Different signals will alert you to your bird being sick.

You may have noticed that your parrot lacks appetite or has diarrhea, sleeps a lot or at unusual hours, that it curls up in a ball, that its nostrils are dripping, or that it sneezes …To recognise the signs of good health, see our A healthy parrot page.

 

You should act quickly because a bird does not have "energy reserves":

 

1 – Isolate your bird in a call and warm room (but not so close to a radiator that he is cooking!).

According to the species, the normal temperature for a bird varies from 40° to 44°. You should keep your bird in an ambient temperature of approximately 27-28°C.

 

2 – Place aluminium paper at the bottom of its cage to capture recent and uncontaminated droppings.

 

3 – Quickly set up an appointment with your veterinarian to arrive at a diagnosis and, if necessary, a treatment.

The bird droppings should be kept at room temperature and taken to the veterinarian in aluminium paper as quickly as possible. Your vet should conduct a bacteriological, parasitological, and fungal (search for mushrooms and fungi) examination.

 

4 - The cage, all toys and/or other objects should be disinfected with a specific disinfectant that your veterinarian can recommend.

General rules to follow:

 

- The contamination of a parrot (or of any bird in captivity) results most often from poor human hygiene (dirty hands and/or contact with other incompatible animals such as rodents or reptiles, insufficiently cleaned cage) or from a diet lacking in variety or poorly adapted.

 

- Absolutely no antibiotic treatment should be given before samples have been taken and appropriate examinations undertaken. The choice of antibiotic results from a reasoned therapy that should be placed in the hands of the expert: the veterinarian.

 

In fact, the systematic use and abuse of antibiotics can lead to the emergence of resistant bacterial strains and the weakening of the bird’s immune system. Only a professional can determine if it is necessary to prescribe an antibiotic and, if so, which one.

 

- For wild imported parrots, it is important to note that most importers put their birds on antibiotics (and in general the most powerful antibiotics).

 

Also, if a “snatched from Nature” imported parrot develops an infection several days after you have acquired it, it is imperative to consult your veterinarian immediately: the infection is due to a "germ" that is necessarily resistant to the preceding antibiotic treatment.

 

- If unfortunately, your bird dies and you would like to determine the cause, the body must be kept at room temperature and delivered as quickly as possible (at most 48 hours after death) to your veterinarian to conduct an autopsy.

 

If you have several birds, determining the cause of death of one of them can help you develop an approach for preventing disease.

 

Ask your veterinarian for a death certificate, especially if your parrot belongs to a protected species.