Illness in Birds

Article from: My Family UK

It can be tricky to spot illness in birds and they are very delicate, meaning that minor illness can quickly become serious.

Get to know your bird and monitor any changes in behaviour, such as loss of appetite or becoming less talkative. If you spot any signs of illness in your bird, take it straight to the vet. Listed below are the signs and symptoms of some common health problems in birds that you might encounter.

1) Psittacosis

This unpredictable condition is contagious and can be passed onto humans, so if you think your bird has it you need to get it checked out right away. Symptoms include listlessness, loss of appetite, problems breathing, ruffled feathers, discharge from eyes and nose and watery diarrhoea.

2) Unusual feathers

Birds are clean by nature so dirty feathers are probably a sign of illness. Monitor other symptoms such as changes in droppings and relay them to your vet. Ruffled, or fluffed out feathers also indicate the bird is ill and can hide weight loss. Weigh your bird frequently so you can tell if it is losing weight.

3) Stress and boredom

Plucking out feathers can also be a sign of illness but is more commonly due to boredom and stress. Birds, especially parrots, are intelligent and need mental stimulation and exercise to keep them healthy and happy. Ensure your bird has a large enough cage or aviary, perches and toys to play with. If your parrot is left alone for long periods, leave the TV or radio on to keep it company.

4) Respiratory problems

Huddling on the perch, problems breathing, weeping eyes, and an inflamed or running cere (nose) can be caused by serious respiratory conditions. Signs such as breathing with an open mouth and bobbing the tail up and down repetitively probably mean that the illness has been going on for some time so take the bird to the vet immediately.

5) Droppings

The colour of your bird's droppings may change with their diet, but a change in colour or consistency can indicate ill health. Diarrhoea, and blood in the droppings can be indicative of serious health problems, so separate your bird from other birds, keep it warm and contact your vet straight away.

6) Parasites

Birds can suffer from feather mites, fleas, lice and ticks which cause skin irritation but these parasites are rare. Budgies can suffer from scaly face, a grey crust around the beak and face caused by a parasite.

7) Beaks and nails

These can become overgrown and need to be trimmed by the vet. To avoid this, give your bird a cuttlefish bone to keep its beak trim and perches with rough surfaces (such as bark) to wear down its claws.

Further Information

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