Got angry after I grabbed in hand for inspection

[sindhi_mithoo]

Our new cockatiel was starting to get adjusted to his new environment. He used to come out of his cage daily and play. Until yesterday, when he went under the bed and got scared when I tried to peek to see if he is ok under there. He quickly came out by jumping and flying. When he came out, he seemed to be ok and happy but we noticed one of his blood feather was red with blood in the middle.

It was a small red mark and we were worried. He was still happy and went inside his cage and ate and drank. When he flapped his wings a couple of times, we noticed there was some more dry blood under his wings and we got worried and thought we should check and him give him first aid i.e. putting some flour.
For this, we had to grab him in hands and check. He got very aggressive and did not let us check properly. However, since yesterday evening, he got angry with us. Today, since morning, he has not come out of his cage and is sitting with angry face like this.

Will he be normal if I leave him alone for some time? He is not playing or doing activities. He did eat in the morning but now just sitting like shown in picture. What should I do?

 

[noodles123]

Welcome--- based on everything you said and what I see here, it is wise to be concerned. It could just be stress but there is a lot going on in this picture. Birds DO hide illness and his behavior is concerning (it could be stress or illness or both). Any extremely stressed bird will do what you are describing, but extremely stressed birds also have very weak immune systems, so they are most prone to illness during times of transition etc.




Are you saying the feather is broken? Is it bleeding? It's normal for a feather to have a reddish/ pink shaft when it's growing in. In a healthy new feather, you will start with the whole thing looking red/pink and then a white tip will be visible and the pink base will get smaller and smaller... That having been said, there should be no dried blood-- if you do see dried blood, it's likely a broken pin feather, which can be harmful if re-opened. They sometimes need to be pulled if they keep bleeding because birds have very little blood..That having been said, how much blood was there? Did you find the source and are you sure it was from a feather? If it has stopped bleeding, I'd leave it alone because he already appears to be under extreme stress...which could happen from being in a new home and handled by a new person etc.



Did he hit his head at all when you peeked under? I'd avoid doing this in the future- as they are prone to night frights and you lifting up the cover and looking in could cause quite a scare.
How long have you had this bird?
When you grabbed his foot, are you saying the red mark was on his foot (if so, was it on the bottom?)
You should not grab a bird for inspection if you can help it-- I understand you were concerned, but a bird so new to your home is likely to be TERRIFIED by this and it also starts you back at square 1 as far a building trust is concerned. So toweling or grabbing should only ever be done in an absolute emergency. You can build trust back, but it takes time and it means that you have to get really good at reading cues to prevent yourself from scaring him/stressing him out.



I feel bad saying this, but you have got to get a better cage. I know that times are rough financially, but that cage is dangerous and WAY too small. See all of that rust? That's poisonous to them and can cause metal poisoning....Also, he has no toys and his perches are all dowel, which is very bad for their feet and can lead to bumble-foot. Perches should vary in diameter, like dragon wood, java or manzanita. I know these guys are small, but they are as smart as human 3-year olds, so, when it comes to environment and stimulation etc..keep that in mind...I know that their size makes it hard to believe, but they are extremely intelligent.


Is this your first parrot by chance?
There are a ton of really good resources on here...When you do get toys, avoid bells and mirrors and no huts/tents/shadowy space. Also, understand that toys (while fun to us) can scare them initially, so the introduction should be gradual. Also, in a cage that size, he really has no room for toys, which is another reason to upgrade to a flight cage if at all possible. If that is impossible, at least a new cage that is not rusting, but I'm positive this cage is too tiny for him.

 

[kiwi_and_emma]

Hi,

I agree with what noodles said above to please get this bby a new cage, cockatiels are very active birds, and they require lots of space and enrichment all that rust in the cage can cause severe metal poisoning. If you cannot get him a flight cage or at least a temporary cage that is not rusting until you can save up for a flight cage even the temporary cage should be at least 2 times their wing span of course the more the better if you can, I know some websites like eBay have second hand flight cages for a cheaper price and I cannot see any toys in his cage either.

BTW is this something within your budget?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/52-Folding...4b069aa2f6c629222061|ampid:PL_CLK|clp:2334524

or this one could be a good temporary one until you can get a flight cage.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Rectangle-...402630357537&itm=284071283820&pmt=1&noa=0&pg%