Caring for a Sick or Injured Parrot
by Heike Ewing Ott
Would you know what to do if your bird were sick or injured and you were unable to reach a vet? This article is not meant to replace veterinary care but to hopefully provide help for situations when immediate vet care is not an option.
There are five important elements to consider in supportive care of a sick (or injured) bird, listed in order of importance:
- Heat
- Humidity
- Fluids
- Nutrition
- Quiet/Level of Activity
Detailed explanation:
1) Birds use a considerable amount of their energy and metabolic resources in keeping their body temperature up (at around 104 deg.). Therefore, the single most important thing you can do for a sick bird is to artificially support its temperature, thus freeing as much of its energy as possible for dealing with the illness. The correct temperature is at least 85 degrees, and 90 degrees is preferable. Turn up the heat past 85 until the bird begins to pant, then slowly back it off just until the panting stops. When the bird begins to recover, remember to lower the temp gradually, no more than 5 degrees per day, until back to room temp.
2) Humdidity is extremely important in cases of respiratory involvement in the illness, as it eases the breathing and helps the bird keep the air passages clear and moist. A vaporizer is best, a humidifier will work, and in a pinch placing the bird in the bathroom and periodically running hot water in the shower is better than nothing. If there is NO respiratory involvement, or the bird is physically injured and not ill, humidity is not so important.
Respiratory involvement is indicated by any of the following: wheezy, raspy, bubbly, or clicking noises in the breathing; discharge from nostrils; breathing heavily or with difficulty (if the tail moves noticeably as the bird breathes, it is breathing heavily); beak held open to breathe but not panting.
3) A sick bird is easily dehydrated, especially since it may not drink as much on its own, its temperature is elevated, and its digestion may be disrupted. In extreme cases a veterinarian may administer fluids under the skin, but oral fluids are also very helpful. If your bird isn’t drinking a lot on its own, give fluids from your finger, a spoon, or by syringe. Some suggestions for fluids to give: Infalyte brand infant electrolyte solution, apple or grape juice, D5W (medical glucose/saline solution), bottled water with a little sugar or honey. Don’t use Gatorade, it’s too high in salt!
4) As you are maxmizing the amount of energy the bird can use in fighting the illness by elevating the ambient temperature, you should also ensure that food energy continues to be available. The best things to give a sick bird are high in carbohydrates and easy to digest.
Examples: hand-feeding formula, infant rice cereal, baby food, ground-up pellets mixed with fruit juice, molasses, honey, Instant Ounces brand emergency food for birds, cream of wheat, papaya juice or nectar, fruit juice (except orange). If your bird doesn’t eat on its own while ill, you need to hand feed it, or force feed it if necessary. Birds can starve to death in 48 – 72 hours when healthy, and can go even faster when ill.
Inadequate nutrition will severely impact the bird’s ability to recover from the illness.
5) Keep an ill or injured bird quiet and inactive. Keep it in semidarkness with no toys and nothing to climb or play on, much as you would keep a sick child in bed and encourage it to sleep. Limit noisy activities or move the bird to a quiet part of the house.
Additional notes:
- If the bird regurgitates food or fluids, you may be giving too much. Try smaller amounts more frequently.
- If your bird is on antibiotic therapy, remember that these drugs also kill the “friendly” bacteria that help it to digest its food.
- Give yogurt, benebac, lactobacillus supplement, or acidophilus to help digestion and to prevent backlash Candida (yeast) infections.
- If you see any sign of yeast (white spots in mouth or on tongue), call the vet and get an antifungal preparation to give with the antibiotic.
- Never stop giving antibiotics before the full treatment period has elapsed. Doing so allows the most resistant bacteria to survive in a weakened bird, and they will be harder to kill the second time around.
- Don’t stop supportive care too soon! Birds naturally hide illness and your bird may try to act “normal” long before it is fully recovered. Check fullness of crop, amount of fluids being consumed, etc. very carefully for at least a week, and return the bird to its normal routine slowly and carefully. In particular, don’t lower the temperature too quickly, as this is the #1 cause of relapse.
