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The food in a baby Cockatiel's crop must be emptied once every 24 hours. If this does not happen, chances are that bacteria will form in the crop and slow down digestion. Crop emptying is done with the help of a plastic tube (the type Slipped Tendon Sour crop Health that is used in aquarium airlines). Alternatively, the bird can be held at an angle where its head is lower than its body and the undigested food can be massaged out. Both methods have their dangers. In the first case, an inexperienced person could puncture the esophagus or the crop. In the second case, the bird may draw food into its lungs and could even die.

It is better to initially have an experienced person do this for you, till you get the hang of these techniques. This is a condition where the bird's legs spread outwards and eventually the bird is unable to keep its legs together. The most common reason for this condition is when the cage floor is so smooth that the legs keep slipping outward. If this cause and condition are not immediately corrected, the malady becomes permanent. The condition can be corrected by first changing the cage floor Splay Leg Health to a surface that helps the bird to stand with its legs together. The next is to secure the legs at a distance that is similar to the bird's normal stance. This should prevent the legs from further splaying and correct an already existing condition. The most common cause of this problem is when the bird takes a fall. This is more prevalent in birds that are excessively clipped. When the bird falls off its cage or T-stand, it does not have the feathers necessary to break its fall. And, should the bird land on its breast bone, the skin covering it may split. A split sternum is treated by suturing the split skin. This is best done by a vet.

This malady can be avoided by not over-clipping the bird, and making sure that the bird's cage or its T-stand are not above some hard flooring. This is a problem that is easily avoided. Don't overfeed your Cockatiel. Split Sternum Stretched Crop Health Overfeeding stretches the crop with a portion overhanging onto the bird's breastbone. An overstretched crop does not allow the muscles of the crop to work properly. As such, the crop does not empty by the natural process. The other problem is the overhanging crop. Invariably, some food gets trapped in this portion and becomes the breeding ground for bacteria. An infected crop will slow down the digestive process, weaken the bird and eventually lead to its death. In case of a stretched crop, a crop bra can alleviate the problem to a great extent. A crop bra will help in not only supporting the crop but also emptying it. Ask your vet about it and with a little help you should be able to make this simple piece of parrot apparel yourself.

Metal poisoning is caused by the ingestion of lead or zinc when the bird chews its cage or other metal objects it may come in contact with. These metals get absorbed into its bloodstream and Metal Poisoning Health can be very dangerous. Make sure your bird isn't chewing something it shouldn't chew while it is outside the cage, and if you are using a metal cage, be sure to clean it with vinegar before putting your bird inside it. Also, make sure that the toys and chews you give your pet don't have any metal pieces. Cockatiel first molt when they are 6 months old, when they are a year old and after that once every year. Molting lasts between 4 and 6 weeks. Molting can be affected due to climatic and environmental anomalies. If kept in regions where the climate is warm all through the year, they may drop only a few feathers at a time, but this will last all through the year. Molting is more noticeable in temperate regions. If your bird doesn't molt or you notice abnormal molting, you should have a vet check it out. As your Galah grows older, the risk of obesity increases. Stick to a low fat diet and make sure you give them a lot of exercise from a young age to prevent obesity when they are older. Molting Obesity Health Obesity makes them prone to many diseases, like idiopathic liver cirrhosis and the formation of lipomas. Lipomas are fatty tumors usually found on the lower part of the abdomen, close to the vent. If you notice such a tumor, take your pet to the vet immediately. If left unattended, they can become very big. A low fat diet and plenty of exercise prevent the growth of the tumor. This disease is also known as parrot herpes virus. Herpes virus causes acute viral hepatitis. The disease is almost unique to Pssitacines. The parrots of the Americas are said to be more susceptible than the parrots of Australia and Africa. The disease is frequently fatal. Infection takes a week or two to manifest itself. Indications are diarrhea, vommitting, yellow-green urates and shivering. The disease is infectious and is transmitted more frequently because of contaminated food and water. Airborne transmission is less frequent.

This disease is a classic example where prevention is far better Pacheco's Disease Health than cure for the simple reason that it is normally considered untreatable. The onset is so sudden and deterioration so rapid that, the affected bird dies even before treatment is thought of. Although there is a vaccine available, cases of paralysis at the injection site have been reported. Studies have shown that Cockatiel are especially susceptible to this reaction. The only option, therefore, seems prevention. Proper husbandry procedures with special attention to hygiene ought to help. This disease manifests itself as wart-like lesions that occur on the surface of the cloacal vent or along the gastrointestinal region. It is thought that the disease is caused by a virus. The disease is infectious.