I have been told it’s very bad health to keep pet birds, in their cages in your living space, is this true?

Question by Meleah: I have been told it’s very bad health to keep pet birds, in their cages in your living space, is this true?
I have been told by a friend, that i should not keep my pet birds, in their cages in our living room. Because we can easily contract diseases such as Psittacosis just from breathing in their feathers/feather dust etc. I clean out their cages often and they are never kept in filth etc. We have a budgie and two cockatiels. We are getting a handraised Eclectus parrot and a cinnamon green cheek conure. They will all have their own space and own cage. Which will live in our loungeroom. As you can probably tell, im a big time bird person.
Hi there,,

she is studying nursing actually, and was informed in a lecture about it. I don’t think she is a bird person at all.

I regularly change their paper, clean it out and when im home all the windows are open to let in fresh air.

Best answer:

Answer by Polish and Proud!
I suppose it’s OK as long as the feathers and stuff don’t get in your food. And remember common sense with birds like cleaning, and you’ll be fine. And is your friend even a bird person? They could be a nurse but how much do they really know about birds? Anyways, research about it and ask around your vet’s office and stuff to get the facts. Also, this disease is curable, so you shouldn’t worry.

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dogs and birds health help?

Question by Penelope =]: dogs and birds health help?
I have 1 dog and 2 birds. My dog is a Toy Poodle, one bird is a cockatiel and the other is an Indian ringneck. I look after them just fine with fresh food and water everyday but in need a way to check if they are healthy? like, for the dog example, how do i check that his teeth are fine? or his ears are fine? And what do i need to check for in the birds?

I need websites atleast, and please, no rude comments. I really want to be a vet, and i think owning my own pets are a good way to start
um yeah i am going to the vet next week but im just askin like eg. for my dog, should i look for red gums, or a wet nose?? things like that

Best answer:

Answer by ¡ Raw? !
It would eb best if a licensed and experienced veterinarian showed you how to do this, otherwise you could end up hurting your animal. You could also take grooming classes, and pet education cc lasses.

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How do I help my new tiel improve its feather health?

Question by : How do I help my new tiel improve its feather health?
I have a new tiel that I just got today. He cannot fly since he had a run-in with a dog a year and a half ago which maimed his left wing. I understand that these feathers will not go back into place (there are four or so that stick out at a strange angle), but the general appearance of him is scraggly, in comparison to the other cockatiel we own, which has healthy, lustrous feathers. The new bird is in good health, just got vet checked before he came here, but I would really like to help him get back into shipshape! Is there anything I can do to make his feathers look better?

Best answer:

Answer by Eggcellent Parrots
Provide your cockatiels with at least two servings of fresh fruits and vegetables a day, use a clean spray bottle on mist filled with warm water and lightly mist him every other day. Be sure to keep him/her warm while drying which will take a few hours. I would also offer either egg food which you can purchase at a pet store or well scrubbed room temperature hard boiled eggs crushed, shell and all at least once a week. Be sure to remove the eggs after one hour, and veggies after two as they grow bacteria very quickly.

Not knowing what type of diet you provide your birds, I would suggest you also include a pelleted food such as Roudybush or Zupreem. Sometimes birds will pluck themselves due to an allergen in their food. However slowly transition your birds to a pellet mixing it in 80/20 the first few days, and slowly increase the pellet portion of the food over the next few weeks.

On my site I have posted safe/toxic foods for birds as well as household toxins, birdie recipes, and safe/toxic trees, plants, and shrubs.

Keep your bird and it’s environment clean at all times, wash your hands prior to feeding, holding, etc. http://eggcellentparrots.web.officelive.com/

There is also a product which you can purchase for optimal feather growth and appearance called Featherific. You can view this product here http://www.justbirdstuff.com/Featheriffic-Feather-Conditioning-Supplement-p-16485.html

Hope this helps!

Breeder of rare Quaker Parrots, cockatiels, and owned by several others. Also years of experience.

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What are the health issues and physical abnormalities in cinnamon pearl & cinn. pearl split to pied cockatiels?

Question by ZOO KEEPER OF MANY: What are the health issues and physical abnormalities in cinnamon pearl & cinn. pearl split to pied cockatiels?

Best answer:

Answer by JenVT
I have never noticed inherent health issues or physical abnormalities. The cinnamons are as healthy as the grays.

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Albino Cockatiels Price & Health?

Question by OK32: Albino Cockatiels Price & Health?
I am looking to buy a new cockatiel and I saw a breeder near my are selling baby handfed 7 week old Albino cockatiels with red eyes for . They are healthy but I’ve heard they get sick easily. Is it worth it?

Best answer:

Answer by skydanzer400
First off, there is no such thing as a true Albino Cockatiel. Only white faced Lutinos that are referred to that way. And they would likely be much more expensive than that. If a breeder is claiming to have them, then I would be a bit suspect as to his/her honesty and reputation. I’m going to give you some links to study as they will give you more detail on this and several other aspects of living with Cockatiels. I hope this will help but if you have further questions, don’t hesitate to ask.

http://www.cockatiel.org/genetics/index.html

http://www.cockatiel.org/genetics/index.html

http://www.quarrion.com/albino.htm

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What are the health hazards of having birds like parrots or cockatiels in your house?

