As unpleasant as vomiting is, it is a fact of life. My pet cockatoo got sick to his stomach last week.
On Saturday August 23, 2008, my 4 1/2 year old pet cockatoo, Beenie, would normally regurgitate a treat for his friend, Baby, who always turns down offers of food or preening (feather preening) from poor Beenie. Regurgitation of food to another bird or human is a sign of affection. But Beenie’s regurgitation was out of the ordinary. He started spitting out chunks of Nutriberries in different directions. There was a great force behind this action that got out of control. My poor cockatoo didn’t just spit out seeds. He was also vomiting a clear liquid. He went all over his poor little face and matted his beautiful feathers.
My poor little bird kept retching and vomiting a clear liquid. But his little body was trying to get rid of something. I was terrified that he might have some kind of material lodged in his throat. I had to remember to stay calm, so as not to upset my poor Beenie. (Birds are very sensitive and emotional, allowing them to read your mood.) I had to think what I could do to help my little friend.
I tried to hide my fear and searched for this problem on google search engine. I typed in the words “cockatoo vomiting choking” and some helpful tips came to mind. But I couldn’t find enough information on the subject. So I stayed calm and thought about what I could do to help my cockatoo stop vomiting.
I decided to take him and Baby into the bathroom and give them a spray bath. Maybe this could help Beenie. His feathers were pretty clean and he seemed a little better, but then he started vomiting clear liquid again. After I took them to the bedroom, Beenie started shaking, his eyes were half closed and he fell to the bottom of his cage. I noticed that he was weakening. I turned up the heat in the bedroom to dry his feathers faster. “My poor little bird looks so terrible,” I thought. “I need to help him.”
A few hours passed and Beenie was no better. He needed to take quick action, so he wouldn’t go to the parish. I made a mix of chamomile tea, Pro Bac (good bacteria for birds’ stomachs), 3 drops of homeopathic pain reliever, a quarter capsule of Bird-Biotic, and a few shavings of my Calmicid antacid supplement with tummy calming herbs. None of the ingredients seemed harmful to birds in Calmacid, which is calcium carbonate, chamomile flower, fennel seed, and ginger root. I put all the ingredients in a quarter cup of water and mix this until well blended. I took out my little syringe that I’ve used for my pet birds in the past, rinsed it out, and filled it with some of the mixture. I picked Beenie up and wrapped him in a clean, dry towel that he despised. I held his tiny head still and gave him one drop at a time in his beak. He managed to swallow about 2 good full beaks of the mixture.
A few hours passed, and Beenie had almost no retching. He slept at the bottom of the cage for a while, and then moved to the top on his perch. He still didn’t look well, but at least he was resting.
About six hours had passed and Beenie suddenly perked up. He ran to the top of the cage to see Baby. He was beginning to feel much better! I was so happy, and he looked happy too. I took him and Baby into the bathroom and gave them another sterilizing steam bath. Beenie loved this and so did Baby. Spray fog baths are great fun for birds. Make sure to always put warm water in the spray bottle. Spray it on your arm or hand to see if it feels like the right temperature to spray on your birds. (Never punish your birds with a spray bottle. Just use positive reinforcement for your parrots.) I took the birds back into the bedroom and turned up the heat for a while. The water was shaken off and the feathers dried.
The next day, Beenie was better, but I was still worried. I called an avian specialist in my area and made an appointment to see Beenie. We went there yesterday afternoon, and the avian vet said Beenie looked great and the tests should be fine. He also said it’s normal for birds to feel sick and vomit from time to time. But if there is too much vomiting, that can be a sign of a serious illness. And he must take his pet bird to the avian vet as soon as possible.
Beenie is doing very well today. But we are both very tired and exhausted after going to the Veterinary Hospital which is another story. Fortunately, the test results came back normal.