By Margaret A. Wissman, DVM, DABVP, Avian Practice
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Courtesy Sabrina Odom, Florida
Pet cockatiels can create a lot of bird dust, which can create respiratory issues for people.
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My pet cockatiel sneezes more than my other birds; should I be concerned?
Pet cockatiel feathers make an excessive amount of powder, produced by the powder down feathers. This powder can make its way into the nares and upper respiratory tract of pet birds, including the dusty pet cockatiels that produce them. This can result in a bird sneezing to expel the excess dust, powder and dander.
As long as the sneezing is not continuous, and the sneeze is dry (it produces no moisture or mucus), it is normal. If you notice that the sneezing increases in frequency or intensity or if begins to produce mucus, then it will be time to have your pet cockatiel evaluated by your avian vet.
Consider running a good quality air filter with HEPA filtration in the bird room to clean the air of dust, debris, pollen, spores and powder down.
My pet cockatiel has a bald spot on the back of his head behind his crest; is this normal?
Many pet cockatiels – especially the color and pattern mutation cockatiels such as lutino, albino, fallow, cinnamon, pearl and pied, to name some – have an area behind the crest devoid of feathers.
This is not dangerous or a sign of skin disease, but it is considered a fault if showing pet cockatiels. Many responsible aviculturists attempt to produce pet cockatiels with a full head of feathers by selectively breeding their stock. Some cockatiels in the pet trade have this bald spot, however, and it may vary in size from small to a quarter-sized patch. There is no pet bird Rogaine to help them regrow feathers, so simply enjoy your pet cockatiel, bald spot and all.
My pet cockatiel poops in his water bowl; can this make him sick?
Many pet birds tend to poop in their water bowls, and many also dunk food, including pellets, vegetables and seeds, into their water. All of these activities will cause excessive bacteria to grow in the water. Bacteria will multiply exponentially by the hour in room temperature drinking water.
For this reason, I always recommend offering pet birds water via a water bottle, a much safer way to provide a pet bird with constant clean, fresh water. Many owners worry that a pet bird won’t drink out of a bottle, but pet birds are so smart that most figure it out the first time they stick their beak in the tube and water comes out!
Until you know your pet bird drinks out of the bottle, provide a water bowl beneath it. Some water bottles are made especially for pet birds, including the large birds, so the sipper tubes are made of a strong enough metal to not bend or distort with their tremendous beak pressure.
Even though a bottle holds a lot of water, provide fresh water daily. Stale water isn’t very palatable. Some pet birds will find a way to plug up the end of the tube (pet cockatoos are particularly adept at using corn cob to obstruct the flow of water), so tap the end of the tube once in a while to ensure that the end is open. Apply a piece of tape on the outside of the bottle to mark a line in the morning to make sure that the water level drops during the day.
Factually, birds with water bowls tend to have higher levels of background bacteria in their systems than birds that drink from water bottles. Please consider converting your pet cockatiel to a water bottle and perhaps take your pet bird in for a check-up to make sure that it isn’t suffering from a subclinical bacterial infection.
Is a flaky beak normal?
Adult pet cockatiels often have a bit of flaking on the sides of the upper beak and also a small amount on the lower beak, especially in the front portion. The beak grows continually and if your pet bird doesn’t chew up items to wear it down properly, then it may show excess flakiness from time to time.
Malnutrition and a lack of full-spectrum sunlight might contribute to beak abnormalities, including excessive flakiness. Also, slight malocclusion or trauma to the beak can result in a beak that grows abnormally, which will require professional trimming. Your avian veterinarian can properly trim away any excess beak tissue using a grinding tool, if necessary, and can instruct you regarding dietary or husbandry changes that you should make for your pet bird.
How do I tell if my pet cockatiel is overweight or underweight?
Whether a pet cockatiel is overweight or underweight is subjective. A normal pet cockatiel might weigh 70 grams, if it is a small-boned, short-stature bird; a long-bodied, well-muscled bird might weigh 125 grams. As a rule, if you can feel your bird’s keel bone with a good layer of muscling on either side, it is probably a good weight.
To confirm that your pet bird is of a healthy weight, ask your avian veterinarian to assess it. Write down that weight, buy a good quality gram scale and begin weighing your bird weekly. This way you will know if your pet bird is gaining weight, which can be detrimental, or losing weight, which can be a sign of illness.
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