# Weird Cockatiel death?



## Mexicanbirdman (Apr 20, 2011)

Hello everyone i'am new to this so sorry if i posted in wrong section or i did somthing wrong... okay so this is the story iam a cockatiel rookie i do not know much about them but i have two adult cockatiels that had four babys in which only two survived  so i started to (observe) them and found out the adults did not feed them so i took both of them out and started feeding them okay so now there about my guess 1 month old they have feathers and everything now. K my little sister named these two 1 is called Goobey which is chubby and the other is called peanuts weird names i no which is skinnyish. They're are in their own cage as in gooby and peanuts are together they started to act weird 1 day flaping their wings so i thought they wanted to fly and stuff so i took them out of their cages to let them walk for a while and took them in my backyard(outside) it was warm (tell me if this is dumb ) so i fed them apple until they learned how to eat seeds now thy eat seeds , o and there poop would be watery when i fed them apple and oranges. So now i go and check them i stored them in my living room and the parents in the garage, so i go in my living room i see gooby lying down with his eyes closing up and down slowly not twitching though hes still alive and i checked to see if hes alrite and i pick him up close to see if hes okay and he literaly dies in my hand  srry for such a huge story but can you guys please tell him would could off killed nhim cause i dont wanna lose peanuts. Thnkx really appreciate guys.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Possibly you starved them to death? At a month old they are unable to fully eat on their own and are not even closed yo being weaned.

If you have a vet nearby you might consider taking the bodies to the vet and ask them to do a necropsy (this is a bird autopsy)...this way you can find out what the cause of death was.


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## Mexicanbirdman (Apr 20, 2011)

srtiels said:


> Possibly you starved them to death? At a mo9nth old they are unable to fully eat on their own and are not even closed yo being weaned.
> 
> If you have a vet nearby you might consider taking the bodies to the vet and ask them to do a necropsy (this is a bird autopsy)...this way you can find out what the cause of death was.


Tnkx man ima take it 2 the vet and see what happned to him thnx


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## KTyne (Apr 16, 2011)

When you gave them apple did they eat any of the seeds in the apple? Apple seeds have cyanide in them and I'm not sure how a bird would react to that.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

that is a good point, KTyne


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## KTyne (Apr 16, 2011)

Fruit, as good as it can be for pets, it can also be extremely dangerous!
My neighbours dog almost died from eating the pit of a Peach because of the poisons in the pit.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

i think it may be worth looking into for this person. i know apple seeds are toxic and so are cherry pits and the like. i wonder if mexicanbirdman accidentally fed apple seeds to them. if not, then srtiels may be right. shes very good on all sorts of tiel stuff


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## KTyne (Apr 16, 2011)

Yeah, I'm completely new to birds so I'm not sure what could have happened, but the apple seed thing just seemed possible to me. 

"so i fed them apple until they learned how to eat seeds now thy eat seeds" - this is what made me think she/he might have fed them apple seeds....

Now though I'm thinking that she has just been feeding them apple as a substitue to seeds until they can eat them.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

i have no clue, but he or she is bringing the birds to the vet so we should find out if they tell us. hopefully it wasnt anything bad


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

*Apple seeds have cyanide in them and I'm not sure how a bird would react to that.*
*----------------------------------*

It would take *Alot* of apple seeds over a couple months to to cause a serious problem.

Not long ago, I beleive Dole had did a study that the seeds that we have been warned about eating may in fact be benefical to boosting the immune sustem.


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## KTyne (Apr 16, 2011)

Ahhh ok, I wasn't sure if it'd be different for birds since they're much smaller than us. Also, chemicals that don't harm us can harm our pets (such as chocolate and certain fruits for dogs).
We'll see though.. again, I'm not bird expert.


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## Mexicanbirdman (Apr 20, 2011)

so , i finally took him to the vet and the vet said it was stressed!


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

was this an avian vet?


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Mexicanbirdman said:


> so , i finally took him to the vet and the vet said it was stressed!


Nope...stress may have been the primary problem...BUT....if a bird is stressed it is the gateway to a secondary problem. The vet should have found out what this problem is. You *need *this info so that if the other bird is sufferring from stress you need to know the secondary cause (which killed the 1st bird) and treat if needed.

Here is a brief description of Stress: http://justcockatiels.weebly.com/stress.html


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## Mexicanbirdman (Apr 20, 2011)

DallyTsuka said:


> was this an avian vet?


no there arn't any around were i live he tried his best friend of my dad dog vet so i dont really no if this would of worked


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## Mexicanbirdman (Apr 20, 2011)

srtiels said:


> Nope...stress may have been the primary problem...BUT....if a bird is stressed it is the gateway to a secondary problem. The vet should have found out what this problem is. You *need *this info so that if the other bird is sufferring from stress you need to know the secondary cause (which killed the 1st bird) and treat if needed.
> 
> Here is a brief description of Stress: http://justcockatiels.weebly.com/stress.html


Hey is there a disease that your birds eyes close strangley? as in it looks sleepyish twitchy but not fast


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

*Hey is there a disease that your birds eyes close strangley? as in it looks sleepyish twitchy but not fast*
*-----------------------------------------*

It would be helpful if you can take some good clear pix's of what you are talking about.


