My new cockatiel, Berry, is a bit reluctant to eat

[reeb]

Hi everyone,

I fetched my new baby yesterday. She is 4 months old and absolutely adorable! However, I think the shock of being in a different environment has made her quite scared. She hasn't been eating and drinking as much as I would like. I took her to the vet this morning for a general checkup, and he said she's healthy and I must just watch her with the eating and weigh her every now and then over the next couple of days.

She came from a good breeder who had a whole bunch of birds in one room, so her environment was quite noisy. Here, however, it's just my two show budgies and her, so it is much quieter. Interestingly, she didn't tweet that much in response to the budgies, but she sometimes starts to whistle and tweet when I whistle to her. The other two birds have been very sweet with her when they are all out of their cages, they are willing to groom her, give her kisses and what not.

Should I be worried about her eating? I'm in the process of teaching her how to step up, and she is overall a very sweet and gentle bird.

This is her!
Berry

 

[clark_conure]

One thing I'll say first off is birds really don't eat a lot or at least a lot at once...unless you give them a treat. Their bodies are naturally tuned to conserving water and nutrients. They tend to piece meal all throughout the day, a couple pellets here, a few seeds there etc. so you might be missing her eating when she really is.

Now since you said YESTERDAY, yeah it might be a factor! Best course of action is to find a certified avian vet and set up an appointment. get a baseline on weight etc, talk to them about your concerns.

I wouldn't worry to much, it's either not a real thing or it's probably temporary, but I'd still get a vet appointment anyways just to get that medical chart started so when something happens down the road they already know you and your owner.

 

[Scott]

Wow, you have a beautiful cockatiel! Berry is still young and very new to you. It takes time to settle in and make the transition to a new home. A healthy bird will often restrict eating during times of stress but generally will make up for lost meals once comfortable.

Definitely keep track of Berry's weight, but the odds are the problem will self correct. Let us know if you don't see progress in the next day or two.

 

[reeb]

It’s been a couple more days and she has settled well! She eats plenty and is slowly getting used to her new home.

Thanks everyone!

 

[YUMgrinder]

yea I was always worried about my tiel's eating habits at first cause I never saw her eat. but when I learned she was gaining weight my fears subsided. She just would eat when I'm not around. Now she's a piggy