Very concerned for my cockatiel

[WorriedforDudi]

Hi,

I am the proud owner of a 9 and a half year old cockatiel named Dudi and have spent literally every day of my life with him since he was three months old. Since Friday I have noticed that he is limping a bit with his right leg. Although the limp has improved a bit since then he is now hardly eating and rests with his head held flat down to the surface, eyes closed and his tail in the air. He looks literally as if he is nesting on an egg. I am not sure of the gender but based on everything I've read in terms of behavior, appearance, and characteristics I'm pretty sure the bird is male. I would be happy to post a picture of him when healthy and one of him now if someone could tell me how to. I took him to an excellent vet immediately on Friday morning and after five minutes of examining him and charging nearly one hundred dollars told me there is nothing wrong with him. His eating and appearance when he rests have gotten progressively worse.

However the good news is that his personality and funloving freespirited attitude is unchanged! If I take my sock off my foot and dangle it around he flies onto my foot and starts whistling into a frenzy of happiness. Am I overreacting or is there a serious problem and if so what should I do? The vet is out of the office until Thursday and he is the only qualified bird expert in my area. I love Dudi so much that any advice will be very kindly and greatly appreciated. Thank you very much for your time.

 

[Jewelz]

This sounds similar to what my Love Bird did when he got super old & began to lose his eyesight...do u have a pic of him resting? Does he look like he is leaning to one side?

 

[WorriedforDudi]

Yes. He appears to be leaning slightly to his left with his left wing supporting him for balance when he is lethargic. Right now though he seems happy and sitting as he has regularly for nine years. I would love to post pics of him if someone could give me a tip on how to since I can't find out how. Thanks.

 

[Jewelz]

Yea.... Sam would lean to the left as well....my vet in Calgary could not really figure out what was wrong with him....they ruled out a stroke b/c his left wing was fine but you may want to look into whether Dudi may have had a stroke....when this started with Sam he was also quite unstable so we moved him into a much smaller cage with a bow front plastic front b/c he was going blind....we padded the bottom of the cage with towels & baby blankets so he wouldn't hurt himself if he fell. He too would almost lay down to sleep. The vet said he seemed dizzy & it was most likely a combo of several different factors in his case. I started feeding him a high protein diet with egg noodlles daily tossed with a tiny amount of olive oil. With Sam if was definitely neurological but couldn't quite figure out what it was. Sam was 22 years old when this deveoped....he lasted almost a year after his diagnosis. We also kept heat on him. I had two bulbs on top of his cage, one was a day time heat lamp the other an infared heat lamp that stayed on 24 hrs.... I would say at this point keep him warm & cozy, quiet, and well fed until Thursday and get him to your vet Thursday for sure....

 

[Jewelz]

Also, Sam was chipper as ever during all of this...he maintained all of his normal behaviors....he was not in any pain at all....he was a bit tilted, blind, and thin but he was happy, chirpy, and hungry.... Even though he was old and the vet wasn't exactly sure why he developed this he lived happily until his last day....

 

[WorriedforDudi]

I finally figured out how to attach a picture Perhaps someone may know if Dudi is a male or female? Thanks again.

 

[MenomaMinx]

A head that leans consistently to the side is usually the after effect of an inner ear infection that caused damage – if it's the only symptom.

Your boy, which is what the picture says, gets night frights?
It's a common thing with cockatiels, and your bird might've gotten injured during one of these episodes.

All things considered, get your bird to an avian vet as soon as possible.

 

[MonicaMc]

Unless he lays an egg, he is most definitely male!!!!

Could be a tumor, stroke (as mentioned), gout, injury, or something else.


Did the vet do a physical examination or did he do any tests???


How much does he weigh? Is there any difference in grip between left and right foot?



I would recommend providing heat, as much bad food as he's willing to eat (seeds, millet, whatever he loves!), and if you can get it, alcohol free milk thistle supplement may help.