How to Help With Sick Parrot

It is crucial to take a sick parrot to an avian veterinarian if available or a regular vet if an avian vet is not available. Don’t try diagnosing your parrot’s illness yourself. A bird’s health can sometimes take a dramatic turn for the worse in a matter of minutes.Before you take the sick parrot to the vet, note all changes in its behavior and physical condition. This will help the vet diagnose and treat your parrot. Finally, follow the vet’s instructions carefully. The steps below will help keep your parrot comfortable and safe while it recovers.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• • Method to create warmth
• • Method to create humidity

How to Help a Sick Parrot

1. Keep the parrot warm. The temperature of the incubator you buy or hospital cage you make yourself should be kept between 78 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Incubators are expensive; a hospital cage can be crafted from plywood with a clear acrylic front and a false bottom. You’ll want to add 2 or 3 light bulbs to the hospital cage, and don’t forget the air holes. Experiment until you get the right combination of air holes and light bulbs to reach the desired temperature. Another inexpensive way to help the sick parrot is to place a heating pad against one side of the cage and then wrap the cage in plastic with small holes in it so the parrot can breathe.

2. If respiratory problems are a part, or all of the parrot’s illness, its cage must be kept humid to make breathing easier. A vaporizer or humidifier is the easiest way to humidify the bird’s cage. If these are not viable options, you can take the parrot into the bathroom and turn the hot water off and on in the shower to create a humid atmosphere. If the parrot is not experiencing respiratory distress, humidity is not as critical as warmth.

3. Make sure the parrot has plenty of food and water nearby. If the bird is already dehydrated and can’t drink much on its own, you can give it fluids from a syringe, spoon or even your finger. If it’s so sick it isn’t eating, you may have to hand feed it, or if necessary, force feed it. A parrot can starve to death in 48 to 72 hours even when healthy.

4. If your parrot is very weak, remove any perches. The last thing you want is for the parrot to fall and injure itself.

5. Keep the sick parrot as quiet as possible. Make sure the parrot’s area is semi-dark and remove any toys. This will encourage inactivity.

Tips & Warnings

• Weight loss, change in droppings, respiratory distress, change in appetite, plumage abnormalities, lethargy, change in vocalization and change in behavior may indicate a parrot is sick. Remember: Each bird is different and will exhibit signs of illness differently.

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