water question

[dustbunnyrunfree]

my male ekkie is going to be a yr old in about 2 weeks and for some strange reason he is abbsed with his water , he is drinking 2 or more bowls a day if I let him . he drinks til he sneezes and coughs then keeps on going ... does anyone know why? he also is chewing his tail feathers to shreds .. why?

 

[Pedro]

Are you sure he is drinking & not bathing in his water bowl.??? If he is in fact drinking a lot of water it isn't normal & should be checked out by your vet. Excessive drinking could also be a sign of heavy metal poisoning.

Are you also sure he is chewing his tail could be cage damage, young eclectus are sometimes a bit clumsy. However if he isn't having a well balanced diet there could be a vitamin deficency. That could be the chewing cause.

 

[Boysmom]

I cant answer the water question, but my girl used to chew her tail feathers also. Try some shredding toys to distract him. I use finger traps, toilet paper tissue roll with straws pocked thru it, tissue paper. you just have to find what toy he enjoys . They will chew feathers out of boredom, this is assuming his cage is of adequate size and that isnt the cause. I hang kale in her cage in a millet holder and she destroys it also. My girl now has beautiful tail feathers that show no signs of chewing.

 

[kc_y0]

That is a lot of water for him to be drinking, and if he is indeed drinking that much, its not normal. A vet check would be necessary. As Pedro said though, he may just be bathing in it, have you seen him bathing at all? Is his poo really runny?
Sneezing and coughing can also be signs of a sick bird.

 

[dustbunnyrunfree]

everything else seems fin e ... he just is drinking like crazy .. called vet .. giving yogart to get healthy bactria... today he seems fine but still watching