# Help my baby cockatiel showing signs of being sick!



## sug124 (Mar 2, 2018)

I lost my beautiful 1st cockatiel about a month ago...still extremely heartbroken. I ended up finding another baby that a felt a bond with, but he/she was only a few weeks old. About a week ago I went to see her & noticed that she was tucking her head into her back... I know they do that when sleeping or cold. It was even doing that while I held it. It still is doing that they do before being fed?? I pointed this all out to the owner and he said it is still a baby doing and just is being a baby cockatiel... but would keep his eye on him. The next day I went in and the same thing... against the glass puffy, it’s head tucked in his back, just being still like that. The guy said that they gave him a broad range antibiotic that should knock whatever is wrong out of him. So I went twice since then and still the same behavior... another thing is she/he didn’t even have his crest up once the last times I went?! I’m so worried.. he will chirp once in a while... and step up for me... I’m wondering if this little baby is gonna live?!? He/she is 9 or 10 weeks old. I am gonna see if I have any pictures to add that shows any of the things I’ve tried to explain. I need advice bad on this one! The antibiotic was started about five days and I don’t see any improvement... but I am not an expert by any means! Even if this baby gets better.. does anyone know if maybe this could be a sign that something is wrong and maybe it’s just not a healthy bird?? Also all the other birds with him are acting fine. One more question please!! After losing my 1st baby I looked around at different cockatiels and there was one.. about two weeks old at the time... but when I went to see it... the conditions were so bad! An entire room full of cages of cockatiels-all beautiful... grouped with like colored birds. At least 15 cages full, one with a huge breading box.. another with a bird sitting on the bottom of the cage with 2-4 eggs she was sitting on. It was bad! There was dirty water and feces everywhere. My daughter was horrified and said how would we know if a bird would be sick... because of the conditions? So they contacted me because they are getting the birds dna sexed. My other question is if i DID “rescue” a baby from there, does anyone know if it had a less likely chance of being healthy? I wasn’t gonna even go back to that place fearing that the baby was exposed to those conditions. That baby at the time was with I think two others in its own glass “incubator” That baby I was interested in was not actually her bird, but another person, that raises parrotlets, This was his cockatiels 1st clutch...and he asked her to hand feed them for him because he works! Whew! SORRY I know I’m throwing ALOT out there! Sorry I should have maybe asked two different questions!?! ANY advice is very much appreciated!! I am so scared of getting attached again and losing it.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

First, don't "rescue" the other bird. You don't want to support a place like that and if you buy a baby from them, you are supporting their business. No matter how terrible you feel, buying a baby from them only makes them breed more.

As for the other baby, tucking the head back is actually a normal way of sleeping. All my birds did that. Not raising the crest means the bird is comfortable and is not a sign of illness. Especially if you come around a lot, the bird is used to you and not afraid of you. I wouldn't worry too much about it.


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## jaycee (May 27, 2009)

Yes it is normal for a bird to tuck his head under his while sleeping. But if it does it while on two legs, that is not normal. This shows that he`s not quite right. 
A healthy bird will sleep or rest on one leg.


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