Why is my cockatiel puffed up?

Cockatiels are interesting birds and they often show their thoughts through their body language. What does a puffing cockatiel want to talk to you about?

The body language of cockatiels is quite diverse and it takes time to learn deeply. But you can see your bird often has the action of puffing up their feathers and wants to know what that means. When cockatiels puff up, their feathers become separated and puffier, instead of a smooth appearance. The cockatiels will look rounder than they normally do. When they puff up their feathers, you can easily spot them.

There are many reasons for this circumstance of the bird pets. In this article, we are going to figure out some common reasons why cockatiels are puffed up.

Why is my cockatiel puffed up?

There are some reasons why cockatiels puff up their feathers. They might be feeling cold or even getting sick. It could also be because they are just preening to clean their feathers, feeling relaxed, or they want to look bigger in front of other birds as a sign of defense.

It is cold!

It is a normal reaction of cockatiels to puff up their feathers when it is cold outside. They do this to warm up their body. The scientific explanation for this is the air between each feather acting as insulation. The layers of air enter each feather when the cockatiels puff up. These layers act like the ones of warm clothing on the birds’ bodies, keeping them warm effectively.

Actually, puffing up is a habit of your bird when they are sleeping. You don’t need to worry about this then because it is naturally preventative. This is just like you put a blanket over to go to sleep at night. So if your bird is puffed up during its sleeping time, don’t worry. Instead, it is just a problem when this circumstance happens for the whole day long and even shivers, then you should help it out.

At that time, it must be feeling cold and you need to warm it up to not make him sick. You can put a heat lamp near its cage. That would be much helpful to make the room temperature warm enough for your cockatiel.

It might have a health problem

If you have warmed the room up with a heat lamp, but your bird’s feathers still puff up all day long, he might not be feeling good. Watch your cockatiel often if it has the following symptoms which are the signs of sickness in cockatiels:

• Eat less or don’t eat any
• Get quiet
• Shivering
• Unclear eyes
• Tucked head under wings
• Always stay on the bottom of its cage
• Color in droppings change

It is serious when your cockatiel is puffed up and it doesn’t eat as well. If this situation keeps happening, your bird can die because of starvation rather than sickness. Put its favorite food and water within its reach to help it get it easily. You can also help with hand-feeding. After a day that your bird still refuses food, take it to the vet for the checkup.

The cockatiel is just preening

Your cockatiel can from time to time puff up to preen and clean its feathers. Puffing feathers up makes it easier for it to get rid of dirt and debris stuck among its feathers. If you observe it more carefully, you can see a puff of white dust in the air when it does the cleaning process. After that, oil from the uropygial gland at the base of the tail goes out to clear the feathers. So of course, it is a natural habit of your bird to do this.

A defensive bird

Cockatiels are quite territorial birds. They will appear displeased and puff up their feathers to make it bigger and more powerful when it feels like an invasion from people or other birds to their personal space.

You can often see this in the new cockatiel just taken to a new home. It is when the bird is on high alert and tense. You can see it usually looking around and its crests will get up. It is fine to leave it alone for several days and cover its cage. This will help the bird feel more secure and does not have to keep cautious of everything happening around it.

Getting some relax

Contrary to the last reason of being preventative, your cockatiel puffs up when it wants to relax and refresh itself. It is just like humans stretching our whole bodies on our beds after a long busy day. Similarly, after a long period of training, your bird might get a bit tired and they want to relax by puffing up. 

Crest feathers puff up

The long crest feathers on the cockatiel’s head can also tell you how your bird is feeling. The bird puffs its crest feathers up for the following reasons:

• They get excited or alert about something. 
• They are talking. 
• They are very curious about something he doesn’t know and pay attention to that. 
• It is probably a sudden noise or something.

In conclusion

Feathers make cockatiels look more attractive, also they are a way for the birds to unveil what is going on in their minds and bodies. The cockatiels puff up because of many reasons. You should understand that and know when your bird is getting a problem and how to help it out.