# some kind of junk in my cockatiel's eye



## jain.rohitraj (Aug 29, 2011)

Hi there,

i recently (yesterday) adopted a pied cockatiel, about 3 months old.
His name is Dexter.
its just been 1 day since i got him home, so he is kinda scared and nervous.
He is hand fed and tamed.
i read through various information given on the internet about a new cockatiel, and i know its normal for a new cockatiel to not eat or drink properly for sometime till they get adjusted in the new environment.
so when he is inside his cage, i didn't see him eating or driniking anything.
Although when i get him out on my hands and put seeds in my other hand, it eats them. (I do appraise him everytime he eats a seed  )
What is concerning me is that he is kinda shaky and shivering sometime. is that normal too ?
he seems perfectly fine otherwise, and also he is playing with the toys inside once in a while, but still looks scared to me.

Also today morning i found a very small transparent kind of dirt over the top part of his right eye. i am not sure what it is, but i am attaching a picture of it. (please ignore the red eye in the 3rd picture as that is due to flash)
is it some kind of dirt that i can remove or does it look like some kind of infection.
Please help.

any suggestions ?

Thanks


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## RookieBlue (Jul 30, 2011)

I am not an expert (hardly knowledgable in cockatiels, actually) but my p'let was rather shaky when she first came home. She's calmed down a massive amount since then, so I would probably claim fear and stress to be the culprit of his shivering-like appearances.

As for the stuff in his eye, again, I don't know much, but I see this kind of stuff in my dogs eyes all the time. It's usually just a film of yuck or whatever, much like we get on our own eyes after sleeping or something similar which involves for the tear ducts to be clogged/closed. I wouldn't worry about it too much, just keep an eye on it. If you really think it's a problem, you can always call your local vet and ask for an opinion, s/he may have you come in so they can look at birdie.


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## morla (Aug 15, 2011)

Congragulations on getting a new cockatiel!


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

I'm not sure what the stuff in the eye is but maybe someone else can tell you.

He will probably start eating sooner if you hang some millet spray in the cage. He can nibble on hanging food and watch for danger at the same time. It's much scarier to let down his guard for a moment and stick his head in an unfamiliar food bowl. Hang up some leafy greens too, he will get some moisture if he eats them. Covering the cage on three sides might also make him feel safer.


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## Shirley (Aug 29, 2011)

If it's transparent I believe it's feather dust.. When birds preen their feathers small pieces of feathers (the keratin coating ) are frequently broken off.. at young age (and throughout their lives) cockatiels produce high quantities of feather powder.. sometimes it gets into their nostrils and they sneeze it out, sometimes it gets in their eyes and they clean it later on.

shaky and shivering sometime - when is "sometimes"? when you get near him\try to touch him..? because he might be scared.. 
anyway make sure the temperature is good for him and not "windy" (don't put him near a fan or an air conditioner or next to an open window)

congrats! he is beautiful


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

They tend to shiver when you just get them so its quite normal
they eye looks like something has got in it so it will just come out naturally


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## jain.rohitraj (Aug 29, 2011)

Thank you all for the information.
Actually it was some kind of feather dust which got away after a while.
(i was actually scared since i am pretty new to it  )

He is very comfortable now, eating and drinking properly.
He is not even shaking also. Besides he has become pretty active now. 

But there is another thing i wanted to find about.
These days he makes a continous screeching noise.
He usually does that when he comes on my hand or my shoulder, and sometimes when i try to talk to him.
you can see his video doing that here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lu0VQbsdwOw
i tried reading about cockatiel making different kinds of noises, but couldn't find anything.
Does anyone know what he is trying to do ?
Thanks


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## Mentha (Jul 11, 2010)

That is baby begging noises. He may have regressed and need another week of hand feeding. Stress can do that. It can also mean your bird has a yeast infection. What does his poop look like?


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## jain.rohitraj (Aug 29, 2011)

Thanks Mentha for the reply.
Actually i am not sure if he is asking for hand feeding, as he is already 4 months old and he is also eating and drinking properly in his cage.
But it may have something to do with attention may be (just a feeling).
Another thing i noted is that, he makes that sound only when i give him attention. So when he is in his cage or playing outside, he makes normal chirp..only when i try to talk to him, or when he climbs on my shoulder, he makes that screeching sound. (pls note that these days he comes to me and climbs on my shoulder by himself so i am not even forcing him to do that)

His poop looks very normal to me. Green color solid, with some white part and some colorless liquid..are there other symptoms of yeast infection i should look for ?


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