I have a very sick cockatiel, He has been to the vet who said he most likly had an infection & gave us anti bi

Question

otics, which I have been giving in his water, I think he is probably a little better but the problem is that he is so very weak that Im worried he will die if he dosnt eat...I need to know how to get food into him, can someone tell me how to go about this as Im very scared of hurting him & bless him he has enough problems...

Thank you both for your answers, Im not sure to be honest that I dare wait till I can go & purchase items & Im not at all sure about inserting tubes...Im worried I will hurt him. Ive got an eye dropper & Ive made a paste of good stuff can I just put it in his beak?

Answer 1

Was the vet you sent to an avian vet? S/He should have taken blood samples to do blood-work to find out what exactly your bird has. As for feeding him. DO NOT try to syringe feed your bird unless you have experience or have had an avian vet show you how to do it properly. Until you can have someone show you how, get some formula for hand-feeding (baby food like the one grain rice porridge from the supermarket will be fine if you cannot get to a pet store) and mix according to instructions on the box. Pretend to eat it in from of your bird then offer him some on a spoon so he can lick it up himself. This will take a long time but at least you will know he is eating. When you have given him as much as he can take, put the remaining amount in his cage for him to snack on. Make sure you replace the food every couple hours to ensure it doesn't go bad. Give him access to seeds like millet as it is easy to eat and will provide him with extra calories to help him get better. Make sure he is warm enough by keeping the room he is in warm or putting him in a 10gal tank with a heating pad on the bottom. I have heated perches for my birds that I plug in on cooler days or when they aren't feeling well. Good luck.

Answer 2

Sick Cockatoo

Answer 3

He needs foods with alot of vitamins especially vitamin A packed into them. If he can't eat on his own make a paste with a combination of the list of foods I'll give you and you can get a syringe at your local vet or pet store and feed him that way.

Greens:
Spinach
Romain Lettuce
Mustard Greens
Collard Greens
Broccoli
parsley
cilantro
Darker the greens the better
these are usually better eaten when cooked:
Yams
Squash
Carrots
asperigus

Also If you have an Aloe Vera plant cut off a small piece,wash it good and feed it to him. it's nature's bird anit-oxidents and will help him heal faster.

I'm not sure if any of your local pet stores or organic grocery stores in your area have this but if they do please pick it up. It's Organic Red Palm Oil and it's in the birds natural habbitat fromt the Red Palm Tree and it's bascially the sap. it will have an orangish reddish colour to it. you'll only need a small drop on some food or plain.

Answer 4

Antibiotics in the water are usually not a good idea. They have to drink a certain amount for them to do any good, and the water will build up bacteria very quickly. It is better to give it orally. Try some favorite foods, like millet spray, scrambled eggs (no butter or milk), sun flower seeds. Anything to give him energy for now. You can add water to some pellets and make a mash and try to get him to nibble some from the eye dropper tip. Keep him quiet and warm. Good luck.

Answer 5

Go to the pet store and purchase hand feeding formula for all baby birds. ( I know your bird is not a baby but this helps).
The hand feeding formula is in a can and is a powder. It has the same ingredients as the regular hard seeds that are fed to cockatiels and other seed eaters.

Ask the store if they have a "stainless steel" crop feeding tube you can purchase. You will need a small to medium size for your cockatiel. If they do not have the stainless steel crop feeding tube, ask your vet, they might be able to loan you theirs or if they do not have any, they can use a rubber tubeing that will fit over a sirenge for tube feeding your bird.

You will need a 12 cc syringe without the needle and make sure the crop feeding tube fits snugly over it.

Bring the items home and use hot water to mix the powdered hand feeding formula. Follow the chart on the back of the can as how much to add. You do not want it too soupy, but want it where it is a little thick consistency after mixing it. Only mix enough for about 3 feedings as the formula will spoil quickly.

Feeding instructions:

Fill up the syringe to 4 cc's of hand feeding formula

While holding the cockatiel in your left hand with the bird facing you, slowly insert the crop feeding tube with syringe attached to it into the birds mouth. It is important that the tube be put in its mouth on your left side far back away from the back of its tongue that has the hole behind it as this is the area the bird breaths from. Do not get any of the formula in the breathing hole of the bird as it will aspirate it and drown.

Slowly and I mean very slowly inject the hand feeding formula into the bird. You will have to use one hand to keep it's mouth open while using the other hand holding the crop feeding tube and syringe. You need to watch carefully while slowly injecting the formula into the birds throat to make sure none of the formula comes back up into the mouth area so it will not drown.

If you see any of the formula coming back up, stop feeding as the birds' crop is full. Since your bird has not been eating it will take a while for it's crop to slowly inflate to the normal size to hold more formula.

Once you are done with the first feeding, clean out the crop feeding tube with hot water, and also the syringe. Refrigerate the rest of the formula.

In about 2 to 3 hours feel the crop of your cockatiel to see if it is still full. If not, repeat the feeding process. You should do this every 2 to 3 hours feeding a little at a time throughout the course of the day time. Continue to keep seed in your cockatiel's cage and also keep water in it. Keep an eye on your bird to see if it starts going to it's seed bowl and start eating seed on it's own. If it is eating a lot of seed then you do not need to tube feed it any more. You can put the rest of the powdered hand feeding formula in your freezer and it will last up to 8 months so you have it if you need it again.

If done properly, (if your not sure always ask your vet to show you how to properly tube feed your bird) you will be able to keep enough nourishment in your bird to help him get stronger until his infection is gone.

I hope this helps :-)