Advice requested for care of a blind cockatiel

[pnhawkins]

I have just recently adapted a blind cockatiel. She was neglected by her owner and abused by the other birds (bald on head due to plucking). The birds were surrendered to the animal shelter when the elderly owner died so I do not know anything about her blindness. She seems to know she is now safe but I want to give her so much more. I have two other cockatiels who seems to like her. They whistle and sing to her but she has not really responded. Looking for any advise on caring for her.

 

[pnhawkins]

Thanks for the info. I did get her wings clipped because she did try to fly when out of the cage. I would take her out hoping she would enjoy something different but I think it is too soon for that. She seems to know she is safe (in her cage), she appears calm, until I try to take her out or get her to step up on my finger. My birds want to get close and sing to her which again she doesn't mind unless they get in the cage and touch her or get too close and she becomes unsure and freaks out. So I have not allowed them to go in any more. Its so hard to know what she is thinking. I think I need to give her more time to adjust to new friends and new surroundings.

I also would like to find things that engage her. She does seem to like some of the toys I got for her but there are lots of hours in a day and I worry about boredom since interacting with me and the other birds isn't easy for her. Also, its been a challenge trying to get her to eat different foods. She loves pellets and seeds but anything else is a great challenge. Thanks again for your input.

 

[LeeC]

I am very interested to know if you made progress with getting your blind cockatiel to eat fresh/whole foods.

I just adopted a blind Sun Conure yesterday. Her name is Peaches. She was surrendered to the rescue about a month ago. The rescue was not informed that the bird is blind. Perhaps the previous caretaker was unaware. We observed the bird, and noticed unusual behaviors, her continual head motion, but we did not realize she was blind until we took her to our avian vet for her initial check-up.

She is not clipped, and I will not clip her. She also has her naturally sharp, pointy toenails, which I will not clip or dull. I want her to have every natural resource to grip and balance, so she does not develop fears of falling and exploring. She has not tried to fly, even when transported around the house on my hand.

If she did start flying, I would consider a very minimal trimming of her wings.

Peaches eats seeds and "fine" (small) pellets. I am trying to get her to eat fresh vegetables and a little fruit, but I've only had her for a day. The rescue owner said Peaches was eating little or none of the fresh foods provided to her daily for the month she was there, favoring the seeds and pellets offered.