HELP! Found lost cockatiel that is dehydrated and won't eat or drink

Crazy4Birds

New member
Oct 20, 2010
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CT and FL
Parrots
Nicky (sun conure); RIP Gracie (senegal) and Benson (cockatiel)
I just found a pearled cockatiel in St. Pete Beach, FL. She is dehydrated and I can't get her to drink water. I put a small dish in front of her and splashed it around a bit so she could see what it was but she won't even perch onto the dish. I even tried using a dropper but she runs away. She is a little mad at me because I clipped her wings as soon as I brought her into the apartment. She will perch onto a stick if I put it in front of her but most of the time she jumps right off it. She is a little timid but doesn't seem terrified of people. When she poops it looks like a dark green streak but not watery at all. I think this is because she has not had anything to eat or drink in a while. My main concern is that she is not drinking water. Any suggestions to help me get her to drink water?????
 
Why did you clip her????? She is very stressed right now. Do you have access to gatorade? Towel her and get some in her asap! Take it slow so she does not aspirate!
 
I've experienced this before with a budgie and love bird I caught in cold weather. Try diluting a little bit of honey to the water and use the dropper :). Hope this helps & good luck ;)
 
Post on Craigs list and parrotalert.com
 
Just let her be! How do you know she's dehydrated? IF you can feel her breast bone with no meat around it it means she hasn't ate for awhile. If she's not boney then she probably just escaped. Her poop sounds like she was being fed a seed diet. So I dunno why your over thinking she's this and that. Post her in lost and found, it really sounds like she just got loose....
 
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UPDATE: The reason I clipped her wings was so that she wouldn't get hurt from flying all over the place. It was quick and easy. She has started to trust me now. She will let me scratch her neck but still doesn't step up on my finger. I have tried using a dropper with a mixture of water and a drop honey. She drank some of it but was falling asleep while wrapped in the towel. Right now I am letting her nap. I think she may have just escaped either today or yesterday. I was outside by the pool when I found her. She landed next to me and started chirping but wouldn't step up so I ran inside and got her with a towel. She seemed as though she was looking for someone to help her. I took pictures of her and posted on both craigslist and 911parrotalert. I am still concerned about her droppings. It may just be that she is stressed and hasn't eaten all day. Her wings are dropped down slightly, but she is not lethargic. She was walking around and exploring the place earlier. When she wakes up from her nap I will try to give her some more water and see if she will eat.
 
UPDATE: The reason I clipped her wings was so that she wouldn't get hurt from flying all over the place. It was quick and easy. She has started to trust me now. She will let me scratch her neck but still doesn't step up on my finger. I have tried using a dropper with a mixture of water and a drop honey. She drank some of it but was falling asleep while wrapped in the towel. Right now I am letting her nap. I think she may have just escaped either today or yesterday. I was outside by the pool when I found her. She landed next to me and started chirping but wouldn't step up so I ran inside and got her with a towel. She seemed as though she was looking for someone to help her. I took pictures of her and posted on both craigslist and 911parrotalert. I am still concerned about her droppings. It may just be that she is stressed and hasn't eaten all day. Her wings are dropped down slightly, but she is not lethargic. She was walking around and exploring the place earlier. When she wakes up from her nap I will try to give her some more water and see if she will eat.

I think you should remove the pictures from craigslist. Typically it is not a good idea to post pictures of animals you find because people can claim it is theirs just to get a free pet. You are much better off posting an ad and asking people to call and identify the animal.

Also if this happens in the future I don't think you should clip the wings... Catch them, put them in a quiet room in a cage and leave them be with food/water. That would have been incredibly stressful and it is very possible that was the first time in her life she has ever been clipped. A lot for a bird to take in at once. Also, don't force feed anything. Give her food and water and leave her alone in the room (in a cage). Your presence could have been freaking her out.
 
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She's gonna sleep, she's probably exhausted. It would take her a few days or so of rest to recover depending on how long she escaped....
 
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I think you should remove the pictures from craigslist. Typically it is not a good idea to post pictures of animals you find because people can claim it is theirs just to get a free pet. You are much better off posting an ad and asking people to call and identify the animal.

Thank you for mentioning that! I edited the posting after I read that. I just really wanted the owner to be able to identify her right away! But you are right, unfortunately there are dishonest people out there.
 
Thank you for helping this poor bird! She must be so scared! It sounds like you are taking good care of her. I think that it is wonderful you are helping her!! Good luck.
 
Thank you for mentioning that! I edited the posting after I read that. I just really wanted the owner to be able to identify her right away! But you are right, unfortunately there are dishonest people out there.

I think that is very smart of you. It is sad that you have to do that (some people suck...) but it really is in the best interest of the bird. Thanks for doing what you are doing! :grey:
 

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