# Is his chest "enlarged"? Should I be worried?



## kevinmac (Jan 27, 2015)

I have a 14 yr old cockatiel. I love him so much. He has never been sick and he has been strictly eating harrisons organic pellets along with some organic sunflower seeds few times per week. Always been a healthy bird. Water is pure(non-tap). I really take care of my little guy a lot. Today, while giving him a bath I noticed that his chest is slightly more enlarged than normal. It is possible that I could be paranoid but I am not sure. His behavior is totally normal, dropping perfectly healthy and he is chirping, singing etc. Please see pics and let me know. I know some are difficult to see because he is hyper so I could not get good pics.


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## shaenne (Apr 19, 2014)

Is it possible that he ate a bit more than usual and his crop is a little more full than you're used to seeing? I know Zoe's crop looks a bit fuller after she's had a good pig out on my dinner vegetables lol


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

I agree with the above. It looks pretty normal from what I can see in the pictures. He could have gained a little weight. Do you weigh him regularly?


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## kevinmac (Jan 27, 2015)

roxy culver said:


> I agree with the above. It looks pretty normal from what I can see in the pictures. He could have gained a little weight. Do you weigh him regularly?


I never really weigh him myself unless he is at the vet. I figured that it might be normal and that I could be over-worrying. Will keep an eye on it. Thanks for your opinions.


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## shaenne (Apr 19, 2014)

Try to weigh him at least once a week and record it, so you have something to go on if you think something might be wrong. Unexplained weight loss is a pretty good indicator that a vet visit is needed, so if you if you see a drop in weight that doesn't seem to have a cause or if you notice worrying symptoms accompanied by weight loss, you'll know it's time to see a vet asap.


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## kevinmac (Jan 27, 2015)

I suppose I could weigh him, any suggestions on the scale? I am not sure if he will happily step on the scale without flying.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

They sell gram scales on amazon that come with a perch for you to place him on. Or you can get a kitchen scale from walmart. The key is that it's in grams.


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