tail bobbing?

[mybluebirb]

yesterday i noticed my indian ringneck bobbing her tail like this
I started panicking (it’s what I do best when I notice any changes in my parrot)
today the bobbing wasn’t AS noticeable but i could see her tail shaking a bit..

she’s been her usual self (although showing more hormonal behaviour)
and she’s also moulting at the moment.

when i searched up tail bobbing it said it was a symptom for respiratory problems or illness however my parrot thankfully hasn’t shown any other signs of illness. I have an appointment with the vet tomorrow however I don’t know if I should go or not as the avian vets where I’m from are very expensive.

 

[texsize]

My non-veterinarian Opinion is not to worry about that.
I have seen one of my Cockatiels with serious tail bobbing and it’s more regular, like every breath not just some and the amount of movement in the tail would be more..
My Tiel with the tail bobbing ended up passing away the next day at the vet office.

 

[Minor_Arcana]

Tail bobbing can definitely be a sign of illness. I would go to the vet ASAP. Is she breathing okay?

Birds tend to hide when they're sick up until the last moment so it's important to do a wellness exam as soon as you can physically see something is wrong. I understand your concern with cost but it's crucial not to take any chances. Early intervention can make a big difference in treatment outcomes.

 

[hiriki]

That doesn't really look like respiratory issue tail bobbing to me, if anything my females will stand like that, with kind of low wing carriage and the feathers on their butts ruffled up a little like your IRN, if they're laying. Have you glanced at her vent? Is her cloaca swollen at all? I just wonder if your IRN is about to be an egg mama... lol.

That said I would suggest sending that video to your vet if you can ahead of the appointment.

Edit: btw, if she does lay an egg, tail bobbing is an indication that she's struggling to pass her eggs. To a certain extent this is normal, but you can make the egg laying process a little bit easier with calcium supplements. You can offer cuttlebone or calcium mineral blocks, if she ignores those then offering her scrambled eggs with the shells mixed in for a nice treat every once in a while is good.

 

[mybluebirb]

My non-veterinarian Opinion is not to worry about that.
I have seen one of my Cockatiels with serious tail bobbing and it’s more regular, like every breath not just some and the amount of movement in the tail would be more..
My Tiel with the tail bobbing ended up passing away the next day at the vet office.

Thanks for the reply! I’m sorry to hear about your tiel

 

[mybluebirb]

Tail bobbing can definitely be a sign of illness. I would go to the vet ASAP. Is she breathing okay?

Birds tend to hide when they're sick up until the last moment so it's important to do a wellness exam as soon as you can physically see something is wrong. I understand your concern with cost but it's crucial not to take any chances. Early intervention can make a big difference in treatment outcomes.

Thanks for the reply! You’re right I definitely will take her to the vet, it’s better to be safe than sorry..

Her breathing is fine but yesterday it did look heavier than usual but then again I don’t know if I was just being paranoid. She’s still been running around and climbing like usual..

 

[mybluebirb]

That doesn't really look like respiratory issue tail bobbing to me, if anything my females will stand like that, with kind of low wing carriage and the feathers on their butts ruffled up a little like your IRN, if they're laying. Have you glanced at her vent? Is her cloaca swollen at all? I just wonder if your IRN is about to be an egg mama... lol.

That said I would suggest sending that video to your vet if you can ahead of the appointment.

Edit: btw, if she does lay an egg, tail bobbing is an indication that she's struggling to pass her eggs. To a certain extent this is normal, but you can make the egg laying process a little bit easier with calcium supplements. You can offer cuttlebone or calcium mineral blocks, if she ignores those then offering her scrambled eggs with the shells mixed in for a nice treat every once in a while is good.

Thanks! I will be going to the vet and showing them the videos of her.

My birdie is a naturally fluffy girl she usually looks like that with her feathers all ruffled and she was also preening just before I interrupted her hence why she’s sitting like that.

I recently noticed her vent opening and closing but that’s only for a few seconds before/after she poops which I guess is normal.

Thanks for the advice! She’s already given me two egg scares this year but thankfully she’s all good now! I’ve been checking her weight every day since and haven’t seen any signs like I did before so I don’t think she’s gonna lay another! Thank God! hahah

 

[texsize]

Do you have any updates?

 

[mybluebirb]

Do you have any updates?

The vet said she’s healthy except when she checked her heart beat she said that she could hear crackles that isn’t very normal so it could be some sort of bacterial infection… She said it’s nothing to worry about at the moment and thankfully it’s easily treatable

They gave two (extremely overpriced) antibiotics to give her for a week daily.

Hopefully after the course of antibiotics she’ll be perfectly fine <3