How do I keep my cockatiel healthy?

What should I know about cockatiels at a glance?

Cockatiels (Nymphicus hollandicus, "calopsita" in Brazil) are small Australian cockatoos that often live 10 to 20 years and weigh 80 to 120 g as adults.

What do avian vets see most in cockatiels?

Chronic egg laying and egg binding, obesity and fatty liver on seed diets, psittacosis, Giardia and night fright injuries are what most often bring cockatiels to the vet.

• Egg laying problems. Merck lists cockatiels among the birds most prone to chronic laying and egg binding.
• Obesity and fatty liver. VCA notes that cockatiels on all-seed diets often become overweight and can develop fatal fatty liver disease.
• Psittacosis. A bacterial infection that birds can carry without signs, and that can pass to people.
• Giardia. Merck says it is most commonly seen in cockatiels. Some birds pull feathers under the wings and on the inner thighs.
• Poisoning. Zinc and lead from galvanized wire, chains, bells, keys and coins.
• Viral diseases. Polyomavirus, PBFD (psittacine beak and feather disease) and bornavirus, which an avian vet can test for.

Do cockatiels need vaccines or deworming?

Pet cockatiels have no routine vaccines, and no cockatiel vaccine is registered in Brazil. Deworming is usually done after a fecal exam finds parasites, not on a fixed schedule.

• A polyomavirus vaccine exists in some countries. Merck describes it as part of disease control in breeding birds and aviaries.
• Merck mentions deworming every 6 months only for birds in outdoor aviaries in warm climates.
• Adults can carry Giardia silently and shed it on some days only, so Merck notes that repeated fecal tests may be needed.
• Mite sprays, strips and powders for the house can poison small birds. Check the product with your vet.
• Your avian vet sets the plan for your bird.

How much should a cockatiel weigh, and why weigh in grams?

Most adult cockatiels weigh 80 to 120 g, and losing 10% (8 to 12 g) is a reason to see a vet. Avian vets weigh and dose in grams, because a few grams matter in a bird this small.

A kitchen scale that reads whole grams is enough. Weigh once a week at the same time of day and write it down. Feathers hide weight loss, so vets also use the keel score: feel the breastbone in the middle of the chest. On a 1 to 5 scale, 3 is ideal. A sharp keel means thin, and a keel lost under fat means heavy.

Why does my cockatiel lay eggs without a male?

A female cockatiel can lay eggs with no male present, and those eggs are infertile. VCA explains that cockatiels keep laying to replace eggs that are taken away, so single hens and hens bonded to their owner lay the most.

A clutch is usually 4 to 8 eggs, about one every other day. Fertile eggs hatch in about 18 to 20 days.

Laying often weakens birds. Each egg uses calcium, and VCA lists low blood calcium, brittle bones, soft-shelled eggs and egg binding among the risks, most of all on seed diets. Talk to your vet if your hen lays more than one clutch in a few months. What vets often suggest:

• Leave the eggs with the hen for 3 to 4 weeks instead of taking them away right away.
• Shorten the day to about 8 hours of light, as Merck and VCA both mention.
• Remove nest boxes and any toy or mirror the bird treats as a mate.
• Move to a pellet diet.
• Ask about a hormone implant, which VCA says often lasts 3 to 6 months.

Which signs in a cockatiel can't wait?

Call an avian vet the same day if your cockatiel is fluffed up and sleepy, sits on the cage floor, bobs its tail with each breath, stops eating or strains without laying. VCA notes a bird may have been sick for days or weeks before it shows anything.

• Straining to lay. A hen straining, fluffed up or sitting on the cage floor may be egg bound. Call your vet now.
• Breathing trouble. Tail bobbing with each breath, breathing with an open beak, or wheezing.
• Not eating or fewer droppings. Droppings that are fewer, watery, red or black also need a vet.
• A bleeding feather. VCA advises cornstarch or styptic powder on the feather, and an avian vet if it still bleeds after 2 to 3 minutes. Don't pull it at home.
• Weight loss. Down 10% in a month: in birds this is a reason to see a vet.
• Falling, a head tilt or seizures.
• Fumes. After a burnt nonstick pan or smoke, move the bird to fresh air and call your vet.

How do I care for a cockatiel day to day?

The habit that prevents the most illness in cockatiels is moving from a seed mix to pellets. The rest is a safe cage, a dark night and a kitchen the bird never enters.

What should a cockatiel eat?

VCA recommends pellets as about 75 to 80% of the diet, vegetables, greens and some fruit as no more than 20 to 25%, and seeds only as a small treat. Seed mixes are high in fat and low in calcium and vitamin A.

• Switch slowly, over weeks, with your vet's help. Keep seeds until the bird eats pellets.
• Give fresh water and wash the bowls every day.
• Never feed avocado, onion, chocolate, caffeine, alcohol, apple seeds or salty snacks.

What cage and sleep does a cockatiel need?

VCA suggests a cage of at least 60 x 60 x 90 cm per bird, with daily time out of it. Avoid galvanized wire and toys with metal bells or chains. A dark, quiet night matters, and long bright days push hens to lay.

What are night frights?

A night fright is a cockatiel suddenly thrashing in the cage in the dark, often after a noise or movement it can't see. A dim night light and a covered cage side help. A bleeding feather needs a vet.

What in the house is dangerous to a cockatiel?

Fumes from overheated nonstick pans (Teflon) can kill a bird in minutes. Keep birds out of the kitchen. Merck lists the same risk from irons, ironing board covers, some self-cleaning ovens and heat lamps, and also cigarette smoke, aerosols, scented candles and air fresheners.

How do I keep my cockatiel's health record?

VetVitae keeps a cockatiel's weight in grams with the keel score and a warning after a 10% drop, its molts, clutches with the expected hatch date and a chronic laying warning, DNA sexing, tests like psittacosis and Giardia, and its leg ring.

See the bird help page and weight. VetVitae is free on iPhone, Android and the web.

This guide is general information, not veterinary advice. Your vet knows your pet.

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