# PLEASE HELP! Cockatiel laying on her tummy?



## ninnea (Dec 30, 2015)

So, my 'tiel is a female (that's what they said when we bought her but I somehow think that it may be a male), anyways...

She has never done this before, she started doing it this Thursday so any answer would help. She seems to take naps this way.
She eats, she drinks, sings and everything normally so I don't know why is she doing that, at first I thought it was cute because she was like a lil chicken lol, but now it's starting to scare me a little. 

Here are some pictures: 

:yellow pied:


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## arnabsri (Jul 22, 2015)

Hi ninnea ,
It seems to me she is too sleepy !! but can you check how she is perching when she is in cage... if she sits on 1 foot in cage then she is fine else I would suggest you to have a vet check up


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## Vince (Feb 18, 2014)

Is she only doing it on the chair(as in the picture), or where ever she sits now?
My girl does that when she sits on my chest & feels really safe n cozy...
Also is she beak grinding when she is sitting like that, as thats another sign that is is just feeling really content & snug.
Plus do her eyes look squint(as in the pics) all the time? That can be a sign she is feeling unwell for sure....


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## ninnea (Dec 30, 2015)

arnabsri said:


> Hi ninnea ,
> It seems to me she is too sleepy !! but can you check how she is perching when she is in cage... if she sits on 1 foot in cage then she is fine else I would suggest you to have a vet check up


I'm not a native English speaker but if I understood correctly this is my answer  :
When she's on a perch she usually sits on one foot, or sometimes both feet, but I have once caught her like literally sitting on her perch like on these pics but just not as much because it's a perch and she can't really do it all the way (if that makes sense)


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## ninnea (Dec 30, 2015)

Vince said:


> Is she only doing it on the chair(as in the picture), or where ever she sits now?
> My girl does that when she sits on my chest & feels really safe n cozy...
> Also is she beak grinding when she is sitting like that, as thats another sign that is is just feeling really content & snug.
> Plus do her eyes look squint(as in the pics) all the time? That can be a sign she is feeling unwell for sure....


Her eyes don't look squint all the time, I caught it on camera because she was sleeping but the noise of my camera would "wake" her and she would open her eyes like that just to see what was that and then continue sleeping. I was not able to take her to the vet but I was passing by and had this pics and decided to show them the pics and if needed take her to them, but they said she probably only needs more vitamins?


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## arnabsri (Jul 22, 2015)

grt  to know that ur birdie is fine..too cute when they sleep like this


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## cat (Apr 11, 2012)

Our cockatiel Harley has started doing this. He has a plexi glass bird feeder and he sits on top of it and that is where he starts out sleeping. It is the funniest thing. Lol He has just started doing this. By morning though he has moved up to one of the perches.


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## cat (Apr 11, 2012)

Can u tell me how u got the pic of ur bird beside ur username? I have went into my profile and added a signature pic and added a profile pic usuing my bird but it is not showing up like urs does. Thanks so much.


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## ninfatiel (Jul 22, 2016)

one of my birds started "'laying down"' (see the tread "'please help me indentify the ilness"') and it was one of the first signs that something was wrong, she did lay down (including for naps) just like your bird on a picture, so I would chck her for infection/parasites,just to be on a safe side


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

I would definitely get a vet check, and I wouldn't trust a vet that says she "just needs more vitamins" on the basis of a picture. It might be normal, but it's unusual enough that I'd want to be sure.


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## Lunawolfsong (Mar 31, 2016)

If she is pooping, eating, drinking, perching, etc normally, and her feathers and eyes still look bright and healthy then I wouldn't be too concerned. Some birds are just silly! Of course, it's always a great idea to have a vet checkup, just in case, but not everyone can afford to go to the vet each time our birds do something odd, and some people don't have access to a reliable vet, or have birds who are difficult to transport. If you can get her to the vet, then a checkup is definetly a good idea whenever you have a medical concern. 

Do you have any idea how old she is? At the bird rescue I work at, we currently have a cockatiel up for adoption named Cass who is so old that his leg muscles have deteriorated (kind of like arthritis). He can't lift himself on his legs anymore. Though he can still crawl around and climb his cage, he can't perch and has terrible balance when he does try to stand. If she's getting up there in age, it's possible that her legs aren't as strong as she used to be, and she's just resting them. However, I don't know if this is the case, since you said she did everything else normally. 

Some birds are just very unique, though. I've seen confirmed female cockatiels who would sing, and my own Kirby rests differently. He likes to sit back on his legs instead of sleeping with his feet (when he isn't perching). I've had him checked up, and there's nothing wrong with him, he's just good at getting comfortable . My friend has a crimson-faced Amazon parrot, and though he can perch just fine and nothing's wrong with him, he prefers to sleep hanging upside down in his cage like a little bat!


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## ninnea (Dec 30, 2015)

Thanks everyone for answering! I'll def check the vet to see what's up.


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## seri (Jul 19, 2016)

its normal my bird did it, its the position they sleep in as babies and havent grown out of it yet. your tiel must be young. also a sign of trust that she can sleep on you in this way


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