Pictures Problems with a dirty baby cockatiel!

[Kestrel]

Hello everyone,

Okay before I get started I want to say up front that I don't need judgements here, I just need some advice for the best way to go about some things. I'm bringing my baby cockatiel home tomorrow. He/she 9 weeks old and I am getting mixed information on whether or not he is actually weaned. One person told me he's eating pellets the other said he isn't. Everyone agrees he is earing millet spray. The breeder said she's still feeding him formulaa couple times a day but that "he's not really eating it" and that is "why he's so messy". Every time I try to ask questions to get a clearer picture I get mixed answers and I also get the impression that my questions only serve to irritate them and the answers are never consistent anyway. All of the other babies have been taken home already, he is the last one there. I do not need anyone telling me I should have gone with a different breeder. I did my research, she had only glowing reviews and all of her birds I have ever seen have always been healthy. I'm upset how things are going but I could not have known things were going to go this way until now, they just are. And I am attached to the bird now so I'm not going to just walk away.

I'm not comfortable leaving the bird there any longer either because he is filthy. His feathers are caked in formula, they have been getting worse and worse over the last few weeks. I keep being told they will bathe him and they don't. Finally they did bathe him today because I said I would do it myself while I was there but the stuff wouldn't come out. Also she started man handling the bird trying to get rub the stuff out of his feathers before it was even soft enough to come out and I kind of freaked just told her nevermind that I would deal with it on my own. So we dried him up with a blow dryer on warm and long story short he's still a mess.

I feel the best thing at this point is just to bring him home so I can take my time and clean him up without totally stressing him out and gauge how he's eating.

So I don't know if I really have a specific question, just looking for some advice from people more experienced than me on
1. Going about feeding a probably semi weaned 9 week old baby cockatiel.
And 2. Bathing a really really dirty baby cockatiel, how to clean him up safely. My idea was to soak him a bit to soften up the formula then use a soft paint brush to try and brush out the formula to clean the feathers?

I have called my vet too and am waiting on a call back.

All advice is welcome! Thank you in advance.

 

[camelotshadow]

9 weeks is on the young side. Could take up to 12 weeks. Its a pearl probably male so it should lose the pearls when adult...Does not look too dirty. If he is not eating the formula & letting it run down his neck even if they damp wipe it it could look bad. If there is dried thick food on his neck then I'd say they are not good. It's probably in no danger but you may have to suppliment. They can eat oatmeal too with veggies. Still if it does not eat enough then it has to be fed & its tricky.

6 weeks after eating


8 weeks





He came home at 12 weeks.

Can't really tell it weight but it looks ok. Does it fly? Does not appear to be clipped.

Messy? They can get messy..about 6 weeks. His tail was stained yellow but it was really white...

 

[Sylvester]

If that is his pictures, I am not seeing that his feathers are really filthy. Would it not be better if he stayed a little longer with the breeder so she can wean him? Feeding baby birds is tricky and should only been done by someone who is experienced.

With all of that said, he is a beautiful bird, and I am sure the two of you will be very close friends. Congratulations.

 

[Kodigirl210]

I would definitely stay away from soaking. Babies have a very hard time controlling their temperature so him being wet for an extended period of time would make him more susceptible to being sick.

Instead use a damp cloth with just water to try and wipe away the gross material. Use water and cotton swabs to do the fine work.

Continue the weaning process. Most importantly - make sure he is warm! A consistent mistake I keep reading is people not keeping their babies warm. They need to stay warm In order to digest food. Put him on a heating pad with a towel underneath him or put the majority of the heating pad in a ziplock so it doesn’t get dirty and leave him in a tub (like a Rubbermaid tote) with half covered the heating pad half not. That way he can move back and forth to keep himself as warm as needed. I think at this age and only partially weaned he should be kept at around 84 degrees Fahrenheit.

Feed as much formula as he will take and start with more feeding rather than less. Try to give him formula 3-4x a day. Make sure the formula is heated to between 104-107 degrees Fahrenheit. Add a few drops of apple cider vinegar to each formula attempt. By the end of the first day you will have a good ideal of when and how much he wants to eat of formula. If you are unfamiliar with syringe feeding - use a spoon. It’s messier but safer. You won’t aspirate the baby that way. Always, always make sure his crop is empty prior to feeding him more formula. It doesn’t have to be completely flat but should be 90-95% empty. Also make sure that he’s fed prior to putting him to bed overnight. The babies need the food to keep producing the energy to stay warm and alive even with the help of a heating pad. Always wipe the baby of excess formula promptly and sterilize everything you use every time.

To continue the weaning - soften pellets and break them into baby bite sized pieces. Because he is still eating formula he will try to “gulp” the pellets down and may choke. So make sure you give him bits small enough to swallow. You can also use Cheerios to help them learn how to use their beak to grind. Observe closely to make sure he doesn’t swallow them whole. Offer millet. Also offer cooked veggies (green beans, corn, carrots, broccoli, etc ) make sure they are soft and once again make sure he is eating bites that are small enough to travel down and not choke him. Also try mashed sweet potato, cooked brown rice and quinoa. As you get more confident in his ability to feed himself offer more and more regular seed and dry pellets.

When he’s ready to be done with the formula he will start refusing it. At first he will skip one or two feedings then he will reject entirely. Once he’s rejected it each time offered for 2-3 days in a row, he’s done with the formula. Hopefully by that time he’s eating enough regular food to support himself. If not, sit down and hand feed seed, pellet & veggies at the times you would have offered formula so he’s on the same schedule.

