Young cockatoo not eating

[jacferry]

Hello,

I have a 9 month old umbrella cockatoo. I've had her for a little over 2 months now and I'm struggling to get her to eat
When I first got her she would eat but not that much which I was told was somewhat normal for a young cockatoo. She eats Pretty Bird Natural Gold, Fruit Zupreem and gets a variety of vegetables every day. Over the past 2 weeks she has barely touched her food or veggies and after talking to the a few people ot was decided to put her on formula once a day to help her gain some weight. She weighs about 40 grams more than whenI brought her home but she is skinny. Does anyone have any ideas on how to entice her to eat or foods to help her gain weight? I've tried Harrisons and different size pellets of the kinds she eats now. I've even tried mixing it in warm water but it doesn't help.

 

[SilverSage]

Has she been to a certified avian vet and had gram stains done yet?


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[jacferry]

I am going to bring her in a week. I don't have 1 close to me

 

[SilverSage]

Please take her as soon as possible; your bird sounds sick. Be SURE to get gram stains to check for bacteria and yeast!


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[LordTriggs]

try bumping that visit to sooner. Something doesn't sound right. Is she quiet or does she make cooing and squeaking noises when you're around? If she's quiet she may be quite sick, but she may just be nervous around you. Have you tried leaving the room when food is there to see if she eats when you're out of sight? My conure didn't want to eat around me for a couple days at first, then warmed up to me pretty quickly.

If she's making squeaking noises and bobbing up and down when nearby then she's begging for you to feed her meaning she's regressed and would need to go back to the breeder for a couple weeks to wean herself again

 

[itzjbean]

Any other changes in her behavior? Like the others have mentioned, a certified avian vet will be bale to determine if she has an infection or has another health issue that may be making her lose her appetite. Bird heath diminishes quickly as they get sick, and the quicker you can get your too in to see your CAv, the better!

 

[wrench13]

Daily weight check ! And see that Certified Avian Vet ASAP. Birds dont have a lot of excess weight they can aford to loose. If she is dropping weight every day, really really get her checked ASAP. Good luck to the 2 of you

 

[Scott]

Was your Umbrella formerly a good eater? If yes and if the current behavior is fairly new, may tilt the equation towards a potential illness.

There are techniques to stimulate interest in food, but not sure if that is needed. Making a dish of fresh food for yourself and eating with enjoyment in the presence of a parrot may stimulate interest. They are flock eaters and you are a member of the flock.

 

[jacferry]

She wasn't a great eater to begin with, she's always been picky. Her behavior hasn't changed at all. She will talk and make noises at me when she sees me and only begs when she sees the formula. I've been weighing her and she's been around the same weight since I started formula feeding her and has gained a little in the past week but she just doesn't really care for her food. The breeder had a little bit of difficulty getting her to eat a good amount since she'd rather play than eat. Again her behavior hasn't changed at all, she's still playful and silly. I can't bump up my vet appt because my local avian vet is only there a few days a week. My bird just seems uninterested in food. I've moved her food dish to different locations in her cage and it peaks her interest for about 5 minutes and she eats but then she stops caring about it.

Thank you for everyone's input so far

 

[plumsmum2005]

I would sit with here and her dish and try and encourage her to eat, a bit like you would a human toddler, see if it makes a difference being close to you?