A concerned new owner

Hello guys. First post here.

I got a couple of parakeets few days ago, and i couldn't help but notice that the male "named sky" is soo calm compared to the female. At first i thought it's just a personality trait but then i started to get worried, he grinds his beak alot and also he sneezes. I also noticed that his feathers are always fluffed unlike the female and also his ayes are always half closed and sometimes i feel like he is gonna fall off the perch. Still i dont know what age he is exactly i know he is under 4 months bcz he didnt loose the stripes so is that a normal baby bord behaviour or is he sick.
There are no AV in my area so i wanted to ask first to know what if i should worry or not.

Ps. There is no discharge from his eyes or nose at all and he preens his feathers more then tulip does "the female".

Also guys the birds have been kept in a big cage with alot of others parakeets and have only been fed seeds i dint know how to get them to eat veggies and fruits does any of you have a suggestion.
Thank you soo much in advance.

These could be signs that Sky is just a calm and sleepy little guy... but it also could be signs that he is very, very sick. Birds hide their symptoms and so very often by the time you see them looking sedate like that, things have gotten critical.
I highly recommend taking him to an Avian Vet as soon as possible... like... today. And not just any vet, it's important to find a vet who is a true Avian specialist.
http://www.parrotforums.com/general-health-care/9841-vets-your-area.html

Welcome to the forum. Glad you joined us. Sorry to hear about the male possibly being sick.
Beak grinding is normal especially as the nap and go to sleep. Birds preen a lot, more than we exoect.
Sneeze isn't good. My first thought would be psittacosis, as he is young and kept with a bunch of birds....but it could be anything....
What do the poops look like,?
You've just had the a couple of days. Keep the room warm, don't stress them out , feed what they have been eating and offer leafy greens wedged in cage bars, and put a small open fish in the bottom of the cage with different veggies, done shredded or chopped fine.

Squeekmouse said:

These could be signs that Sky is just a calm and sleepy little guy... but it also could be signs that he is very, very sick. Birds hide their symptoms and so very often by the time you see them looking sedate like that, things have gotten critical.
I highly recommend taking him to an Avian Vet as soon as possible... like... today. And not just any vet, it's important to find a vet who is a true Avian specialist.
http://www.parrotforums.com/general-health-care/9841-vets-your-area.html

Click to expand...

Thank you for your reply. I will try to find a vet as soon as possible even thi there are no avian specialists in my city. I will do my best. I hope for the best.

Laurasea said:

Welcome to the forum. Glad you joined us. Sorry to hear about the male possibly being sick.
Beak grinding is normal especially as the nap and go to sleep. Birds preen a lot, more than we exoect.
Sneeze isn't good. My first thought would be psittacosis, as he is young and kept with a bunch of birds....but it could be anything....
What do the poops look like,?
You've just had the a couple of days. Keep the room warm, don't stress them out , feed what they have been eating and offer leafy greens wedged in cage bars, and put a small open fish in the bottom of the cage with different veggies, done shredded or chopped fine.

Click to expand...

I got the couple for few days. The first time they got in the cage their poop have been watery both of them but i read that its a sign of stress because after they settled in the poop became normal bird poop. I havent been stressing them I only place my hand in the cage to change the water and food. I am cleaning the cage daily just so they don't feel uncomfortable.

I offer them greens and veggies but the don't even go near them. I guess they dont know what they are.

Also i noticed a few pin feathers on the head of sky could it be because he is going to molt thats why he is lazy .

As for the room i am keeping it warm even tho i dont like it that way. But i know they need the warmth so i am keeping it warm.

Thank u soo much for the help.

Welcome, it is my first day too. Unfortunately, your bird is probably sick. When my bird is sick he did the same things. Take him to an AVIAN VET immediently.

If you’re going to go to the vet, take both birds. If one is ill, chances are if they’ve been housed together then both may be ill. It may save you another trip later.

Meriem said:

Laurasea said:

Welcome to the forum. Glad you joined us. Sorry to hear about the male possibly being sick.

Beak grinding is normal especially as the nap and go to sleep. Birds preen a lot, more than we exoect.

Sneeze isn't good. My first thought would be psittacosis, as he is young and kept with a bunch of birds....but it could be anything....

What do the poops look like,?

You've just had the a couple of days. Keep the room warm, don't stress them out , feed what they have been eating and offer leafy greens wedged in cage bars, and put a small open fish in the bottom of the cage with different veggies, done shredded or chopped fine.

Click to expand...

I got the couple for few days. The first time they got in the cage their poop have been watery both of them but i read that its a sign of stress because after they settled in the poop became normal bird poop. I havent been stressing them I only place my hand in the cage to change the water and food. I am cleaning the cage daily just so they don't feel uncomfortable.



I offer them greens and veggies but the don't even go near them. I guess they dont know what they are.



