Careful observation is critical to the proper care of any bird, and if you suspect your bird is ill, you must act quickly. There is no time for hesitation. Many birds die when owners fail to notice an illness in time or don't respond fast enough. Remember, young birds are especially susceptible to illness.
By instinct, birds hide any signs of illness until they are too ill to pretend any longer, because a weak bird is an easy target for predators. To complicate things, no two birds behave the same way or exhibit the same signs when they are ill. Learning what is normal behavior for your bird is crucial to discovering illness as early as possible.
Symptoms
Keep an eye out for early signs that your bird may be sick. Symptoms include:
- weight loss
- ruffled feathers
- tucking her head under a wing or drawing it back into her chest
- shivering even when both feet are resting on the perch
- squatting on the perch or cage floor while shivering and repeatedly stretching her wings and legs together
- an excessive amount of sleep
- staying unusually quiet
- lack of interest in surroundings decreased alertness
- more time spent at feed dish
- dull or lifeless looking eyes and feathers that have lost their sheen
- droppings that have an unusual color or a watery consistency
Once you determine your bird is sick, you need to react immediately. Never wait to see if your bird's symptoms become worse. If you do not take immediate action, an illness can quickly progress to a point beyond treatment, and your bird may die.
When your bird is ill, follow these simple guidelines immediately.
Warmth
The first priority is to provide your bird with additional heat, even before she is handled or medicated. Regular room temperature is not warm enough for your sick bird. She needs extra heat so that her body can focus more of its energy on repairing itself and less on maintaining normal body temperature.
Place your bird in an isolated environment, preferably at 86.0 to 89.6 degrees Fahrenheit, for 24 hours. An easy way to provide warmth is to place a ceramic heating fixture on or near the cage. This will generate a constant source of heat while not illuminating the cage. Be sure to eliminate all drafts.
No matter what the heat source, try to focus it more on one side of the cage than the other. This arrangement allows your bird to find the most comfortable temperature. Watch your bird's appearance and behavior to be sure she is being kept at the right temperature. If she gets too warm, she will hold her wings away from her body and pant; if she is chilled, she will huddle and fluff her feathers.
Another way to increase the temperature of your bird's cage is to place a towel over the top of the cage.
Food
You must make every attempt to ensure your bird continues to eat. If she refuses to eat, she will become weak and will be unable to fight off the disease. Keep in mind that birds have a faster metabolic rate than we do. Your bird will quickly lose weight if she stops eating or eats less than usual.
First, remove grit from your bird's cage, because sick birds will often consume too much grit. If your bird shows a reluctance to eat, fill her food dish with her favorite foods and place it as close to her perch as possible. The goal is to stimulate her to eat. If she starts fasting, you need to act immediately - your bird can live only about 48 hours without food. Try to encourage her to eat by offering food from your hand. If she still will not eat, contact the vet and start emergency force-feeding. Emergency liquid foods are:
- sugar water
- lemonade (noncarbonated)
- milk and egg yolk
To administer:
Unless your vet suggests otherwise or your bird won't eat, you should not make any drastic changes to her normal diet. You should, however, provide an additional fresh food meal (two to three meals per day, your choice of foods and variety) to ensure that your bird is eating and getting necessary nutrients.
Water
In addition to losing her appetite, your sick bird will not take in enough water. Also, her droppings will contain an increased amount of urine. Dehydration or even more serious problems may result. Try to get more water into your bird's system whenever you can.
If your bird is still drinking water, try adding fruit juice, Gatorade or Pedialyte to increase her fluid intake. You can offer these fluids full strength or dilute them with water. If your bird is still eating, add more fruits to her diet. Fruit is a quick source of fluids and energy. If your bird is still not drinking enough, administer liquids directly into her mouth. You can use a plastic eyedropper, syringe (no glass, no needles), a turkey baster or a straw. Put one end of the straw into the liquid, cover the other end with your finger to keep the liquid in, carefully place the straw in your bird's mouth and remove your finger from the end to release the liquid. Be careful not to give your bird too much at once.
