Cockatiel Worries

[convivial]

Hi!

Earlier I posted on AA about my baby not really eating all too much. I weighed her today, two days after having her, and she seems to have lost .2 oz of weight. She’s now around 2.4oz compared to the 2.6oz she was when I brought her home I’m really concerned about this, and her poops seems a wee bit out of sorts.

Attached below is her poop. Should I bring her back to the breeder and see what they say? She has an appointment with the vet on the 3rd of January, but I’m worried that at this rate she won’t make it to then. What do you guys suggest?

 

[sunnysmom]

Her droppings look ok to me. If she's pooping, she's eating. So that's good. What is she eating?

 

[sunnysmom]

Ok I had to do a math conversation. She lost 5 grams? That is concerning. What is her total weight?
@CeciliaZ @enigma731 @Tiel Feathers

 

[Ripshod]

@sunnysmom 68 grams.

 

[CeciliaZ]

I think 68 g is a little low...wasn't she recently weaned? Maybe starting to regress? I am not familiar with handfeeding. The earliest I have brought home young tiels is about 12 weeks and they were fully weaned. I hope she is OK.

 

[convivial]

Her droppings look ok to me. If she's pooping, she's eating. So that's good. What is she eating?

She’s been eating a pellet seed mixture but today when I went to feed her I saw her digging the seeds out the pellet which makes me think she’s only been eating the seeds out of the pellet. I think I’m gonna feed her mainly seed just to encourage her to start eating more

 

[enigma731]

This is kind of a grey area. 5 grams is enough to be worrisome but not enough for all-out alarm and not completely atypical of a bird adapting to a new environment. If she is eating and has no other concerning symptoms, I would monitor her very closely and encourage her to eat as much high-calorie food as possible, including millet if that's what she wants. If she loses any more weight or if she develops other symptoms, I would treat it as an emergency.

 

[convivial]

This is kind of a grey area. 5 grams is enough to be worrisome but not enough for all-out alarm and not completely atypical of a bird adapting to a new environment. If she is eating and has no other concerning symptoms, I would monitor her very closely and encourage her to eat as much high-calorie food as possible, including millet if that's what she wants. If she loses any more weight or if she develops other symptoms, I would treat it as an emergency.

I’m a bit worried because she seems to only want to eat when she’s outside the cage. I’ll take her out and have her eat the seed, which she’s happily digging into right now, but if I put her in the cage she won’t go near her food at all. She really likes millet though, and I have seen her pick at it in the cage, but she just never touches her food. I’ll keep a close eye on her for sure. She’s eating the Higgins Vita Seed blend for cockatiels willingly right now on the coffee table.

 

[enigma731]

I’m a bit worried because she seems to only want to eat when she’s outside the cage. I’ll take her out and have her eat the seed, which she’s happily digging into right now, but if I put her in the cage she won’t go near her food at all. She really likes millet though, and I have seen her pick at it in the cage, but she just never touches her food. I’ll keep a close eye on her for sure. She’s eating the Higgins Vita Seed blend for cockatiels willingly right now on the coffee table.

Cockatiels are flock eaters. Was she with other birds before? If so, the issue might be that she's uncomfortable eating on her own. Have her out with you when you're eating and see if that helps for now. Then as she adapts more to being in your home, you can work on getting her more comfortable in her cage. Right now, stabilizing her weight is your #1 priority.

 

[convivial]

Cockatiels are flock eaters. Was she with other birds before? If so, the issue might be that she's uncomfortable eating on her own. Have her out with you when you're eating and see if that helps for now. Then as she adapts more to being in your home, you can work on getting her more comfortable in her cage. Right now, stabilizing her weight is your #1 priority.

She was with other birds! That’s probably why she isn’t comfortable eating by herself. I’ll keep record of her weight in a notebook and keep it updated until I’m able to take her to the vet. If it drops below 2.2oz though, I’ll make an emergency visit.

 

[enigma731]

What a cutie! I'd definitely bet that's what's going on here. Give her plenty of millet right now, too. It gets a bad reputation as junk food, but it's really good as a high calorie/high energy food when they need to gain or maintain weight.

 

[convivial]

What a cutie! I'd definitely bet that's what's going on here. Give her plenty of millet right now, too. It gets a bad reputation as junk food, but it's really good as a high calorie/high energy food when they need to gain or maintain weight.

I’ll weigh her tomorrow after all this! Hopefully she weighs more tomorrow

 

[enigma731]

Excellent feast! You'll probably see her weight stabilize before she starts gaining back. Also make sure you're weighing her at the same time each day, because they can vary by about 5g depending on the time, whether they've just eaten, etc.

 

[Tiel Feathers]

I agree that 5 grams is concerning, but not alarming. Make sure you weigh her at the same time each day. I have a feeling she’s just still settling in and not comfortable enough to eat her regular amount. Her droppings look fine to me too. Remind me again how old she is and how long you have had her? Like @CeciliaZ all my birds have been 12 weeks or older and fully weaned when I brought them home.

 

[convivial]

@Tiel Feathers
She ate a ton while I had her out with the millet and the seed! I usually weigh her after I’ve taken the cover off her cage, usually around 7/8am. I’ll be sure to weigh her around that time tomorrow.
She’s approximately 8 weeks old, or two months, and I brought her home this past Wednesday. The breeders said that if there are any issues, bring her back and they’ll see if she regressed.

 

[convivial]

Is her stool supposed to be this light green color? I feel like it’s gotten lighter from before.

 

[enigma731]

There's a normal range of variation. Darker means their digestion is moving slower. None of what you've posted looks abnormal to me, but I think the lighter color is probably from her big meal making things move faster.

 

[convivial]

There's a normal range of variation. Darker means their digestion is moving slower. None of what you've posted looks abnormal to me, but I think the lighter color is probably from her big meal making things move faster.

Thank you!! I’m all sorts of worried about her even though she’s not showing any signs of being unwell or uncomfortable. I really appreciate all the help despite me being panicked

 

[enigma731]

Of course! I think that's a normal bird parent thing -- especially when you have a new bird, but to a certain extent, being hypervigilant is a necessary part of keeping our buddies well.

 

[enigma731]

@convivial What's your baby's name?