What is considered a "normal" weight?

[cockatiel_lover]

Was just curious of others' opinion. I have an 8 and a half month old tiel and he weighs about 4.5 oz (maybe a little less; he wasn't cooperating on the scale tonight ). Would this be considered healthy or should I look into changing his diet?

 

[Amberry]

Wow! I just converted that to grams online and it is about 127.5! Has he been checked out by a vet? That would be considered very heavy for a tiel. What is his diet like?
I know that some are 'bigger boned' than others though so best to get him checked out.
It's normal to have about a 5 gram fluctuation between morning and night due to feeding but my boy usually weighs 86 in the am and about 90 before bed. My female weighs about 87 am and 91 PM.

 

[waterfaller1]

This says 88 gms to 178 gms
Cockatiel.com bird facts
This says 78gms to 125 gms
Cockatiels (Nymphicus hollandicus)
I know some people have been breeding some huge tiels the last several years. Sadly they develop some health issues. How does your bird look, and does he fly? Having the ability to fly keeps a bird's weight in check, and muscle tone in good shape.Can you post a pic? Birds should not have a big fat chest.

 

[Maxsmom]

They are usually weighed in grams. My two females were between 91-95 grams each

 

[Little Bird]

A healthy female Cockatiel should weigh around 100g and a healthy male Cockatiel should weigh around 90g

 

[Amberry]

A healthy female Cockatiel should weigh around 100g and a healthy male Cockatiel should weigh around 90g

I was hoping that you would chime in Jen!

 

[CrazyBirdLady]

Honestly it is hard to say from weight alone. It is best to go by feeling the keel bone. The muscles around it should be even with the keel, not sink in or protrude. I have tiels ranging from 70 to 130 grams and all are healthy weights.

 

[Stormcloud]

Honestly it is hard to say from weight alone. It is best to go by feeling the keel bone. The muscles around it should be even with the keel, not sink in or protrude. I have tiels ranging from 70 to 130 grams and all are healthy weights.

My AV is always more concerned with how they feel around their keel rather than their actual weight.

 

[Anne & Gang]

I agree, you need to feel around the keel...everybirdie is different...I have a tiel here, Lord Maxwell Studmuffin who weighs 82 grams . he is disabled but vet says in wonderful cndition and a good weight..and Queen Samantha our jet flyer and pig out eater who weighs in at a svelte 78 grams..She is very little but very very healthy and then there is our heavy weight Princess Mitch who weighs 133 grams and when the vet saw her he went wow, what a beautiful hefty weight she is! So it depends on what the keel feels like...and I would take your baby to a vet to see if that weight is normal for your bird.

 

[GlassOnion]

Apple is around 81-83g and Bmo is 90-93.

 

[bubblelady]

Arabella is currently 111 gms, which the vet said was ok. Her muscles are just even with her keel. She was up to 119 gms, which the other vet in the same practice said was too much. She was 90 gms when I got her. She, like Princess Mitch, LOVES her food!

 

[cockatiel_lover]

Just felt the keel bone and the muscle feels even with it. He is constantly eating but he's very hyper and never sits still so I figured that he needs the calorie intake to keep up with how active he is. I wasn't planning on taking him to the vet until he was a year old for a check up to see how he's developing but perhaps I should try to get him there sooner?

 

[Mizzely]

My opinion is this: human children go for checks up every month, every few months, etc, when they are under 2 years old. Why? Because the doctor wants to see how they are progressing, to see if there are any issues that can be detected early on. So for me, I would think it would be similar for most other animals. 1 year old, they are at that point where they aren't really developing much more. They might shift a few grams, etc, but they are done growing and working on being adults - it would be like taking a human child in for the first time as a teenager. I would take him sooner than later for a physical

 

[ParrotsforKeeps]

It varies widely from the amount of breeding. Some cockatiels have been bred to be quite larger- my first tiel was huge, bigger than my quakers! My current female is under/around a hundred even when egg laying (as she is now). The only way to tell is by their keel bone.

 

[CrazyBirdLady]

Just felt the keel bone and the muscle feels even with it. He is constantly eating but he's very hyper and never sits still so I figured that he needs the calorie intake to keep up with how active he is. I wasn't planning on taking him to the vet until he was a year old for a check up to see how he's developing but perhaps I should try to get him there sooner?

It is always a good idea to take a new bird in to the vet for a check up if you can.

 

[Anne & Gang]

It is always a good idea to take a new bird to a vet for a wellness check at least. and once a year after that if you can. as for eating all the time...our hen, Samantha eats constantly..She weighs in at 78 grams soaking wet and is always on the go from morning till night. and she flies like a jet..flying takes a lot of energy ...also depends what you are feeding him you must either give a high quality seed mix and /or pellets plus the fresh veggies, pasta, eggs etc.

 

[cockatiel_lover]

I've had Bubba since he was weened and I've taken him to the vet when he was younger for a respiratory infection and they found out he has a Vitamin A deficiency. The only problem with his diet is that he's a very picky eater. He refuses to eat fruits and vegetables but everything else is fair game. I keep offering the fruits and veggies but he literally turns his back to me when he realizes what I'm feeding him because he refuses to try it anymore.