If your bird needs to go to a veterinarian, put her in a small travel cage or carrier, and place a heating pad or hot water bottle on the outside of the carrier. Wrap a towel around the cage and the heating pad, but check frequently to be sure your bird isn't overheating. Take along some used cage papers from the past 24 hours for your vet to examine.
Administering Medications
If your bird is diagnosed with an illness, your vet will most likely prescribe medication. Follow the directions closely. It is important your bird receive the proper dosage, the correct number of times per day, for the total number of days prescribed.
Don't be afraid to ask for written instructions if you think you will need them. Have your vet demonstrate any procedure you are unsure of, such as the best method for giving medication. A good veterinarian welcomes your questions. Also, be sure you know whom to call if you encounter an emergency.
Medications can be prescribed in many forms: oral liquids, topical sprays, drops, ointment and food and water additives. Plastic medicine droppers and syringes are good for administering liquids. All of these medications are easy to administer with practice and with proper restraint of your bird. Injectable drugs should be administered only by your vet.
Minimize handling time to reduce stress and overheating problems. Plan ahead. All tools, equipment and medicines should be ready before you restrain your bird. You can use a net to catch small birds if they escape. Or, use a towel to catch your bird. The towel will protect and conceal your hands and will be the only thing your bird sees moving toward her. The thicker the towel, the more finger protection it provides. Always respect your bird's beak and protect yourself from it. Also remember your bird's bones are fragile, and her legs and wings are the most susceptible to injury. Don't put any pressure on your bird's chest. Pressing on her chest interferes with his breathing. Darkening the room just before you catch your bird may help as well. She will temporarily freeze in the dark.
The Importance of Watchful Eyes
During your bird's illness, be sure to look and listen and pay close attention to the following indicators:
- Droppings: Watch the number, the volume, the color and the consistency of the droppings. Droppings indicate how things are progressing on the inside.
- Breathing: Follow the pattern and rhythm of your bird's breathing. Is it smooth? Forced? Better or worse?
- Food and Water: Look for any changes in the amount your bird is consuming.
- Weight: Has your bird's weight gone up or down?
- Temperature: How does your bird look and feel? Too hot? Too cold? Just right?
- Appearance: Has she become more responsive? Is she standing up straight, or is she hunched over? Has she groomed her feathers?
Prevention Is the Best Cure
Birds instinctively mask symptoms of disease until they are gravely ill. As a bird owner, you must be able to recognize the early signs of illness. Detecting problems early is the best way to avoid losing your bird.
Regularly examine your bird for any abnormalities. Contact your vet if you notice changes in appetite, vocalization, activity or droppings.
In a healthy bird, eyes should be clear, without swelling or redness; nostrils should be clean without any discharge, redness or swelling; feathers should be smooth and shiny if your bird is regurgitating, the feathers around his face will stick together in small clumps); the vent area should be clean; and skin should be light pink and smooth, with little flaking.
Watch for redness or loss of pattern on the underside of your bird's feet. It is also a sign of serious illness if your bird is fluffed and standing with eyes partially or fully closed at an active time of the day. Also, labored or noisy breathing is very serious and requires immediate veterinary attention.
Home Emergency Kit
In case of an emergency, you should keep the following supplies in a first aid kit:
- scissors
- tweezers
- needle-nose pliers
- cotton-tipped swabs
- a feeding tube and syringe (if provided and demonstrated by your vet)
- masking tape (1/2 inch wide)
- a plastic medicine dropper
- sterile gauze pads
- towels
- a heat source (a heat lamp or space heater)
- an environmental thermometer
- styptic powder
- hydrogen peroxide or betadine solution
- and most importantly, a trusted veterinarian's phone number
Remember to take your bird to the vet for yearly checkups since prevention is always the best cure.