[pequod]

Hi all-
I just rescued a cockatiel recently from a local shelter, he and his flock were in a weird possible neglect situation. The shelter had no idea how old he is, he was unsocialized, really skinny and has a bald spot on the back of his head (which they thought was from being picked on). He got the okay from the shelter vet, and is settling in well, and even making strides on socializing, but I am concerned about his eating. The shelter said they were just eating seeds previously, so my goal was to get weight on him, then start working on transitioning to a healthier diet. My concern is that he doesn't seem to eat a lot in general. He does eat and acts super happy, but mostly eats millet and not even the seed mix (though he does eat a little of that). I am starting to wonder if he is actually a very young cockatiel, the way he acts seems so. I've adopted older unsocialized cockatiels before, and they have acted very different. He acts more like the young one I adopted many, many years ago. He's really awkward moving around.
Do you think there is a chance he may not be fully weaned?

 

[pequod]

Hi all-
I just rescued a cockatiel recently from a local shelter, he and his flock were in a weird possible neglect situation. The shelter had no idea how old he is, he was unsocialized, really skinny and has a bald spot on the back of his head (which they thought was from being picked on). He got the okay from the shelter vet, and is settling in well, and even making strides on socializing, but I am concerned about his eating. The shelter said they were just eating seeds previously, so my goal was to get weight on him, then start working on transitioning to a healthier diet. My concern is that he doesn't seem to eat a lot in general. He does eat and acts super happy, but mostly eats millet and not even the seed mix (though he does eat a little of that). I am starting to wonder if he is actually a very young cockatiel, the way he acts seems so. I've adopted older unsocialized cockatiels before, and they have acted very different. He acts more like the young one I adopted many, many years ago. He's really awkward moving around.
Do you think there is a chance he may not be fully weaned?

UPDATE
He seems to be eating more, so maybe he is just getting more comfortable. He does seem young though.

 

[Robert Seale]

Send some photos of him or her. Glad to hear it's eating better. That's a good sign. You should try and interact with the bird as much as possible to get it use to you.

 

[pequod]

Send some photos of him or her. Glad to hear it's eating better. That's a good sign. You should try and interact with the bird as much as possible to get it use to you.

Not great photos, but here he is!

 

[Robert Seale]

That's a good looking normal grey male you have there. That's what all the wild males look like in there native Australia. Does he have a pretty good appetite? He looks a little thin in that second photo but he may just be stretched out. A few of mine do that and it's makes them look thinner in the photo.

 

[pequod]

Yeah he is a pretty bird! He is very thin, not just stretched out. I'm trying to get weight on him now, he just isn't as interested in food as my other birds are. I think part of it is that he is new to the house, but I am a bit worried he wasn't 100% weaned. He takes millet from my hand, and does eat on his own. His posture seems more like a young bird, how they look like they are ready to receive food.

 

[Robert Seale]

Hey may very well be a young bird after looking at the photos again. If he'll take millet from your hand, that's a very good start! Just keep working with him. Do you happen to have any baby bird formula? If so, you might TRY feeding him with a syringe. If he takes it, then your right, he wasn't fully weened. He'll let you know when he's ready to start eating regular food.