Ask Lafeber

Wrong hi fat hand feeding given to cockatiel

I got my new albino cockatiel. Approx four months but it still hand feeds and I learned the breeder took him at one week and gave him a21 which is for African greys and has 15 percent fat versus 9 which is right for cockatiel chicks. So he doesn’t fly well like not enough muscle strength and sounds funny when he tries to make bird sounds. Any permanent damage caused by wrong feed? I will give a21. Thought it was self feeding but if I don’t give it syringe water it doesn’t drink. Any suggestions or knowledge on damage done and how to correct? Couldn’t find strong details on what high fat given to chicks for four months of first time of life. How it can affect.

Hi Norel,

The best thing to do is take the bird to an Avian Vet. He is a bit old to still be hand feeding. There is no true albino cockatiel, but there are a couple of all white mutations. These are rare, and are often plagued with health issues due to the inbreeding involved to get the all white bird. If your bird is all white with red or black eyes, then he may have chronic health problems. A Lutino cockatiel is more common, and will have yellow on it as well as orange cheek patches. They are not as hardy as other mutations, but generally healthy other than having a shorter life span.

As for hand feeding, yes, if he was fed too much fat, he could have issues with his liver or other organs. This is why a vet visit including blood work is very important right now. The lack of vocalizing is also a concern. Are you giving him water in a syringe or handfeeding formula? If you have given him water with a syringe, he has very likely aspirated some of it and this is causing him to not be able to vocalize. He will not survive without vet care. You should never give a bird water with a syringe, and when feeding formula, it should not be too thin and you should never force it. Cockatiels do not drink a lot of water, so just because you haven’t seen him drink on his own doesn’t mean he isn’t drinking water. Overall, he does not sound particularly healthy so I do urge you to seek Vet care as soon as possible for him.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda