eat. As long as your bird is under 100gms, he is not fat; he is pleasingly plump. Does he get to fly at all?

Oh, yeah. Water. If you don't want to use a filter to remove chemicals from your water, you can just let it sit at room temp for two to four hours to allow the chlorine to escape the water. Or you can buy bottled water. I have a on facet filter because our water is very heavy.

 

[April]

So glad that he is ok.