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## Mexicanbirdman (Apr 20, 2011)

srtiels said:


> *Hey is there a disease that your birds eyes close strangley? as in it looks sleepyish twitchy but not fast*
> *-----------------------------------------*
> 
> It would be helpful if you can take some good clear pix's of what you are talking about.


well i woke p this morning and found exactly the same thing my other bird died of best pic i could take 







( you may have to zoom in srry 

NOT my bird but similar to how it closed its eyes








http://www.cockatielcottage.net/symptoms.html


Not My Bird another ex








http://www.cockatielcottage.net/symptoms.html

O and i wanna say thnkx to who ever has helped me i really really apreciateit like srtiels and evry 1 else!


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

I re-read you post and the only thing I can think of is that they starved to death. At 1 month old they should have been handfed *handfeeding formula* at least 8-10cc three times a day. They would have still needed handfeeding for a few more weeks (gradually reduced)

Not being feed enough is also a form of stress to the body, and by the looks of the eyes (slightly squinted) they were in pain. Without enough of the proper nutrients the body organs could not function properly. and since you mentioned watery droppings their could have been a secondary bacterial or yeast infection going on in the digestive tract.

Since you live in Richmond VA there should be some qualified Avian vets to go to. Again I suggest that you find an avian vet and have a necropsy done. If you do not learn the cause of the deaths and why it happened you will most likely repeat the same mistakes in the future.

In your original post you mentioned there were 4 babies in the nest and 2 died. What was wrong with them that caused the deaths? What were the parents being fed to feed the babies? More info from you helps to figure out what is going on.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

*NOT my bird but similar to how it closed its eyes*
*-----------------------------------------------------*

If these are not your photos, do you have permission to use them? If not this is copyright infringement. You can go back and find the source of these photo's....go to your post and click *Edit* and add the links to the photos....or delete them.


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## Mexicanbirdman (Apr 20, 2011)

srtiels said:


> *NOT my bird but similar to how it closed its eyes*
> *-----------------------------------------------------*
> 
> If these are not your photos, do you have permission to use them? If not this is copyright infringement. You can go back and find the source of these photo's....go to your post and click *Edit* and add the links to the photos....or delete them.


I never new that well now i know! and i listed were i got them if thats okay or not? Anyway i think i starved them to death because i gave them adult food not handfeeding formulas i gave them the seed bags you buy at pet co or walmart anyway thnkx for ur help and im trying to find this bird vet as as possible .


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Thanks for adding the links to the photos  

If you let you pair go to nest again you might want to find a local breeder to mentor/help you and show you how to hand-feed babies, the supplies needed, and to explain what problems could happen or what to watch for.

It is a painful lesson to lose the babies....and we learn from our mistakes ( I learned the same as you, and lost some before I realized what happened) so that with future birds it does not occur again.

Yes....as to a vet....if you lnow of any shops that sell birds or any large breeders in your area you can call them for recommendation of a vet that they feel is good with birds.

Good luck


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## Mexicanbirdman (Apr 20, 2011)

I need to find the vet asap because there are new eggs not babys but coming from other parents i will pay the most attention ever and hand feed them with the formula and play with it i have learned my lesson and thank u very much!!!


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

(((HUGS))) We are here for you. If you have any questions...please do not hesitate to ask. You can go thru the forum and read past postings. In the Breeding area above where you male your own postings there are some permanent (sticky) postings that have useful info as to hand-feeding etc.

In my signature there are links to my website that has some articles and my online albums that have alot of informative pix's.

If you have any concerns try and post a pix to show what you mean. Many times you can take a pix at a distance of 18" and when you download it, you crop crop the pix so that it makes the area you want to show larger.

When you go to the vet bring a list of questions. Many times if the vet is receptive they will try to answer and be as helpful as they can.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Another method you can try instead of handfeeding is handling the babies everyday for 15 min a day once they're about two weeks old. As they feather out you can handle them more. This is will make them just as friendly. That is if handfeeding is not an option because it does take time and you have to have them on a schedule.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

*Another method you can try instead of handfeeding is handling the babies everyday for 15 min a day once*
*------------------------------------------*

Good suggestion Roxy, BUT, it this is best done when the babies are left with the parents and the parents are feeding and weaning them out. It's not going to worked if they are pulled, and not being handfed. They would still have to be monitored to make sure they are not losing weight. having a scales that weights in gram would be helpful for monitoring the weight of the babies. If there is a gradual drop in weight it is an alert that a problem is going on.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

That's what I meant, leaving the babies with the parents and handling them. In their other post, Mexicanbirdman had mentioned that the parents weren't very tame and he wanted the babies to be. Since he's inexperienced at handfeeding, for his first time he could try just handling the babies until he can find a breeder to show him how to handfeed. This way the babies don't get removed early like last time.


