# Should I be worried....(and other questions)



## Woodstock'sMom (Apr 14, 2011)

Ok, to sum things up, I recently bought my first cockatiel. 
Little did I know that a reputable breeder should not sell a bird before it has been weaned.....but she sold me the bird and he is now 5 weeks old.
She showed me how to hand-feed him with a syringe and I have been feeding him 4x a day so far.

Anyways, sometimes he will have an occasional sneeze. Then sometimes he sneezes like, 20 times back to back. Is this normal or is it a sign of a problem?
Also, I noticed last night that after sneezing so much, he was breathing through his mouth. Well, by the next morning, he didn't seem to be breathing through his mouth anymore. Then tonight, he had another sneezing fit and started breathing through the mouth again. Then when he started to nap on me, I noticed his mouth open and he was making a faint noise when he was breathing...like a wheezing, maybe. He also sounded like his nose was stuffed up.

I checked his nose, nothing in there. His sneezes seem to be just air, and MAYBE a little water/moisture. But he has not been acting sick or different in any other way. So what could this be? What should I do?

Question #2: I have heard that birds should have a full spectrum light. I have also heard that birds need a infrared heat lamp. Is one better than the other or needed more than the other? Do I get one or both or neither?

And, if I need either one, can you guys recommend a good, safe name brand to get?

Last question (for now): I want to wean him onto pellet food....or a pellet seed mix if that is better (?), can someone please recommend to me a high-quality brand/pellet food to buy for him? I have seen names such as Lafebers, Harrisons, Kaytee Exact, RoudyBush....PLEASE let me know what you guys recommend and/or which is better?

Sorry for all the questions. I just want to give my bird the best life I can.
I appreciate any feedback.


----------



## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

all i can say... shame on the breeder. as for the sneezing, wheezing and issues, bring him to a vet ASAP sick birds go downhill fast

full spectrum light helps with calcium absorbtion so its a good thing to have. infra red light? well its good to have for emergencies when hes sick, but for a baby, best have him in an aquarium with a heating pad on low on only one half of the tank.... so he can move if he gets too warm. thats if hes past that stage, i wouldnt know. someone else will. infra red for the lowest watt... its a good emergency thing to have on hand. we have one as well as a heating pad. they work wonders. because hes ill, KEEP HIM WARM.
if you get the infrared light, get a fixture that goes with it (go with an aluminim one with a ceramic stopper on the cord... its heat resistant. its the cheapest you may find at a petstore in the reptile section. i use 60 watt for the bulb, but thats lowest i could find, and it must be placed 6 inches or more above the bird or they can overheat)

pellet brands... the ones youve listed are good... but i havent heard much good on kaytee. go with the others. ive used lefebers food before. my tiels LOVE the avicakes and nutriberries, which can be used as food not just treats as theyre very nutritious.


----------



## Mentha (Jul 11, 2010)

I use Kaytee pellets for my African Gray, my cockatiels have pellets in their seed mix so I don't feed them separate. I use Kaytee because it's what I can find. Lafebers is good, but expensive. I do buy their Nutriberries for my birds. 

I would use whatever pellets you can find locally and feed a high quality seed mix and fruits & veggies, whole grain breads, cooked pasta etc. The reason being if you have to special order foods for your bird there may be times when you'll be without for a couple days. I've also heard the Harrisons is too rich for cockatiels it's also very hard to find outside of a vet's office. 

Roudybush was the first to commercially make pellets for cockatiels which even though he started locally, it's hard for me to find his foods. If I were to be able to find Lafebers hand feeding formula and pellets, I'd probably use that and feed the pellets as part of a balanced diet afterward because I can't stand the smell or texture of Kaytee but it's what my gray will eat, so I feed them.


----------



## Mentha (Jul 11, 2010)

I got side tracked on pellets. I was going to answer your first question too. I agree take the bird to the vet. It sounds like you may need another lesson in hand feeding. I want to say you're aspirating him while feeding, this could be the cause of the sneezing. This could also lead to infections if you get formula in the lungs. It could also be something else and only a vet visit will tell either way.


----------



## Jess (Jun 20, 2010)

I'm thinking along the same lines as Mentha, could be caused by you doing the feeds or the chick may have a respitory infection. I think a Vet visit to a vet that is competant in treating birds is in order. Respitory conditions won't clear up on their own I'm afraid.


----------



## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

IU would get to a vet *ASAP*! it sounds like you have asporated the bird and got some food into the lungs which caused an infection.


----------



## Woodstock'sMom (Apr 14, 2011)

Thank you so much everyone for all the advice.
I truly appreciate it. Unfortunately there is not an avian vet near me and the only vet who sees birds is located over an hour away from me. I called and tried to schedule an appointment and they said the earliest the doctor could see me would be this Tuesday.
Well, this morning my bird died.

I must say I am completely sad, and in shock because one day he seemed fine, a couple days later he started sneezing, and then within 2 days he died. I mean, what in the heck?! I do not know why or how or if it was something I did that I shouldn't have or if this could have been prevented. I just don't know....I only had the bird a week.


----------



## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

I'm sorry for your loss. Have you contacted the breeder? This is the breeder's fault for giving you an unweaned bird.


----------



## Woodstock'sMom (Apr 14, 2011)

Yes, I contacted the breeder and she sounded just as confused about why he died but she said it sounded like it could have been pneumonia.

She said that even with going to the vet, birds that get pneumonia often do not make it.
I don't know if that is true but that's what she told me....

However she did give me another cockatiel (a weaned one). I brought it home and I find myself sort of comparing it to the baby that passed. While this bird is sweet, and very active and curious, and seems more independent, I can't help really missing the baby that just wanted to cuddle and snuggle against my face, let me rub it's back and scratch his neck and would run to me when he saw me....I wonder if this new bird would or could ever be like that....or if the baby bird was only like that because he was still a baby being handfed and maybe he was sick?

And now I am paranoid over everything. I mean, if I don't know how the bird died or what caused it, how do I know how to prevent it from happening to the new bird?


----------



## Belinda (Oct 9, 2010)

Babies are usually cuddlier but your new bird will bond to you and you may find he/she may but just as cuddly. Sooner or later they all want to be a bit independent  
I'm sorry your baby died. This was not your fault. I believe that the breeder shouldn't have sold you the bird unweaned, but it can be a common practice because some owners want to hand feed the bird as they believe they bond more with the bird - which is often untrue... she should have known not to sell it to someone with little experience! It's too easy to make a mistake, and they should have known this so don't feel it is your fault in any way. At least she has given you a new cockatiel... which doesn't make up for losing your 1st baby you were obviously fond of... but she must have felt bad for you.

If your new baby appears to decide not to eat and starts begging for food - you should take it back to the breeder as it may not be fully weaned (depends on its age of course). Any responsible breeder should offer to take the baby back should it not be weaned to give it another few days of handfeeding. Best of luck with the new bub. 
I hope you cleaned the cage just in case it was anything that could be passed to your new baby.  let us know how things progress!


----------



## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

*Yes, I contacted the breeder and she sounded just as confused about why he died but she said it sounded like it could have been pneumonia.*
*------------------------------------------------------------------------*

It died from aspiration pneumonia. If you still have the body you might want to have a vet do a necropsy which would give you answers.


----------

