Is my male cockatiel nesting or sick

Question
For 2 1/2 weeks now my male cockatiel has been going to the bottom corner of his cage and stays there from abt 1:00 into the evening.  He comes up periodically for breaks to eat and stretch and will want to come out of his cage.

He seems to be eating and drinking normally but his droppings are bigger and gushier rather than small and round.  

I've taken him to 2 vets and one said he might be nesting or he could be deficient in A & E.  One said he was 30% down on weight and the other said he was right on target.  One said there was nothing to be done and the other just flat didn't answer any questions.  

I'm afraid something is wrong with him but I don't know what normal behavior is for nesting.  He is about 5 years old but we've only had him about 1 1/2 years and he hasn't done this before.

He is white and grey with a little yellow and has a yellow head with bright orange patches on his cheeks.

I feel pretty helpless and don't know what to do for him if there is something wrong with him but I don't know how to tell.  

Thank you.  

Answer
Hi, Edna.  Thanks for posting.

Are you sure your tiel is a male?  What you describe sounds like the nesting behavior of a female versus a male.

Are you taking your parrot to an avian (bird) veterinarian?  Dog/cat vets aren't trained/knowledgeable in avian (bird) disease/illness.  A reputable avian vet wouldn't leave you hanging, not knowing if there is/isn't anything wrong with your bird.  You know your parrot better than anyone else, and if you think s/he is sick, s/he probably is!  If the vets you've been seeing aren't exotic animal (avian) vets, I recommend you seek out the proper vet for an evaluation of your tiel.  

I cannot tell from your post whether your bird is sick or not.  The bigger/gushier droppings you describe fit a scenario of a female parrot who is on eggs/babies, but not really for a male tiel.  Sitting on the cage bottom could indicate a health problem, as most parrots prefer to perch on the highest perch in their cage/highest perch available in their surroundings.  However, if the cage is situated high off the floor, a parrot may spend a lot of time on the cage bottom just to be at eye level with human companions.  Also, if sick, I think your tiel would be spending all of his time on the cage bottom.  

I've never experienced a single, male tiel exhibiting NESTING behavior.  Some males often exhibit MATING behavior (they will brush their bottoms along a perch, toy, your hand, etc.), but nesting behavior in a male would be something new to me.  

Birds hide illness until they can't hide it any more.  By the time most people recognize signs of illness in their parrots, they have already been sick too long.  By this time, the situation is urgent and the need to seek avian veterinarian intervention is critical and necessary ASAP.  You did great by seeking veterinarian assistance, however, I question the avian knowledge of the vets you visited, unless your tiel is not sick.  Is your tiel vitamin deficient or not?...if your tiel is vitamin deficient, the vet should have instructed you on how to eliminate this problem.  However, it sounds to me like the vet didn't do any type of testing in order to confirm or deny vitamin deficiency.  A 30% weight loss is significant and could indicate a health problem but, again, why no testing by the vet to find out why the significant weight loss.  I think you need to find a better vet that is knowledgeable about birds.

Sorry I couldn't help more.  Come back if you need to.  Thanks.

Chrys