Cockatiel Head Drooping

[Suzi Riley]

First time poster here!

I have recently noticed that my cockatiels head has been significantly dropping. He is very inactive and often spends most of his time just relaxing on a perch, but now his head is hanging very low and he appears to be shutting his eyes alot. I can't tell if this is unusual for him or not as I have only had him and his partner for a week

Him and his female counterpart are in Seperate cages beside eachother. They are new to my home, but settled in very quickly and will happily eat out of my hand. However they are not hand tamed. When he was first settling in, I noticed that he had a very hunched posture, but I didn't think anything of it until earlier today where is got to a point he was nearly falling into his food bowl. He has also lost some of his appetite as far as I can tell, but he's ever been a very active bird and I can't help but worry as he and his female companion are my first pets.

If you all have any ideas as to what could be causing this, what it is or how to help him please let me know! Due to the Corona Virus outbreak I have been unable to reach an avian vet, and I don't want to bother any without due cause as it would mean breaking my isolation. Thank you!

 

[Tiel Feathers]

Maybe send a photo of him, but you might have to go to a vet. Does he preen or move around or play?

 

[Pockets]

Welcome to the forum!

Congratulations on your new birds. You're being a good observer and asking the right questions.

Can you provide some pictures? Without photos, what I'm imagining doesn't sound great.

It's abnormal for your bird to hang his head low/hunch to the point that he is falling in his bowl. I would prioritize calling an avian vet and see what their policy is during COVID. With any new bird, it is also best practice to have a check-up at a vet right away, as there is no way to know their true condition based solely on the word of a breeder or pet store. Parrots work incredibly hard to not show illness, so if your new friend is showing you he isn't doing very well - believe him! If you need help finding an avian vet, let us know.

If I were you, I would be at the vet as soon as possible (if they don't have regular appointments - stress that this is urgent/an emergency) and see what they say. Worst case scenario: Your bird has something wrong and the vet can help. Best case: Your bird has a clean bill of health from a certified Avian Veterinarian.

Wishing you all the best. Stick around the forum - there is a lot of great info here!

 

[Shezbug]

@Suzi Riley. How is your bird doing now?