Poorly cockatiel...

[mrs.chappie]

My very old cockatiel fell off his perch last night. He couldn’t get up and spent the night on the floor of the aviary, fluffed up in a corner. His vent and cere are both clean, his droppings look normal and he’s showing no signs of laboured breathing, so I guessed that he was slipping away due to old age (I rescued him 15+ years ago and had no idea how old he was even then).

He was not looking at all good when I left him this morning, still on the aviary floor, and I thought I’d find him dead when I came home at teatime. To my surprise, he seemed fine – he’d managed to climb all the way up to the top perch of the aviary (I’d put in a few very low perches last night as I know how much birds like to perch up). He was eating for England too.

Any idea what might have caused him to fall from the perch and be unable to get back up please peeps? I did wonder if he’d had a stroke, but if he had, would he have recovered so quickly? And would he be able to climb the bars so soon after a stroke?

I’d rather not take him to a vet as in the past I have had birds die in my hands at the vets due to the stress of being handled. I don’t like the thought of him being in pain, but surely he wouldn’t be eating so much if he felt that bad? I know that birds are very good at hiding illness, but to look at him at the moment, you wouldn’t believe he was “on his last legs” last night.

[welshlibranr]

If he seems fine now, I'd just keep an eye on him for now!.....if he goes down hill then a visit to the vet is the only answer.........hope he'll be fine!.....

[craft1948]

Have you got any local breeders you could ring for advice?

[mrs.chappie]

Welsh, because of his age I don't think he'd withstand a trip to the vet. I tried to pick him up last night and he got terribly distressed.

Craft, that's a good idea. If nothing's forthcoming from AB, I'll look into that.

Thanks for replies.

[wildwood]

15(+goodness knows) is a good age for a cockatiel. With clean vent/droppings it doesn't have a cold or flu. The fact that it is now eating well is the best sign you could have hoped for. I doubt if a Vet could at this stage diagnose what happened, let alone fix it. It could have been a heart attack or as you said, a stroke. As he looks well to you I would in this case let nature take its course.

You sound like a pretty level headed person and to keep the bird alive for 15 years is an achievement in itself. Go with your gut feeling.

[mrs.chappie]

Thanks very much Wildwood. He seems to be back to his usual self today and I'm amazed, and very pleased for the little fella. I really did think he was slipping away.

[daisym6]

you must take good care of him (15+!) just keep a eye out for him my grandmas budgies didnt fall off the perch but were puffed up loosing feather... took them to the vet and turnes out it was just the diet!

[mrs.chappie]

Thanks Daisy. I certainly will keep an eye on him. He's rather special to me, being my last surviving little bird.