Also i noticed a few pin feathers on the head of sky could it be because he is going to molt thats why he is lazy .



As for the room i am keeping it warm even tho i dont like it that way. But i know they need the warmth so i am keeping it warm.



Thank u soo much for the help.

Click to expand...

We have had Skye for 5 weeks today and he finally figured out romaine lettuce is food a few days ago. It’s been offered everyday for a month. Keep offering, hopefully eventually they will realize it’s food.


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A good appetite is a great sign. Does he look more active? Still sneezing?

Just for the record, maybe this might be helpful.


Certified Avian Vets
https://abvp.com/animal-owners/find-an-abvp-specialist/
If none are near you...
Avian Veterinarians
http://www.aav.org/search/custom.asp?id=1803
In my opinion, any of the vets listed here should be better than a regular vet.
International contacts, too.


I feed Harrison's, supplemented by fresh healthy treats. My first, and later, my current avian vet recommended it. My bird loves the pellets now, but to get him converted, my avian vet suggested putting pellets out all day, and putting seeds (his old diet) out for two 15-minute periods a day. That would sustain him but leave him hungry enough to try new stuff. I presume the same technique could be used to get him to eat other healthy stuff, like fruits and vegetables! My guy was eating pellets in a couple of days, and now I can feed a good variety of other stuff, knowing he has the pellets as a basic. Pellets are out all day... fresh treats a few times a day. I also like Harrison's via mail because I never have to worry about out-of-date products.
Another couple of ideas...
My ol' man is an athlete and health nut. He actually EATS all the good stuff, so it's always around. I find that tossing various stuff into the food bowls at random is good... the variations and differences seem to stimulate curiosity and attention.
The other idea... if you can stand it (lol) EAT the stuff in front of the birds, yes. That encourages them. I have also found that if my ol' man eats stuff in front of the bird, the bird WANTS it for himself. Kinda a rivalry thing!
http://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/

2-day new member here. I only skimmed the original inquiry but what popped out at me is that you mentioned the birds were living previously with other birds.



All symptoms aside and factoring in the appropriate weight of risk depending on the ''venue'' where bird previously resided (pet store, aviary, etc.; or maybe how clean and well-managed, etc.) ..... I might consider having bird checked out just on general principle since he's been around other birds. Bird illnesses are sometimes tricky and it is not uncommon that as soon as you find out what the real problem is ... it can be too late in bird-world.


Hopefully, it's nothing and that's just how he acts, but there is something to be said for peace-of-mind, especially with a new bird. Keep us posted.

Meriem said:

Hello guys. First post here.

I got a couple of parakeets few days ago, and i couldn't help but notice that the male "named sky" is soo calm compared to the female. At first i thought it's just a personality trait but then i started to get worried, he grinds his beak alot and also he sneezes. I also noticed that his feathers are always fluffed unlike the female and also his ayes are always half closed and sometimes i feel like he is gonna fall off the perch. Still i dont know what age he is exactly i know he is under 4 months bcz he didnt loose the stripes so is that a normal baby bord behaviour or is he sick.
There are no AV in my area so i wanted to ask first to know what if i should worry or not.

Ps. There is no discharge from his eyes or nose at all and he preens his feathers more then tulip does "the female".

Also guys the birds have been kept in a big cage with alot of others parakeets and have only been fed seeds i dint know how to get them to eat veggies and fruits does any of you have a suggestion.
Thank you soo much in advance.

Click to expand...

Update:
I think sky was just scared and shy. The day before i was taking him to the vet he started acting differently. He is playing, flying from perch to perch, eating, and discovering more of the cage than tulip does.
Its either he was scared and shy and he just got used to the place.

Also i took them out of my room. And cleaned it very well from dust or lint or anything (I didnt use cleaning products) and the sneezing stopped. Now he fluffes up when he sees me. And his beak grinding he does it only when I cover the cage for the night.

Thank you soo much all of you. You all have been a great help.

herbwx said:

2-day new member here. I only skimmed the original inquiry but what popped out at me is that you mentioned the birds were living previously with other birds.



All symptoms aside and factoring in the appropriate weight of risk depending on the ''venue'' where bird previously resided (pet store, aviary, etc.; or maybe how clean and well-managed, etc.) ..... I might consider having bird checked out just on general principle since he's been around other birds. Bird illnesses are sometimes tricky and it is not uncommon that as soon as you find out what the real problem is ... it can be too late in bird-world.


Hopefully, it's nothing and that's just how he acts, but there is something to be said for peace-of-mind, especially with a new bird. Keep us posted.

Click to expand...

They were kept with other parakeets. The cage wasnt that big. And the conditions arent that pleasing. They dont even recognise food other than seeds i am still trying with vegetables.

I will defenetly take them for a check up just to see how is their health. Thank you.