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## Mexicanbirdman (Apr 20, 2011)

roxy culver said:


> That's what I meant, leaving the babies with the parents and handling them. In their other post, Mexicanbirdman had mentioned that the parents weren't very tame and he wanted the babies to be. Since he's inexperienced at handfeeding, for his first time he could try just handling the babies until he can find a breeder to show him how to handfeed. This way the babies don't get removed early like last time.


I have Q's then when can i move them,is it safe to cut little piceses of apples and give it to their mouths?If the parents dont feed them do i still leave them there? also i took them out when they looked ugly gray-sh and it died when it had feathers so when schould i take it out o and also my birds were in this size cage is this good small or what? thnk u guys are the best!Srry iam not creating a new thread if i have to please let me now 









How old would this be? He couldn't eat seeds or fly yet









This was his cage too small?boring?fun?Dangoures? Both of them were in here


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

too small. cage is too small. minimum for one cockatiel should be at least 18 inches in each dimension.

cockatiels wean around 8 weeks old... they shouldnt be taken away from the parents until weaned... or if you handfeed them, they should start weaning around 8 weeks old, no sooner.

as for fruits and veggies, try more veggies like carrots and brocholli instead. wait on the veggies until they start eating on their own.


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## Jess (Jun 20, 2010)

OMG I'm starting to wonder if this is real or just a troll trying to upset people here. Why the picture of a dead bird and a tiny cage, this is sick. If this is real and you were in the UK you would be looking at a six month prison sentence and a ban on keeping pets.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

jess, hes just looking for help.


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## Jess (Jun 20, 2010)

I thought that originally but now I have doubts, he /she seems to be taking pleasure in describing what these dead birds look like and showing a totally unsuitable cage and generally winding people up here about the poor treatment of these baby birds. I don't know what's going on here but it's not good.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

yes, its concerning but i honestly dont think this is being done purposely.


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## Mexicanbirdman (Apr 20, 2011)

Jess said:


> I thought that originally but now I have doubts, he /she seems to be taking pleasure in describing what these dead birds look like and showing a totally unsuitable cage and generally winding people up here about the poor treatment of these baby birds. I don't know what's going on here but it's not good.


why would i hurt them? i love these critters i dont know much about them thats why iam here and iam not torchring them or anything this is the first set of chicks ive had.
uve hurtin my feelings  JK


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

The baby looked like it was about 4-5 weeks of age. It's color/mutation was a Pearl. If neither parent was this color/mutation then it was a female.

The parakeet sized cage is a bit small for a cockatiel. preferrably you want something that is 2-3 times larger. Ideally a cage that is longer than it is high is good...because a cockatiel gets more exercise from going back and forth rather than up and down.

Next time you have babies why don't you start a separate thread. You can post pix's of your parents and your set-up (cage with nestbox) List what you give the parents to eat. As the babies grow take pix's front and side veiws. This way if there is a problem starting we can help resolve it.

This album shows some things that can go wrong with babies in the nest (click for a larger veiw of each): http://s525.photobucket.com/albums/cc331/Mousebirds-and-more/Other birds/Babies in Trouble/

This page shows the daily changes and growth of a baby. *Note:* baby weights will vary per bird, but there should be some growth daily. You can use this as a guide to see if your babies are developing according to age: http://justcockatiels.weebly.com/watch-me-grow.html

Of you are planning to handfeed you can remove the babies from the nest from 14-21 days of age.

Many suggest that babies should be weaned by the time they are 8 weeks old. I have found that it is better to work towards weaning at 10-12 weeks of age. Their immune system is not fully developed until this age. Younger than this age some babies can relapse and start crying to be fed again. Therefore if you plan on selling the babies make it a goal to not sell any until they are at least 3 months of age.


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## Jess (Jun 20, 2010)

Dally.
I'm staying away after this but unfortuntaley there are some sickos around. I've seen and heard of people telling lies/stories on other forums sometimes to try and get freebie bird or just making horrible things up for kicks or to feel they have power over other members, treating their birds with indifference, people running around trying to placate them and bending over backwards to help when they are just sitting back and lapping up the attention and power. I'm not saying that is always the case or that's going on here, just be careful not to get drawn in to deep and don't always believe what you read.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Jess...I asked the poster to post pix's I do not think this person is a troll or deliberately trying to upset people. granted, it was pix's of a dead bird...but the original posting was about them fying.

