Polly Needs a Doctor: How to Care for A Sick Parrot
No matter how diligently you take care of your pet, they will get sick once in a while. Keep a list of phone numbers of your veterinarian or avian doctor in case of emergencies. Fortunately, there are certain procedures you can do at home to take care of your sick parrot. Place your sick bird in a hospital cage. To make a hospital cage, cover the bird cage with a towel to keep the bird warm. Put water dish, feeding bowls and perch at the bottom of the cage. Aquariums can also be made into hospital cages. Cover the bottom with paper and paper towels. Place lights at one side of the aquarium to provide warmth. A shallow bowl of water, bird feed, and free-standing perch should also be placed at the bottom.
Monitor your pet for signs of illness. Parrots don’t usually manifest signs of illness right away. Symptoms are loss of appetite, listlessness, decrease in body weight, wheezing, sneezing or sitting with fluffed feathers. If see any bleeding, check for broken feathers, bitten toes or ripped nails. Apply syptic powder and flour to stop the bleeding. Blood feathers, or new feathers that are still growing and bleeding may need to be pulled out. First, cover the bird’s head with a towel to keep your pet from pecking at your hand. Then, pull the feather out.
You may feed your parrot with a spoon of sports drink. Sports drink has electrolytes which can give your pet some energy. You can also mix their hand-feeding formulas with sports drink to make it more appetizing. Mix your pet’s food with millets for added energy. Lastly, and most importantly, after applying first aid, bring your pet to an avian doctor for further treatment.
