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My cockatiel's eye is closed. What's wrong and is it curable?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

I have a cockatiel that has her eye closed majority of the time what could be wrong with it, blindness in it? How would that happen and is it curable

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Laura E. McRae

Veterinary Technician

Published on December 29th, 2014

There is an extensive list of possibilities for why your cockatiel keeps her eye closed most of the time. Some possibilities include bacterial or viral infections, trauma to the eye, inflammation from a foreign object stuck in the eye, tumors or cysts on the insides of the eyelids, pressure inside or behind the eye from an underlying disease process, etc. However, when a bird keeps one or both eyes closed it is usually an indication of pain (in the case of trauma) or poor health. Whether the problem is curable or not can only be determined once an evaluation and diagnosis of the problem has been made. I strongly suggest you take your bird to an exotic species veterinarian for a physical exam. Your vet will be able to use special tests and diagnostic equipment to determine the cause of the eye problem and offer you treatment options.

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21Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Other Answers

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    Answered By Penelope Graben, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on February 19th, 2019

    Hello, Keeping an eye closed is often a sign of pain, so I do believe you should be concerned. I would recommend taking Rio to your vet as soon as possible to have the eye examined and find the reason he is either holding his eye shut or unable to open it. In cockatiels, I would be most concerned about a possible upper respiratory infection causing eye inflammation, a sinus infection, or trauma to the eye from playing or flying. Once your vet determines what the cause of the problem is, they can recommend the best course of treatment. I hope this is helpful! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

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    5Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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    Answered By Jeffrey Milner

    Veterinarian

    Published on April 1st, 2018

    Typically conditions causing complete closure of the eyes in several bird species is usually the result of severe swelling around the eye ball (the periorbital region). There are infections / inflammatory processes that can cause this, nutritional deficiencies (namely Vitamin A), and less commonly, tumors behind the eyes. I would strongly advise a visit to a vet that is comfortable with or specializes in avian medicine / surgery. If the swelling is due to an abscess around the eyes, these have to lanced and drained often times which will require anesthesia for Nino. Hope this makes sense.

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