Cockatiels are known for their playful and active personalities, and they are popular pets all around the world. However, it’s not uncommon for cockatiels to exhibit unusual behaviors that may indicate an underlying health issue. One such behavior is when a cockatiel sits on the bottom of its cage, which can be concerning for pet owners. Cockatiel sitting on bottom of cage may be a sign of illness, injury, or even emotional distress. As a pet owner, it’s important to be aware of the possible reasons for this behavior and take the necessary steps to ensure your cockatiel’s well-being.
Key Takeaways
- Diet & Nutrition: Always verify that any new food is non-toxic and safe for cockatiels before feeding.
- Behavior & Care: Sudden changes in behavior or droppings require immediate attention.
- Environment: A clean, stimulating environment is essential for a cockatiel’s physical and mental well-being.
Why Is My Cockatiel Sitting at the Bottom of the Cage?
The two most common reasons your cockatiel might be sitting at the bottom of the cage are because they either want to lay eggs, or they’re sick. Older birds with arthritis can also struggle to perch. Apart from a hen sitting on eggs she has already laid, though, a cockatiel that sits on the cage floor instead of perching needs a vet check, ideally the same day.
A hen laying eggs
Egg laying is a common reason for a hen to sit on the cage floor, so we’ll cover it first. Only hens lay eggs, so if your bird is male, or you find no egg and she seems unwell, treat it as possible illness and see a vet the same day.
Cockatiels lay eggs whether you have one or many. It’s comparable to a month for birds, when they just lay. Because the cockatiel is a companion bird, it will produce unfertilized eggs more frequently than other birds.
Captive birds lay their eggs in a different manner than wild birds do. Even offering your cockatiel a great spot to conceal in might stimulate their reproductive cycle.
To determine if our patient has laid an egg, we need to check if she is sitting on one or if there are any eggs in her vicinity. Moving slowly and carefully is of utmost importance during these next steps.
When you reach your hand into their cage, you may not know why they are acting scared. All you can do is try to gather evidence so that way you can have a better understanding of why your cockatiel is sitting at the bottom of the cage.
Handle a hen who may be about to lay as little as possible: an egg inside her is fragile, and squeezing her could break it, which is dangerous. If she starts reacting aggressively, back off until she has settled down.
If she allows you, look for eggs beneath her, but don’t press or feel her belly to check for an egg; leave that to your vet.
A hen who sits fluffed up on the floor of the cockatiel cage, straining, pumping her tail, breathing hard or with a swollen belly may be egg-bound, which means an egg is stuck. Egg binding is an emergency that can kill quickly, sometimes within hours, so take her to an avian vet the same day; don’t wait to see whether she passes the egg.
Caring for the eggs
You can tell the gender of your pet bird by finding eggs at the bottom of their cage. If you bought your bird from a store, it’s possible that the person who sold it to you was honest about its gender, but mistakes happen. So if you thought you were buying a male bird but found eggs instead, that means your new bird is actually female.
By following a few key guidelines, you can take care of your hen while also discouraging her from laying eggs.
The health and comfort of domesticated cockatiels will largely determine when they lay eggs, as opposed to their wild counterparts whose egg-laying is mostly determined by the environment and feeding cycle.
As you can see, several factors might cause a cockatiel to start breeding, and it may do so for the rest of its life. Cockatiels lay an egg roughly every 48 hours until the clutch is complete. When she has finished, don’t remove the eggs straight away; she’ll produce more eggs as a result.
Even though these eggs are unfertilized, they still require calcium for her to lay them. It may deplete her if she continues to lay regularly.
Instead, leave the eggs where she laid them for about three weeks, or until she loses interest in them, then remove them all at once. Don’t give her a nest box or a dark, enclosed spot for them, which may encourage her to lay even more eggs.
To discourage more laying, give her 12 to 14 hours of dark, quiet sleep each night, remove huts, tents, boxes and dark corners, pet her only on the head and neck, cut back rich, fatty treats, and feed a pellet-based diet with a cuttlebone for calcium. If she keeps laying clutch after clutch, ask your avian vet for help.
- Size: 15cm x 25cm/5.9” x 9.8”. Each perch is unique and will differ in shape (not size) from the perch pictured
- Made of high quality wood and hardware, durable
- The unique shape of the perches provides excellent foot exercise
- An ideal place designed for your friends to play and climb, easy install in the cage
- Each perch is unique, none are the same and may vary between them,thickness and bending
Cockatiel Sitting on Bottom of Cage: Other symptoms to look out for and workable solutions
If your bird isn’t laying eggs, look for the other signs below.
Cockatiels are ground foragers in the wild, so a bright, alert bird that hops down to pick through fallen seeds and then climbs or flies back up is usually fine. A bird that sits on the floor, fluffed up, quiet or not eating, is different: that is a common sign of illness, and it needs an avian vet the same day.
Older cockatiels can develop arthritis and find perching harder. If your bird is spending time on the floor because it struggles to grip or balance, it still needs a vet check, and your vet can suggest softer, wider perches and a lower setup.
Sickness in the wild often leads to death, and cockatiels don’t have as long of a history with domestication. So, they usually try to conceal any sickness from their owners until they can’t hide it anymore.
Whether or not your hen is laying, a cockatiel that sits on the cage floor and seems unwell should see a vet as soon as possible, ideally the same day. Vets who specialize in birds are known as Avian Veterinarians; if you can’t reach one, call your local vet, who can help stabilize your bird or refer you.
Here are some other signs that your cockatiel is unwell:
- Not eating
- Fluffed up
- Unusual stool
- Vomiting
- Sneezing
In order to allow your vet to provide an accurate diagnosis and the necessary assistance, be sure to give them a full rundown of your cockatiel’s symptoms. Be a responsible cockatiel owner.
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