How do you check your bird for general well being?

[Maria_Metropolis]

I always feel his keel bone and check his crop for fullness to make sure he's eating. He HATES when I touch him there, but I guess it makes me feel better to know he's eating what I give him, and he's a good weight. I also regularly check his nares to make sure they're clear.

Does anyone else do that?

What else do you check on his/her body to make sure they're happy and healthy?

 

[JerseyWendy]

You could weigh him regularly to check his weight.

I check droppings, activity levels, weight, nares, feet, how they sleep, how much they play/talk, and how they preen.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

I weigh Rosie with a gram scale for weight and keep it written down, I feel her breast muscles. I examine droppings daily for any weirdness, and their behavior.

With Kenji I look at him closely, examining his eyes and nostrils. I can kinda see his chest shape since he's not as fluffy as Rosie. Make sure he's eating his food, acting normal, and examine his droppings. I wish I could weigh Kenji, but I can barely handle him so that's not going I happen right now.

 

[Maria_Metropolis]

Yes, I forgot, I look at his droppings too, and I make sure he's doing enough of them.

 

[MomtoPercy]

Wow, I guess I'm missing some things I am a manic pooper-checker but I don't check weight or nares. I do notice his feet a lot because he's always got them up in the air somehow, hanging from something or other. But I'd only notice a raw patch or redness - is there something else I should be checking for?
I KNOW he eats enough because I can see him eating and he usually polishes off his food and there is only hulls and skins lying in the bottom of the cage.
What should I check with regard to nares?
I can't imagine him ever sitting still enough to weigh

 

[Maria_Metropolis]

With nares, I just make sure they're clean, and not puffy and/or discolored.

I can't weigh mine for that reason either, but they do make parrot scales with perches on them.

I also look at feather conditioning.

 

[Birdman666]

Honestly, I stopped doing that stuff a long time ago.

I've never had a problem with my birds not eating... with some of them, I have the opposite problem.

I am pretty much in tune with their personalities. If something is off, then I immediately start paying attention.

They've all been well birdied, so we have an established baseline...

I have a gram scale, and I used to weigh them. Not so much anymore.

 

[Maria_Metropolis]

Honestly, I stopped doing that stuff a long time ago.

I've never had a problem with my birds not eating... with some of them, I have the opposite problem.

I am pretty much in tune with their personalities. If something is off, then I immediately start paying attention.

They've all been well birdied, so we have an established baseline...

I have a gram scale, and I used to weigh them. Not so much anymore.

Cockatiels can be really picky eaters, so that's why I check so much. If I had a Macaw or an Eclectus, or some other bird that loved to eat, than I probably wouldn't check as much. It's just amazing how he pecks at little tiny bits of food, and I always wonder, "what is he ingesting???" I guess he must be since I feel a full crop, in particular at morning and at night.

 

[Birdman666]

Well the macaws LIKE to eat, but they like attention more.

AMAZONS on the other hand... My 40 year old lilac crowned especially.

Feed a measured amount, and check the papers to see if it's been eaten or flung...