Cockatiel Eye Problems - Help please!

29 Nov 2011, 17:51

I bought 2 new cockatiels on Sunday but once i had them home in a holding cage and had a closer look at them I noticed something odd about their eyes. The pink area around the front/bottom part of their eyes are quite visible and dark pink. I have not noticed that this seems to worry them but I don't think it is normal. None of my other tiels have any visible pink areas. Does anyone know what this could be?

Eye Issue2.jpg

29 Nov 2011, 19:09

This is not uncommon with these particular cockatiels.
So long as they don't get redder, are itchy or start discharging then they shouldn't be a problem.
However, I would keep them separate from the other birds for 6 weeks & watch them closely.
If any of the above signs occur they will need veterinary attention.
I hope you enjoy them!

29 Nov 2011, 23:37

Am I mistaken or is that an Albino? Have not seen these though I have heard of their existance.
LML

30 Nov 2011, 06:57

Theres a few about Fb . Not real good aviary birds as they dont tolerate the sunlight very well , having said that my Lutinos are suppose to have the same intolerance to the sun but mine are thriving in an aviary (shaded ).

Just something to be aware of I guess.

30 Nov 2011, 06:58

Thanks for the advice. I will keep an eye on them and possibly take them to the avian vet over the weekend. The one in the photo is a white face cinnamon pied. He has only a small spot of cinnamon on one shoulder and the rest is white. I do have an albino - not the same albino as in mammals but the combination of the lutino and white face genes. This is Tweet

Tweet.jpg

30 Nov 2011, 07:03

Id love to see more photos of them MB . This is my first year breeding whitefaces myself , got some very interesting youngins from them .

30 Nov 2011, 07:19

I didn't breed Tweet but I did see her parents when I selected her out of a nest. I just had my first white face chick hatch yesterday from a white face grey and a grey split whiteface. Very excited! While on the subject of chicks, I also noticed that a pair that usually have 2 or 3 chicks has 6 in this nest. Youngest hatched yesterday and eldest almost 2 weeks old. Would you recommend fostering the youngest chick into another nest that only has 2 around the same age or would the other pair reject it?

30 Nov 2011, 11:53

As long as you will be able to tell who is the parents of who I would move the youngest and if that goes OK several days later the 2nd youngest. Too even things up. If you want to see some pretty white face talk nice to Budgiebreeder about posting pics of her white face pearl pied. She has been breeding white face for several years now. And Lutino's for many years and we get real sun over here and they are in outdoor avairys. True they are under big trees but are fine.
LML

27 Jan 2012, 21:02

Just thought I would update on the tiels with the eye problem. After no improvement for some time I took them to the avian vet. He said that they seem to have a combination of issues that he believes stem from the one main problem - malnutrition. We are assuming that they have only been given seed and water for quite some time. He gave them both a vitamin A injection and instructed me to only give them finch mix, put daily vitamins in their water, and lots of greens. They have improved since then but I have reached a point where I can't get them any better. They don't seem to know what to do with the greens. And they have lost weight due to no fatty seeds. The vet told me that a cockatiel should only have 3 sunflower or safflower seeds per day.

27 Jan 2012, 21:10

Thats no good . Will they take madiera cake ?

Does the eye problem affect their vision or cause pain for them ?
Maybe its a quality time issue where you just let them eat and be happy . dont know , you poor bugger are stuck between a rock and a hard place .

Hope someone can come up with a solution for you . Good luck.