Is my Cockatiel sick?

Question

I have a 7 year old bird, but I've only had her since august, shes been great all this time but recently, shes been really quiet lately, and sleeping alot.
and also recently she has started to shed alot of feathers, like when i pet her a couple just fall off!


my friend told me that birds go through a phase where they shed all their feathers and grow new ones, is this true?

Answer 1

Yes, birds do molt. I had a cockatiel for 18 years. He would occasionally lose feathers. It is more unusual that the bird is quiet and sleeping alot. Perhaps the move to your place has been very upsetting. This is what kept my bird happy:
A quiet place away from the t.v. or radio, no vents blowing on him, and a cover for the cage at night.
Companionship during the day but wait for her to come out of the cage and approach you.
An occasional "bird salad" along with the seed made of tiny chopped up nuts, apples, orange peel, brocolli head.
Definitely a cuttlebone or ground up shell for digestion.

Answer 2

Birds are indeed moody and do molt. Is it normal for a bird to lose many feathers just by being pet for a little while? Rarely, perhaps.

Birds don’t molt by shedding all of their feathers at once and going bald. Although it can be sporadic and look unusual, some birds might molt feathers in one portion of their body more than some of their other feathers. I’ve seen some go nearly bald on their head and then grow back in within a week for instance.

If your bird is molting, then it can best be described similarly to teething; it’s uncomfortable and constant. This could be a reason your bird is just sitting there in a “bad mood”.

This doesn’t rule out the possibility of disease or malnutrition though. To eliminate either of these as the cause, it would be best to take your bird to an Avian Vet. Be sure they are an avian vet though and not just specialized in 4 legged creatures.

As for diets, a healthy variety of fruits, vegetables (except for some like onions and avocadoes), seeds and pellets can be used to add some variety and additional nutrition. Cooked beans, rice, lentils and some garlic can also be a good addition and provide some natural boost to their immune systems.

Many herbal remedies we can take, parrots can also take (although some are toxic, the same as some vegetables are). Personally, perhaps since their metabolism is that much faster than ours, I have had dramatic results in far less time than I would see in myself. Searching “herbal remedies for parrots” will provide a huge list of resources you can use to judge what to use and when.

Answer 3

This is not normal behavior. It sounds like she's ingested something poisonous to her. What do you feed her?
Is her cage an old one that she may be eating the paint off of?
Has she been out where she can get into something?
They never shed ALL their feathers, but they do molt. Feathers shouldn't come out as you pet them.
Put a light on her for heat and see if she stays close to it.
Check her stool for blood or anything unusual.
You really should get her to an AVIAN vet to do a blood profile.
Also talk to the previous owner to see if this has ever happened before.
Radio and tv are good for the bird when you can't give it attention. You should never keep a bird secluded. They're too social.

Answer 4

It's probably just multing which all birds go though. However, make sure the bird is eating- that is extremly important as they can literally starve to death in a very short time (1 day). Make sure that they aren't just cracking seed/food, but actually eating it. If the bird is staying on the bottom of the cage, that is a VERY bad sign. Most importantly, get the bird to a vet. There is a blood test called an avian profile which is usually very expensive but well worth the money. Also keep the bird as warm as possible whenever in doubt. Spraying a warm mist on them can also help, especially when going through the moulting. Good Luck.

Answer 5

Yes I own a cockatiel. Well by feathers, I assuming you mean the feathers that give a cockatiel the ability to fly or the normal feathers?

Both feather will fall out naturally or Your bird might actually clean or pluck them out himself to groom him/herself. Don't worry they all grow back in due time.

your birds health is fine, though usually when you see a bird get really sick. It's normally to late to do anything about it

The reason is that cockatiels are exotic animals and will hid their true healthiness. This is because like in the wild most predators go after the weakest link. So by the time your bird actually shows how sick it really is, it might be to late.

Also for being quite and sleepy. They have mood swings. Sometimes their happy and sometimes their sad and sometimes their a little mad lol. Check the envirnoment if you want. A darker envirnoment will make a bird less noisy and even sleep more. Hence, if you put a blanket over his/her cage while he/she is making a lot of noise, it will quiet down after awhile and go to sleep.

Answer 6

This know as a molt. They don't actually shed all there feathers but they do shed quite a few. You should supliment their diet with some calcium and vitamins to help replenish their system.

Also does the bird have enough sunlight? Toys? Does it have stimalution to keep it active? Is the place you have it get enough heat? Take a look at these things and you may find this helps.

Answer 7

It culd just be multing, where they lose their feather and grow back new ones. I would take it to a vet to have it checked out because once a bird is sick, it will not last long because they are so small and cannot fight off bad bacteria fast. Also try to bleach and wash out the cage completley in case it has bad bacterial or germs. If it does the bird could get well, then when it comes into contact with it, ot wll get sick again. Hopefully this helped!

Answer 8

birds to shed fethers, but yo need to take your bird to a vet, but before that, buy a vitamen seed pack for food, and feed your birf only fresh fruits. Put flea spray on him too. Wash his cage every day and put a not too thin not too thick blanket over his cage his cage shoul dbe as big a chair, or else he does not have enough room tho exercise. Take him out ocasionally, but never outside or in the cold. Buy vitamens for your birds water also. Take him to the vet after one day days of this treatment if things do not get better, or emergency if this case has been long.

Answer 9

by my own knowledge, yes the birds are losing feathers in order to grows new ones. I have birds myself and also used to raise some of them. At first time I had them, I was like you wondering why until I did some research on the internet. I hope this help.

Answer 10

Yes, birds do molt and it does drain them physically. Is she fuffed up for long periods of time? If she is, then she is sick and needs to be seen by a Certified Avian or Exotic Animal Vet right away or she could die.