The Diet for a Sick Cockatiel With a Cold

Cockatiels instinctively try to hide their illnesses. This is because in the wild a sick bird is vulnerable to predation. As the owner of the cockatiel, though, you should be able to recognize odd behavior. If the bird looks ill, this probably means it is very sick and should be taken to a vet as soon as possible. Like humans, cockatiels can develop colds. Symptoms include sneezing, watery eyes and nose, and loss of appetite. In such cases the bird's diet should be modified to keep its health from deteriorating.

  1. Normal Balanced Diet

    • The bulk of a cockatiel's diets should be seed mixture, regularly mixed with fruit and greens. Favorite foods often include apple, spinach, peas and sweet corn. Cockatiels that are ill and weak often refuse to eat or drink anything. In these circumstances, it is necessary to hand-feed the bird to enable it to gain the strength it needs to avoid death.

    Hand-Feeding Correctly

    • Try to coax the bird to eat small tidbits of its favorite foods. This might even be human foods to which he is treated occasionally, such as cereal or hard-boiled egg. When feeding a sick bird, take care not to let it choke. Being too forceful could lead to aspiration or pneumonia. You can use an eyedropper to dispense one or two drops of food into the bird's mouth at a time. Give the bird about two droppers full every two hours until it appears stronger. Cease hand-feeding as soon as it starts feeding sufficiently on its own.

    Antibiotics

    • You can mix antibiotics with warm water to treat respiratory problems, such as colds, in cockatiels. Terramycin and aereomycin, available in pet stores, are specially formulated for mixing with water. Cockatiels generally accept terramycin, which should be given in the bird's water in small doses daily after feeding. Breeders have had success with ill birds by combining terramycin with soluble vitamins manufactured for poultry.

    Heat

    • Generally a bird that has a well-balanced diet, along with adequate housing and care, should stay free of serious illness and disease. A sick cockatiel should be separated immediately from any birds with which it shares a cage to decrease the risk that the illness will spread. Aside from food, warmth is the single most important factor in nursing a sick bird back to health. Cockatiels need constant heat to maintain their high body temperature. You can suspend a light bulb above the cage, with aluminum foil underneath, to keep the cage heated.