Hope that helps. Let me know if you have a specific question or anything isn’t clear.

 

[Kestrel]

Firstly thank you everyone! As always this community is awesome! I am very grateful to all of you.

So the pic I attached was actually taken last week. I didn't think it get one today but it is a bit worse than last week. The food is making his feathers stick together, from his mouth all the way down his chest and around his neck. There are a couple of small spots mostly on his face, one under his eye, where the food is clumped thick like a rock. All of his front feathers are hard like stiff little stems from the formula. To me this seemed really bad, I would imagine it's very uncomfortable for the bird? Also wouldn't that food residue being up against his skin constantly be bad for his health? I mean I know how itchy I get if I stuff on my skin I would think it would be a hotspot for bacteria. But it sounds like maybe I'm thinking this is worse than it actually is?

The breeder has been encouraging me to take him home since he was 6 weeks old. I have been waiting because I felt that was what would be best for the bird. But as I mentioned, all of his siblings (8 others) have gone to new homes and mine is the last one. He is in a cage where he is now, not a box, so I assumed I could put him into his cage at home but if he needs a heating blanket maybe not?

She told me if I have trouble getting him to eat I could bring him back. Honestly I feel torn as to what to do at this point. Every time I go in there I feel like I could be giving him better care than what he's currently getting.

She isn't crushing up or wetting the pellets. No heating blanket. No fruits or veggies or anything like that has been offered. Only pellets and millet. She is not weighing them.The room the birds are in is not particularly warm. I mean I just feel I can do all that myself. And I have watched her feed them, half the time they are up chucking the food, and its running everywhere anyway which was my understanding that was what you needed to avoid.

 

[Kestrel]

@Kodigirl210
Thank you so much! Great info!

One question, if I have a box open at the bottom of his cage with the heating pad in it, do you think that will suffice for him to use it if he feels cold? Or should I just restrict him to the box (heating half of it) and do the cage later?

He is in a cage currently with the breeder with no heating pad or anything.

 

[Kodigirl210]

My first instinct would be to restrict him. But you could try putting it in his cage and see how he responds. If he voluntarily goes to it then no worries just let him do his thing in the cage. Also give him a stuffed animal that has nothing removable on it in the box. It will give him comfort and he will sleep against. Here are younger babies my breeder has. Obviously yours isn’t as young but the concept is the same.



Part of the reason he may not have been eating well was due to being cold. They don’t really have the ability to do it on their own until they are weaned off as well as fully feathered. And even then, depending on the weather they may be kept in a brooder box until they leave for their new home. My CAG was, but admittedly it was colder early in the year last year at around 56-60 degrees Fahrenheit. I’m also concerned because the formula is clumping his feather so they won’t hold in his heat like they normally would.

Also, I would probably agree that under normal circumstances, you should leave the baby with breeder until they are weaned but it sounds like since there’s only the one she is barely caring for him. If he’s your bird, you’ve paid for him, get your items together and bring him home. If the breeder is not using a syringe to crop feed and just using it as a vehicle to put food into their mouth that is fine, use the syringe. If she directly crop feeds then use a spoon. It takes experience to feel where the crop is and if food goes down the wrong way it will the chick could aspirate and die almost immediately or if you get them to a vet in time, be ill for a long time or still not make it. They make special feeding spoons or you could use something like a baby spoon.

LILYS PET 4.7" Bird Parrot Stainless Steel Metal Feeding Spoon,Special Feeding Scoop Medicine Spoons Hand Feeding Spoons for Peony Cockatiel Parrot (3PCS) Amazon.com : LILYS PET 4.7" Bird Parrot Stainless Steel Metal Feeding Spoon, Special Feeding Scoop Medicine Spoons Hand Feeding Spoons for Peony Cockatiel Parrot (3PCS) : Pet Supplies

I can only advise that in your circumstances, were I in your shoes, I would bring my bird home rather than risk him getting ill or having stunted growth. He sounds like he’s almost there - maybe a week or two and that should bring his formula down to 2x a day with perhaps a midday feeding the first couple of days. And I will stress again - use a thermometer to check the food temp. Cold it will give the chick sour crop. We are trying to hem those odds by adding the apple cider vinegar. Too hot it could burn a hole in his crop. And always, always make sure his crop is clear before feeding him more.

I wish you the best of luck whatever you chose and I’ll be more than happy to give you any tips or tricks that I have.

 

[camelotshadow]

You have gotten really good info...Does not sound like this person knows wha they are doing or is doing it. The bird looked ok in the last photo so it should be ok. No good breeder would ever try to pass off a 6 week bird!!! SAd...

If you have the time & can get the materials you probably;y can so as well & likely better...The chick looks ok though so its been making it ok...

They do need warmth & proper warm food to digest...If you can provide it then go ahead...If they mess up really bad & you think the chick is unhealthy you might want to decline it...

 

[sunnysmom]

This link has some info you might find helpful: Breeding Cockatiels, candled eggs, assisted hatches, how to make a brooder, how to handfeed baby birds,
baby bird feeding schedule, baby bird weight gain chart, weaning baby birds, how to wean baby birds. It initially talks about nest boxes, etc but then goes on to cleaning babies, etc.