Some constructive and helpful afvice is needed here. You always give *awesome advice *


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

*IF* I thought this was a troll I would not have hesitated to delete the entire thread and ban the poster.


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## Mexicanbirdman (Apr 20, 2011)

Thank you all srtiel and DallyTsuka ima be gone till my new babys hatch i'll post it up and thnkx guys u guys are cool and peace out o and the links are helpful srtiel>


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## Mexicanbirdman (Apr 20, 2011)

Jess said:


> Dally.
> I'm staying away after this but unfortuntaley there are some sickos around. I've seen and heard of people telling lies/stories on other forums sometimes to try and get freebie bird or just making horrible things up for kicks or to feel they have power over other members, treating their birds with indifference, people running around trying to placate them and bending over backwards to help when they are just sitting back and lapping up the attention and power. I'm not saying that is always the case or that's going on here, just be careful not to get drawn in to deep and don't always believe what you read.


How do u want me to show you iam not a (Troll)?


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

jess, you do give good advice... you always do youre very knowledgable. and yes, i know there are sickos out there like that. theyre all over kijiji and sites like that. i see that a lot... but i think if theyre going out of their way and spending time and days on the forum instead of one day i think that theyre honest and theyre trying to learn. if they put all this up in one day and just didnt seem to care at all or take anyones advice, then they likely dont care and are just starting stuff. but why spend their time and energy trying to get the help they need? you are right to be cautious though and i dont quite blame you

but i think its more i dont like to think bad of people and i figured if srtiels didnt have a problem, then theres nothing wrong here. yes, the photos of a dead bird are disturbing but he was trying to find out why. the photos of the bird with the cage i think was him trying to give us a size comparison and because the parents are untame and nesting this was the best option he had. i dont think he purposely tried to creep anyone out. just someone trying to learn, and we should keep that option open to all members.


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## Mexicanbirdman (Apr 20, 2011)

srry Jess for showing my dead bird pics i jusr wanna get help and i love my cockatiels ill give a warning next time for adead pic and i DONT harm my birds (cockatiels)

We're kool rite ????


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## Dreamcatchers (Apr 17, 2011)

I have read through the whole thread and I wanted to add one thing. You mentioned giving cut up apples to unweaned chicks and unless I read wrong, you are asking again if you can give them this. Solid foods in chunks given to unweaned chicks in my experience is not a good idea. It is entirely possible that the pieces were too large to pass from the crop to the stomach and created an impacted crop. Such an impaction would cause pain and the squinted eye look which you posted about. An impacted crop develops bacterial / yeast infections and is very painful. In my experience, an impacted crop chick can look fine and then suddenly take a turn for the worst. 

Fruit is fine to give but, remember, fruit is a lot of sugar for such a tiny stomach. For example, a single large grape which is 80% water will fill half of a crop. Being mostly water, there is no real nutrient content and the sugar gives a great instant energy but it is sugar. Once the bird has processed this, there isn't any real sustanence. Once your baby birds have weaned, you can give fruit and veggies mixed. Grate up the apple instead of cutting it so that the pieces are tiny enough to be handled by the crop. Get a cheap food processor and just take fresh raw fruits and veggies and pulse grate them to a small size. Never give avacado!! Mashing the apple and giving it while it is the consistancy of applesauce is better. I prefer softer fruits, such as melons or mangos, they are softer texture, easily mashed and easier to digest than apples. 

As for the overall posting of this thread. I too began to wonder about the reality for a while. It is hard to believe that with all of the information on the internet that someone could be so inexperienced as to see their babies die. BUT, I recently took in a baby chick from another inexperienced "breeder". The chick was 6 weeks old and 1/2 the size of my 4 week old chicks. She claimed the chick was weaned but she contacted me for help because the chick looked sick and was laying in the bottom of the cage. When I arrived, the chick was literally on the bottom of the cage on its side. I took the chick and tube fed it for 5 days. Toddy is in my signature. He did not wean until he was 13 weeks old and will be stunted forever but I am happy to say I was in the nick of time. Apparently, this "breeder" force weaned her chicks starting at 4 weeks, she didn't know any better. I have mentored this person now and she not only does a much better job but she has also stopped allowing her birds to double and triple clutch. It is up to us with experience to advocate for our birds, teach and mentor, regardless of whether the person is just inexperienced or being a troll (which I also do not believe is the case here). 

Mexicanbirdman - there are several reputable cockatiel and conure breeders in your area. Cockatiel and Green cheek conures are about the same size and are quite similar in hatchling development. Take time and introduce yourself to them, ask them to mentor you and show you how to hand feed. READ everything you can before these next babies hatch. That way you will be doing your babies right and it will be a much more rewarding experience for you.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Michelle....thanks for the positive and insight posting.


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