Disclaimer: The above instructions are intended only as emergency measures to keep a sick/injured bird alive until you can get to an avian vet, or to provide supportive care at home during vet-supervised therapy. These measures alone will not cure your bird and are NOT a substitute for veterinary care.
thanks
I have an 11 year old Maluccan Cockatoo. She really loves orange juice and tomato sauce (mixed in with mashed pellets, sweet potatoes, and various beans) but we have heard that they are too acidic for birds. Does anyone have any insight regarding this? Thanks, Mike
Somebody please hear me out ,I have a really sick Quaker parrot,and he is a really close loving member of our family ,keep in mind we have kids who are really worried about their baby so can someone please respond with adequate information to this matter thanks for reading this..
Maybe you would want to know whats going on with the bird,he is not eating on his own nor does he have any balance of his own,he is probably 6 yrs old and been healthy as ever
Our Quaker, Rascal, has started to tear at his legs until they bleed and pick out his feathers around his legs and under his wings. Up until a month ago he was a healthy, active bird. We took him to an avian vet who put him on antibiotics and an anti inflammatory but these did nothing. Now he sits puffed up all day and has stopped talking altogether. The vet suggested that it may be hormonal but the barrage of tests he wants to run are so expensive we can’t afford them and he is also several hours away from us (he is the closest avian vet to us). He is still eating normally and does not seem to be picking quite so much at his legs as he was a few weeks ago, but they are still very raw looking. Anybody have a similar experience or suggestions? Thanks for any help you can give us.
I have a VERY sick 8 year old Moluccan Cockatoo. Some labs are not back yet (cultures are growing) but they said it is staff but they don’t know what species? Yet.
I live in Hawaii and one vet said to keep in an 80 degree environment. Another vet said to make it 85 degrees, you say 90 is better.
Also, the vet today said to put a heat lamp on him; you say to keep him in “semi-dark”
If I were sick I would not want a bright light shinning in my face 24/7. Which is better, 80 degrees and dark or 85-90 with a bring light. What do you think?
He was doing great after 3 days and he opened his cage and went up to pay and chew his wood. Then, last night I heard this noise at 1AM and I looked in on him and he was hanging from his perch by one foot and holding onto the cage wires with the other foot. I tried to take him out to rush him to the vet but he would not let go of the cage. I had to pry his little foot loose. His wings were also just hanging out; he couldn’t even keep them close to his body.
I’m pretty sure that he has been sick for some time. I have had him 4 months on Feb. 23. About a month after he arrived on Maui from Washington State he started doing the “after dinner dance” on the chair at the table. He would transfer weight back and forth from on foot to another and with the “dance” came loudness. Then, the “after dinner dance” became the “before dinner dance” so we no longer have dinner together at 7PM anymore. I put him to bed at 6:30, cover him up and he is a good boy and goes right to sleep.
After taking him to the vet today and putting the heat lamp on him is was trying to do “the dance” in his cage on his perch. I told him that he has to rest and he reached out for me with his little foot so I took him out of his cage and held him close to me and talked to him for a few minutes and then put him back on his perch. ******** WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? **********
I would have the heat lamp on him during day light hours and turn it off when the sun goes down. When my bird was injured, I put her in a clear reptlie container and put a heating pad “on” underneath 1/2 of the container. I hold by bird against my chest and wrap cozy soft blankets or towles are her to keep her warm. I have her wrapped warm and have her sleep on my chest when I go to bed if she is still not up to speed. She will crawl out of the towel when I am in bed if she wants her cage. If she crawls out of the towel when I hold her in the living room, I offer to take her back after going to the restroom. I don’t believe there can be too much love and positive words spoken to the little cuite! Good luck!
Aloha Kim. Artie is is still alive but he weighed 884 grams yesterday before I took him to the vet and this A.M. he is down to 440 grams. He dark a few beak fulls of water yesterday moring but no fluids since. Grapes are his FAVORITE and will give him plenty of mositure but he won’t even eat his grapes.
I put his new strawberry flavored antibiotic on a piece of whole grain bread that he loves, in his oatmeal, and what did he go after? The small amout of banana baby food I put on the plate with the bread and oatmeal. So, I took the baby food and put the strawberry antibiotics on it and then he wouldn’t eat it. Moluccan Cocatoo are just too darn smart for their own good. I’m about ready to inject his antibiotics up his rear end he is pissing me off so much wiht not eating or taking his meds. The vet said it is more important that he eats right now and I am going to try going back to his other antibiotic which is only .2 cc as opposed to the new strawberry one that requires .8 cc.