Question by David: What are the health hazards of having birds like parrots or cockatiels in your house?

Best answer:

Answer by kouneli
-Don’t have the bird housed near the kitchen if you cook with teflon pans.
-Clip wings to prevent the bird from getting loose or flying into windows.
-Keep other pets out of the room while the bird is out.
-Lead is DEADLY. Do not allow birds to have access to lead (even lead paint on the wall near their cage.)
-Make sure all hot appliances are turned off and cool when you allow the bird out.
-Toilet lid down..yes it has happened before where a cockatiel has fallen into the toilet and drowned when the owners didn’t find him soon enough.
-Keep away from drafts.
-Keep away from direct sunlight.
There are MANY hazards to birds in households. Be sure to provide supervision whenever the bird is out of the cage. Also make sure that all toys given to the bird is not hazardous. Some toys that are made for birds actually have small beads they can choke on, small rings that they can get their head stuck in, small links that nails can get caught in, splintering wood..you get the idea.

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I am unsure of my cockatiels health?

Question by Abm: I am unsure of my cockatiels health?
Lately my one year old cockatiel has been going to the bottom of its cage and balancing itself out horizontally and making little whistles and chirps. I don’t know what this means. Please help.

Best answer:

Answer by VitaBella
Our cockatiel, Roscoe, did this at the same time….then we found out that Roscoe turned out to be “Rosca” and started to lay eggs!

Leave her alone and she will start laying eggs. About one egg every other day until she has a total of 5-7 eggs. Don’t try to take the eggs away as this will encourage more egg laying. She will sit on them all day long. Just be sure she has plenty of food an water. Nature will take it’s course.

But do some research. Internet is great…Google “Cockatiels” and so many things will come up. You have to be careful of egg binding, too.
This can be fatal for your bird if left untreated. Also, birds don’t normally show an symptoms until it’s too late. So whenever in doubt, take your bird to an avian vet.

Good Luck!

PS: Contrary to what people may think, you don’t need a male bird in order for the female bird to lay eggs( YOU’D BE AMAZED HOW MANY PEOPLE ASK ME THIS)….if there is no male bird around, the eggs are not fertile. If there is another male bird around, then chances are the eggs may be fertile…then you have to set up a nesting box.

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Having Cockatiel health issues?

Question by •??????•: Having Cockatiel health issues?
Hi,

Were having some problems with one of our tiels. Keep this in mind: we can’t get to a vet until Friday! anyways, his name is Cricket, and he is a special needs bird. We clipped their wings (after one of or birds flew away, then came back), and they fell and their tail bended up, so its a little sore, then Cricket started to have these weird poos. He is having a dark blue/green poo with some creamy white in it, and it is super sticky, kind of like ink.

We’ve been extra careful with him, he is sad, and puffy ,not very energetic. We don’t know if this is contagious or not, so were keeping him away from the other birds. He goes to bed with me, he sleeps on my chest with a towel (I have to stay up all night and keep watch on him) and he sleeps with me. He eats pretty good, and I hand feed him water.

So anyways, I take very good care of him, he is by me almost twenty four seven, he sleeps on me, I feed him his water, and do everything I possible can until the appointment comes.

Very puffy
Very sleepy
Has dark green/blue poos that have a creamy white in them and are sticky
Sluggish

That’s about all the symptoms. This Friday were taking him to get checked out, and we super vise him almost always, and he always sleeps with me now. I was wondering:

What could this be?
Can I do anything else for him?

Thanks for ANY help!

Best answer:

Answer by Lex
You can give him Pedialyte to keep him hydrated, and this usually gives weak birds more energy. I really dont know, they may need to do blood tests or fecal tests to check him out better. Or there may be a symptom thats so subtle the average eye cant pick it up. But puffy, sleepy and dark fecal matter really can be anything, a lot of things can cause these. Just make sure he stays hydrated. Good luck!

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cockatiel mystery health issue?

Question by Candi: cockatiel mystery health issue?
i took a look at my cockatiel today and all over his face were these pinkish brown crumb like clumps stuck in his feathers. they cannot be blown off.
he only has these clumps around his face and there are some similar looking clumps on some of the bars of the cage.
do anyone know what this is or if its an emergency?
please let me know, i’m scared it might be serious!

Best answer:

Answer by ranapipiens
Is it possible that he is eating his cage? If so, take him to a vet ASAP–rust, aluminum, and some other metals can be deadly to birds.

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My cockatiel will not eat anything besides seed. Will this affect his health?

Question by Panda: My cockatiel will not eat anything besides seed. Will this affect his health?
I have tried numerous times to get him to eat other things, but he refuses. Is it bad for him to eat only seed?

Best answer:

Answer by NO GOVERNMENT HEALTHCARE!!!!!!!!
Sounds like my tiel! I have been trying from the day I got him to try different stuff. If your bird eats a variety of high quality seeds, he should be alright. One thing I do is eat food in front of my cockatiel, so he thinks he is supposed to eat it and its good. For example, I was eating a salad and I let him come up to investigate. He took a little nibble of the lettuce and I kept eating so he knew it was good. He then stole the leaf and and ate the whole thing! The power of suggestion is great for birds!

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