Hello Ginny. You have a very sick bird on your hands. The diarrhea alone puts him in great danger. The over growing of the beak is one strong symptom of fatty liver disease. If he has been on an all seed, or mostly seed, diet all his life, I'm surprised it hasn't caught up with him sooner. Diet change is a hard sell to most birds but for his sake, you should have been persistent in the past, with "people" foods. It's not at all unusual for a Cockatiel to not care for fruit. Most of them don't But he should have been getting vegetables, leafy greens and many more foods. They can eat almost everything we eat including things like cooked brown rice, cooked pasta, well cooked bean mixes, hard boiled and scrambled eggs and much more. If you bought him one of the true nail trimmer perches, similar to this one Click here: Safety Bird Perch that is great. If you bought the sandpaper covers to go on those awful dowel rod perches, you need to get rid of them right away. Those can be dangerous. A proper one of those perches is a great way for them to groom their beak but that is not his problem and the perch will not cure the problem. It's coming from inside. At his age, he also needs one of the twisted rope perches to rest those little feet. He has had to spend all his life on his feet and if he has not had at least on soft surface where he can rest them, he is also at risk of leg and foot problems. However, the diarrhea and the cause of it, is your major concern right now and you must not let it go on. He needs to get to a proper Avian vet asap for a specific diagnosis and to get treatment started. I don't know what kind of change you made in the food but any diet change, or additions, have to be done very gradually. If you suddenly take away what he has been used to and only give him something new and strange, he may quit eating or he may cut back so far, that only worsens his condition. Also you need to stop trying to trim feathers, (that area is much to delicate and thin skinned. One tiny slip and he could bleed to death before you could get him to the vet. Also stop washing him. He should not be getting wet nor chilled right now. He needs to stay warm, out of drafts and as stress free as possible. The closer we can keep an ill bird to 85F the better. At his age, I'm sure you already have a good vet you trust with birds but just in case, I'm going to give you links to hopefully help locate one. I'm also going to give you some where you can read more about proper diet and about those consequences of poor diet or a diet that has been too high in fat, (seeds.) But please, get on the phone tomorrow to a vet and get him in as soon as possible. If not, I'm very afraid you are going to lose him and that beak is only going to get worse, interfering with his ability to eat or drink. One thing you can do to help keep him hydrated and to help keep his electrolytes in balance until he gets a checkup, is to offer him some Pedialyte. But don't use it in place of his plain fresh water. Offer it in a separate bowl. If he will drink some, it will help a little. Also, don't waste money on any pet store products. They do not have anything that will do him any good. Their products are worthless, no matter what they say, and is some cases can do a lot of harm. Also, under no circumstances, try to trim his beak. It is not dead tissue. There is both nerve endings and a blood supply coming almost all the way to the tip. If any thing is needed, the vet will know and will be able to do it properly and safely. I hope this helps you out but if you have any more questions, just let me know. Patricia
Click here: Find your local Avian VeterinarianClick here: Avian Veterinarians Recommended by Bird Breeders and Owners http://www.birdsnways.com/articles/abvpvets.htm
Click here: BirdsnWays - Avian Veterinarians - Vets - Vet Services for Pet Parrots & Exotic Birds
This one looks like an advertisement for Harrison pellets but they are only sold by vets so it's another good list to check. Click here: Harrison's Bird Foods is a family of certified organic pet bird diets that were formulated to make your bird as he
Life After Weaning - Your Companion Bird and You
Fatty Liver Disease in Cockatiels
Click here: Cockatiels as Pets - Choosing a Cockatiel, Cages and Feeding
Click here: Diet: Safe & Toxic Foods
Click here: More Birds Die as a Result of Air Fresheners: That Stinks!!
Click here: Alerts Dangers and Toxins for Pet Birds Parrots
Click here: Bird; Birds: Safe, Toxic Trees, Woods. Safe Tree Wood. Poisonous. Parrots.
Click here: Toxic and Safe Plants/Trees for Birds - Household Poisons
Click here: Birdsnways - Safe Plants & Trees for pet birds, pet parrots &exotic birds
Potentially Toxic PlantsToronto Humane Society :: Common Poisonous Plants
Click here: Bird Proofing Your Home: Household Hazards for Birds
Click here: Bird Proofing Your Home - Avoid These Pet Bird Hazards
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