Sick cockatiel

Question
Does this occur when they are molting? I jsut realized that ther are new wing feathers growing on her.
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She is fluufed up almsot all the time. But she eats and drinks pretty well.
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Hi again Chrys,
I noticed a sound comming from inside the female's body. What does this mean? it happens when she breates out. It doesnt always happen, only if she moves. This has been happening for 6 days almost...any idea what this could be?

Another thing i wanted to know is that is smoking bad for cockatiels? when i was getting the female, the breeder was smoking...do you think this is why there is a sound comming from inside her body?
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Hi, Zuhair.  Thanks for posting!

I don't know exactly what you are hearing inside your bird, but it could mean she has the beginnings of a respiratory problem.  Keep a close eye on her and see what/if anything develops.

Yes, second-hand smoke is bad for all living things, especially parrots, who have very sensitive respiratory systems.  I don't know if this is why you are hearing something coming from your bird.  If it was the smoke, seems to me like it might have affected the bird before now.  

Is this bird showing any signs of illness?

Chrys


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Your bird could be sick, Zuhair, but I'm not sure.  Sometimes a bird will fluff up for a day or so, but recover after a couple of days.  However, since your bird has been doing this for a week, I'd say you should take this bird to an avian veterinarian for a medical evaluation to see if she could be ill.  Birds who are sick will still eat and drink, etc., and act as normal as they can.  When they stop doing these things, then they are really sick and it could be too late to help them.  This is because birds hide signs of illness until they can't hide them any more.  This is an instinctive behavior in order to keep predators away.  Since you also are hearing a sound coming from her as well as her being puffed up, then she could be sick.

Chrys

Answer
Hi again, Zuhair.

Molting is very stressful on a bird.  Yes, stress can result in your bird being fluffed up.  However, stress can also result in the bird's immune system being low if the bird isn't healthy, which can then result in illness if the bird can't fight off germs that come it's way due to the stress.  Don't try to breed any birds who are molting or are under stress, as birds can't molt and breed at the same time, and too much stress can make a bird sick fast.

Chrys