What kind of bird do you have Kim and do you have any formal experience with avian care?
Thanks so mucha and ALOHA FROM MAUI, HAWAII
Please, help! My Quaker was bit for my little puppy, she was in shock when I found her, and she was like that the whole next day. That was three days ago. Today she is less serious, but she is still not talking or making any noise at all… she doesn’t move at all, she is not the same.. Could you please tell me if that is normal? If this is going to go away, or is she going to stay like that forever? Will she be the same she used to be? Please, help!
My parrot-budgies has changes in appearance. The bird is puffed up more than usual, and has an appetite loss. It just stoped eating. He is sitting in the corner of his cage and is not happy as before. Please help me, what antibiotics should i give him.. is he really sick. He is only six months old.
I have seen a case similar to this, but worse, this parrot was an African grey and was biting his foot to the point where there was no foot left, the cause of this was due to the parrot being abandoned by the owner i.e. not spending enough time with him. However you do not seem like a person who will intentionally neglect a parrot or harm it in any way but generally parrots should have about 3 hours of human interaction a day to keep it happy, if you think u are not spending enough time with your parrot then it may be ideal to spend more time then usual, but if this is not the case then research into this and there may be a temporary solution.
I I have a quaker parrot named Edna, she has the same symtoms your bird had, if you get any help please let me know. I cry every day i come hm and see her like that.
I had a quaker until today. My Pete was 8 years old. I thought He/she, I wasn’t sure, but I thought he was lonley perhaps. We had gone away for 2 weeks in July and he stayed at my son’s house, which he has done a few times. He seemed fine to me when he returned, although my husband thought he seemed blue. But he was eating, and drinking. He usually stayed out in the day on the deck , in the shade, and generally he would have his summertime baths on the deck. Last week, I took out my bike for a short ride, but it ended up longer than I thought as I ran into a bad thunderstorm. Pete , was home out on the deck in the storm….I brought him in as soon as I returned and then cleaned and dried out his rain drenched dishes of food. After that, I was also thinking he was acting blue. I have inquired the last few days about another bird, and yesterday when I came home I went to petco and bought him a new “playscape” for the top of his cage. He wasn’t all that interested in it, and as I handled him more, I felt for the first time that he was sick. He just was fluffed out with his feathers, and his eyes would close. I didn’t feel that his temperature was warm enough. So , I got a hand warmer, (the instant heaters that you shake in the air) and put it in a small fleece pillow case that I made specifically for the hand warmers….and I put heat in the cage, I darkened the cage and I changed the water to infant pedialyte. Unfortunatly, all too late. This morning, there was no improvement, and he only worsened from there. He started panting and I noticed a very white tougue rather than it’s normal pinkish. He was clicking, purring, with the breathing, and his balance was quivering…I held him wrapped in some warm fleece and he just died ~ as I cried. I’m so upset that I didn’t notice this sooner, back when my husband said he didn’t think Pete was feeling well. After reading late this afternoon and tonight about illnesses with Quakers, I think had I picked up on this sooner, I could of saved him. I called a woman in a feed store that has a quaker as well and she gave me a name and number for a vet who would come to my house, and the vet only lived minutes from me, but when I called, the vet was in NY and was there until late Monday. I live in a illegal state for a quaker, (such a stupid law), and so my other option was to travel to another state to another avian hospital 1 1/2 hours away. But, he only lived another 1/2 hour.
I stupidly never even considered the possibility of Pete getting sick. He was so hardy. We heat with wood/ coal in the winter, our house certainly wasn’t a even temperature. His cage was in front of the windows and doors so he could see all over outside, he was the best watch dog I have ever had. He went outside every day for the most part, and in the winter, he would have his baths inside so he could rezip all his feathers for entertainment. He ate many things, some things he shouldn’t of , as I have read today….like cheese, and the daily peanut butter. I have raised and released 9 orphaned grey squirrels in the past two springs, and they were pinkies, and I was successful and very proud of the fact that I was able to save them…..but now to have blown the warning signs with my beloved Pete…
So right now, I wished that today, I would of taken a strynge and put the pedialyte into him . And kept him warm. I did notice that after holding him close to me in warm fleece, his feathers did settle down and look more normal.. so heat was very important. I should of had him on a light through the night for heat. When my boys bought the bird for me as a xmas gift, he was a baby, and I thought, huh…a bird! I’m really a dog person…not a bird person. And , although I love all animals, I never wanted a caged bird. So , you make the best of it, and soon , I found that he was really a cool bird. I really loved him, and I know that at some point , I’ll stop crying, but I will miss him forever.
