Identifying Sick Bird Signs and Illness Symptoms

When a person gets sick, even with a common cold, there are many physical symptoms that make it easy to tell they are ill, just by looking at them. You may think it’s just as easy with your pet bird, but unfortunately, that’s just not the case.

Too often it happens that a bird becomes critically ill, and even dies, before the owner notices any visible signs and symptoms of sickness. It is a bird’s instinct to hide their sickness as long as they can. To a predator in the wild, a sick animal is considered an easy meal. Getting to know your bird well, and knowing what to watch for, will give you a better chance of picking up on early symptoms.

Pay attention to how much your bird normally eats. A sudden decrease in appetite could indicate a problem, especially if he suddenly begins to turn up his nose at his favorite treats.

Since birds are very vocal animals, paying attention to their speech and song patterns could also tip you off that your bird has developed an illness. If you begin to notice a decrease in the amount of talking or singing your bird does, he could be in the early stages of sickness.

Another thing to monitor is the activity level of your pet bird. If your bird is normally energetic and playful, you should notice right away if he becomes somewhat less active. This can be another indicator that you may have a sick bird on your hands.

A healthy bird will usually perch with one leg tucked up under him while he is resting. A bird that is becoming ill may not have the strength or balance to do this. Instead, he will hold on to the perch with both feet in order to keep from falling. This is a sign that most people would not pick up on unless they knew to look for it.

Constant sneezing and nasal discharge are two more obvious signs of illness to be aware of. All birds will sneeze once in a while when they get some dust in their nostrils. If the sneezing is frequent or constant, you should start to get concerned.

Your bird’s overall appearance can tell you a lot about how he is feeling. If he suddenly stops taking care of hygiene issues, such as cleaning up his down feathers or stops preening himself altogether, he is possible seriously ill. The Pionus parrot seems to be the one exception to this, because they are known for having their down feathers show.

Probably the most obvious symptoms that your bird may be sick is the condition of his droppings. A healthy bird’s droppings will be mostly gray with white in the center. They will also be somewhat solid. A sick bird’s droppings will be lighter in color and very runny compared to normal.

Finally, if you notice even the slightest of these warning signs and symptoms, contact your vet immediately. Sometimes a bird is already seriously ill by the time you notice a change from the normal healthy bird you once had.

         

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