# is she getting sick or just getting older?



## misfit toys (Jun 2, 2009)

Hi folks - I've been reading different threads on this amazing forum and I feel like a complete amateur. A few years ago I became foster-mom of Doodle (see attached, and avatar picture) when a friend of mine moved and couldn't take her with. Point of fact, I have never had a pet that I went out and got - I just seem to end up with the waifs and strays (hence the username).

She moved in with me in 2006, and my friend said she was about ten years old then; until finding this forum I had no idea that her age could be found on her leg band - one indignant squawk later and we learn that our girl was born in 1995, which totally matches what my friend said. So she's about 14 years old, which I gather is on the older side (altho not geriatric)?

I'm posting because my boyfriend and I are worried about some new behavior and we don't know if this is just what an aging bird does, or if we should find an avian vet to check her out. Here's what's going on:

1. She seems to be losing her balance once in a while. Like, falling off a perch, landing on the floor of the cage, then climbing right back up again. 

2. She's sleeping on her food bowl a lot of the time. It's the blue/green thing she's hanging out on in those pictures. (Pictures 1 and 2, from outside the cage, are old; her cage has a different setup now. Picture 3 was taken a few minutes ago.) Partly we worry because we're wondering if this means she doesn't feel secure on any of her other perches, even the one in the back by the cuddle buddy. Mostly we worry because she ends up pooping in her food bowl.  We're cleaning it every day, obviously, and she has a different, smaller cup of food that stays clean, but this can't be a good thing.

3. She's always been a cranky little thing and she insists on knowing who is in the apartment at all times...when the door opens she'll screech and screech until whoever it is comes over to say hi, and even if she doesn't know them, she seems satisfied that they are not an axe murderer. But lately, she's been doing her "there's a murderer in the house!! a murdererrrrrrr!!!" screech even when it's just us, and she's seen us...like if we go from the living room (where she is) to the kitchen and we make noise in there, it's as if she thinks there is a new person in the house who she hasn't seen yet. I don't know if I'm explaining that well at all...basically, we are worried she is either losing her eyesight or losing her short term memory.

She's eating and drinking as far as we can tell, and other activity levels seem to be the same. She doesn't seem to be in pain or distress, but I gather 'tiels aren't big complainers? She still wants to be petted and she still wants to know what's going on at all times. 

So are those things just signs that your birdie's getting older? What should we be doing? We'd like to get her a platform of some sort to sleep on so maybe she'll stay off the food bowl, but is that a good idea? Won't she just poop on that, too? 

Any advice would be appreciated, and if you tell us that she should be taken in to the vet, we will certainly do that. Thanks so much...


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## atvchick95 (Sep 17, 2007)

it could be age related - but I don't consider 14 old  I had a 21 year old tiel  

Have you moved the blue dish down lower? this seems to stop my birds from perching on them, They will perch in the highest part of the cage if that is a food/water dish then so be it, they don't mind it at all They just care about the highest point 

So in my house there are no "high" points I have all perches positioned in the center of my big cages (small flight cages for breeding budgies and the love birds are down low) dishes are all about 2-3" above the cage floor Some do still perch on dishes - but not as bad as they used too 

But with her loosing balance, I would defintly find an Avian vet and get her checked out. If she ends up fine, it wasn't a wasted trip or a waste of money - it'll give you and your boyfriend peace of mind that she is fine and healthy. and just getting up there in age

I'd also lower the perches If they're still up a bit high.... at least until you can get her checked out to see why she is loosing her balance


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## Raven2322 (Mar 1, 2008)

Welcome to TC. 
Well I have a 17 year old and I've never seen him lose balance. Only when he's hormonal does his behavior change. As for the food dish,All of my cockatiels do that now, but only because the dish is big and higher in the cage. I have the same dish you do and I've also had them sleep on it. I guess they just don't think maybe I shouldn't poop in that.  She knows your going to clean it. However you could be right about her being more secure on it as I know the sides of it are shaped differently than most dishes or perches, but I'm not sure. I don't know about the other things, I personally would get her a vet check up if it was me. Other people on the board might have some ideas. I hope you figure out things with doodle. P.S> She is really cute!


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## Mythara (Apr 9, 2009)

Our tiel's and one of the budgies all took to sleeping on one of their food dishes for s while (and they were about halfway down the cage, so it wasn't the height that made them want to). Our dishes sit in rings (like coop cups) so we would just take out the food dish they were sleeping on every night, and they would sleep on the ring holder. Lately though, they've moved their sleeping positions.


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## Tony's Tiels (May 21, 2009)

Ditto What ATV said....

Especially if she is falling from high perches, they definately need to be moved down, so she does not get hurt, A vet check-up sounds imperative....Again Ditto ATV

Please keep us posted....
Best of wishes to you


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

14 is not _old_ for a tiel. I agree with several above postings. 

As to the pooping in the food dish, and sometimes making 'poop soup' of the water dish many times is a tiels way of telling us something. If the pooping is deliberate, and not because the dish/bowl was located under a perch, them what they are doing is 'instinctive' as a means to supplement their body with nutrients. Most Vitamins are either fat soluble or water soluble. Fat soluble are stored in the body, and water soluble are not. Below is some info saved on my computer.............


Stress of weaning, changes in environment or diet, and molting are just a few causes for a cockatiel to eat it’s droppings. Stress results in a depletion through excretion (poop) of most the water soluble (B's, C, choline) nutrients in the system. The body does not mfg. or retain them. Eating of the droppings is a cockatiels way of replentishing (recycling) them back into their system.

The eating of droppings is not a normal daily thing with cockatiels. Cockatiels are one of the few species of parrot type birds that will eat their droppings when their body is lacking in certain nutrients .... the primary nutrient being choline and many of the B vitamins and amino acids , which are by products in the birds droppings. Stress , such as the sale and a new home can cause a bird to excrete in excessive amounts the water soluble family of vitamins and nutrients in his system. This group of nutrients consists of the B vitamins, choline, and vitamin C. Even thought the birds diet may contain these nutrients under stressful situations the body is excreting in excess of the dietary intake. The cockatiel will eat the dropping to compensate for the difference.

One thing that will help your bird is to go to the healthfood store and get some Brewers Yeast. It is rich the B vitamins, minerals and nutrients, choline, and amino acids. Amino acids enable vitamin and minerals to act properly within the body, and aid in the assimulation and utilization of the other nutrients. Sprinkle a small amount on his seed/food daily for about a week. This will supply what he needs back in his system, and alleviate the need to eat his droppings.

The Brewers Yeast is a good suppliment to sprinkle on his food a few times a month.


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## Tony's Tiels (May 21, 2009)

Do I understand correctly, Brewer's Yeast should help any bird in stress ?
I have noticed mainly my parent birds try to eat their droppings, so have been cleaning their cages more frequently, It sounds like I have it backwards 

I should give them the brewers yeast ?


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Yes...tiels DO eat droppings...it is their way of self medicating as to the loss of water soluble nutrients. If you watch they will also feed new hatchlings or babies not doing as well a littlew poop.

Yes...as to the Brewers Yeast.


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## Tony's Tiels (May 21, 2009)

Thank You.. I was Flumaxed about it....

I know with the baby horses it is actually very important for them to eat mom's manure, 
as a probiotic effect.


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