# my little guy is losing weight



## CookieTiel (Feb 6, 2012)

I got my male cockatiel about 3 months ago from a pet shop, and since I got him I noticed that he's been losing weight. He was on a seed diet at the pet shop, and I've continued with the seed diet, but he doesn't eat much. He seems to pick out the sunflower seeds and ignore the rest. I've also tried giving him pellets and nutriberries (I put all 3 options everyday in the cage for him) and just now he sometimes nibbles on the nutriberries. He likes millet too, but if I give it to him everyday he loses interest. He is acting normal and is a happy bird, but I just want him to gain some weight. What can I do to make him gain weight? Thanks!


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## CookieTiel (Feb 6, 2012)

I forgot to mention that in the morning, him and his partner get way too excited to get out of the cage and sometimes forget to eat.


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## delawaregirl (Dec 2, 2011)

Ifeed Tweety when she first gets out of her cage in th morning. In fact most of her meals are not in the cage, the reason being she is out of her cage more than in it. She does have seed and pellets in her cage though for the time she spends thre.


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## CookieTiel (Feb 6, 2012)

Yeah, I have tried putting his food bowls on top of the cage, since that's the first place he goes when he gets out. He does eat a little, then loses interest. I don't know if it's the food or what...Do you think it would help to put another food bowl at his play gym or other places?


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Have you checked his keelbone? This will help you determine whether his weight is OK or not: http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=17680

If you believe he's underweight (sharp keel bone) then it's best to see an avian vet to see if your tiel has any health issues.


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## CookieTiel (Feb 6, 2012)

Yes I have checked his keelbone and it feels a bit sharp. His weight was normal when he came from the pet shop and he is acting normal, so I'm not sure whether I should take him to the vet or not


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

You should take him to the vet. Weight loss is very often the first sign of illness and may be the only warning you get. Therefore, it should always be investigated.


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## CookieTiel (Feb 6, 2012)

ok, I guess I'll have to take him to the vet. I'm dreading taking him to the vet, because he is not tame yet and bites *very* hard. He just learned to step up on the birdie ladder but is still afraid of hands. He is going to freak out at the vet...ugh...it's not going to be a pretty scene and it might interfere with the training process. But, his health is more important.


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## CookieTiel (Feb 6, 2012)

I'm also afraid of all the stress he will go through at the vet, I'm sure it won't do him any good. He's just starting to trust hands now, and I think he will be completely afraid of us all over again...


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## sunnysmom (Sep 23, 2011)

Try to find an avian vet who is used to handling birds. He/she should be used to handling tiels who aren't completely tame. I was really nervous the first time I took my tiel to the vet as he still was getting used to us, etc. The vet we took him to I don't think dealt a lot with birds and it was not a good experience. My tiel was pretty upset for a few days over the whole thing. We next took our tiel to an avian certified vet and it was a completely different experience. Not stressful for me or Sunny. So, I understand being nervous about taking him, but if he has health issues, it's important that he goes and you can rebuild that trust if you have a set back.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Have you weighed him? On a gram scale? Its really hard to tell weight loss just by looking at a bird. You should weigh him weekly to monitor his weight best.


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## CookieTiel (Feb 6, 2012)

Yeah I guess I'll have to do some research on avian vets. When we first got our girl Cookie we took her to the vet for a checkup, and she screamed bloody murder. The vet didn't really know how to handle her, and she bit his hand and it bled. I'll look for an experienced avian vet here in Boston. If anyone knows any, please let me know.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

The AAV has a "find a vet" service at http://www.aav.org/search/index.php Your best bet is to put in the entire state and then look for nearby vets, because the search function seems to be very literal about zip codes and city limits. If you put in your zip code it will look ONLY in that zip code, not at other nearby areas. Ditto for city limits.


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## CookieTiel (Feb 6, 2012)

Thank you, tielfan


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