Please Help! We found a 2 month old Quaker parrot on the road. Apparently, it was hit by a car or something. The right side of the bird was injured. We nursed it back to health, and it is doing well. Its been 3 days since the injury and the right eye is “White” and “Cloudy”. It is apparent that is cannot see out of this eye presently. Will it get better? I think it is the Nictitating Membrane. We have been putting an antibiotic cream that was suggested by someone for a Pet store.
Has anyone any experience with this situation? Will the membrane go away and sight be restored in the right eye?
Any help would be appreciated.
Thank you.
Hi i have a 3week baby quaker bird and all of a sudden today when he woke up he wasnt himself he hadnt eaten all day today and i noticed when i put his head straight his head slowly twitches to the side he barely moves doesnt make any noise and one eye is closed has been since yesterday. I just got this bird and i really love him. I have 2 other quaker birds and a redneck. I pryed his mouth open to give him a little bit of food then i realized he had flemm like mucus or something i was afraid if i forced food he’d choke so i gave him baby bird food formula very liquidy and he ate very little and very slowly please please help me i dont want o lose him. =’(
Thank you very much, Rossie
I’m very worried about my Quaker parrot Gappetta. I got her when i was eleven and i am now fifteen. She has been amazing ever since i got her. She’s my best friend. Recently she has been acting strange, and the weird thing is this symptom happens on and off. Her balance is usually fine, but lately i have seen her slowly sink off her perch. When i go to try to pick her up to see what’s wrong she only steps up with her right leg, while the left leg just hangs there with her foot in a fist. This eventually stops and she returns to her normal self, but is really does worry me. I love her so much. I was wondering if her diet could have anything to do with it. I switched her from regular bird seed to healthy human food. Like veggies, eggs, meat, grains, and the occasional fruit. I switched her to human food because i wanted to prevent any future health problems that i have heard of with a seed based diet and I’m hoping i havn’t caused her to become ill. Any one who has any clue of what could be going on i would really appreciate your advice! Thank you so much!
hello, i havea 2 1/2 year old quaker parrot named wally. he has been a healthy happy bird up until 4 days ago because he was exposed to the cold evening breze too long.
he just started puffing up and stopped singing. yesterday he watered from his nostrils and eyes. today his face was all wet and lost balance while walking when i took him out of his cage.
but even with all these simptoms when i hold him he comes back to normal and is so happy so his personality is not all gone.
thank god i found this website. I found this other one where they charge you for advice! pff! Right now i have him wraped in a light cloth and the heater on and he is making these reliefe chirping sounds!
any other tip?
I have a little Quaker guy named Tyler. Of course he is a little angel. Well 95 percent angel and 5 percent demon. I have read that Quaker’s are nippy and he is no exception. He definitely has an attitude. He has more attitude than any other creature on Earth that weighs less than a pound. I guess it is due to my spoiling him. He is very spoiled now and nips when he isn’t getting his way. I have read that parrots like routine. He has gotten to the point that when I am home, watching tv, he likes to sit on my shoulder, to cuddle and be pet. There are times when I am on the phone longer than usual and he has nipped me, as he isn’t the center of attention while I am on the phone. Does anyone know of a tried and true solution to teach a bird not to nip? I adore him, but not the biting so much.
I have a 10 month old Quaker parrot that I bought from a breeder when he was 22 weeks old. Kiwi my quaker is changing she plucked all her feather’s off of her legs and her legs seem to be inflammed. The breeder told me when she saw her that see was ok just alittle inflammed and to put some A&D ointment on her legs to prevent her from plucking. I did this, but Kiwi kept tasting the ointment. Now all kiwi does is eat and drink and sit on her perch. She does poop, but is not so vocal anymore. Is Kiwi dying I love this bird this bird has been in my life for 4 months. Also he trembles his body and tail shakes /trembles alot. Please help!