What type of illness in cockatiel does this indicate?

Question

Ok we've got a new cockatiel. She is about 15 weeks old. she was purchased from a petstore and we've had her for almost 2 weeks now. She is not very playful when she is in her cage. She mostly sits inside of her food dish. But, she plays when she is out with us. I guess you can call her clingy. She loves just hanging out with us and will follow us around. We are seeing a vet next weekend. so plz don't say see a vet. Give me examples of what this illness if any could be: symptoms include...what appears to be plucking or scratching with her beak and feet. There are red irritated spots on her skin on each side under her wings. she sneezes alot and yawns alot. the plucking is what is concerning me. Along with the broken tailfeathers. She spends MOST of her day preening. No matter where she is on our shoulders, fingers, etc. When we first got her we noticed a sore on her chest that she was picking at. The pet store said that it was probably an injury. It's not gone. But, there was also one her head. At first I thought that the other bird that she was in the cage with was plucking her. But, I gave her a bath yesterday and noticed the skin irritations under her wing. They are quite sizable and very red...like she has been digging into them with her beak. I personally watch her constantly preen around those areas. So, i know now that it is her causing the irritation. What type of disease could this be? I know it could be caused from bad nutrition or stress. But, I know there are also a few diseases it might be. My wife is at the point where she says even if it is a contagious disease she is keeping the bird. any thoughts on what it could be and will it be contagious say we decided to get her a companion?

Answer 1

Take a closer look. Mites are tiny but can actually be seen by the naked eye. Use a magnifying glass. Even lice can be seen. These will be easily taken care of with a mild pesticide for birds from your vet.Over-preening can cause skin problems. Give her foraging toys such as paper wrapped treats, preening toys, puzzle toys to keep her from picking on herself. I would sparingly apply 1% hydro-cortisone cream on the reddened areas twice a day to decrease the inflammation.As long as there is no infection, this will help her heal. Good luck and use your own good judgment. Things will get better.The sneezing can be viral or allergies.

Answer 2

Could be plucking from stress, could have mites, the sneezing and yawning sounds like an upper respiratory problem. If you have other birds hopefully you quarantined the new bird and won't have to worry about them catching whatever the new bird has

I know you said don't say see a vet because you have an appointment next weekend, but can you move the appointment up? I don't know that I would wait another week.

Good luck, I hope the little guy is OK.

Answer 3

To me it seems more likely to be some kind of mites than an actual disease. Mites can be spread farily easily, especially in a pet store where birds are being received and sold daily, it wouldn't be hard for a bird to get them if exposed to other infected birds. I do suggest you see a vet, make sure your vet has experience with birds, though. Other than that, it is possible for some sorts of mites to be spread to humans, so you probably should refrain from too much close contact with your tiel until the vet visit. It is also possible that she's is just accustomed to preening excessively, this can be due to extreme boredom. She may not have had much to do where she came from. The behavior is more common in larger birds though, so mites is a definite possibility.

Answer 4

It could be mites or lice but these are pretty rare in caged birds that are not spending time outside. It could be Giardia. Cockatiels are prone to this and it can lead to plucking.

http://www.cockatiels.org/articles/Diseases/giardia.html
http://www.holisticbirds.com/hbn04/spring04/giardia.htm
http://www.avianbiotech.com/Diseases/Giardia.htm

I am glad you have the vet appointment. She definitely needs it! Make sure it is a vet experienced in treating pet birds. An experienced avian vet will know to check for Giardia. Make sure you take a fresh dropping sample to the appointment for testing.

Answer 5

i just saw an answer yes it could be mites or lice but i have 2 cockatiels but they are older and one of them did do that when i first got her, she could be lonely that happends in birds they get lonely easiely so just wait and see what the vet says but yeah it could be what i said first lol idk good luck!

Answer 6

Doesnt sound like a difficulty to me, Rosemary's answer became very solid. one problem though, he may also basically drink countless water. I actually have one which beverages alot and that i see an same problem that you do. If he stops eating...then difficulty.

Answer 7

It could be mites or lice.