Code Red: Emergency Illness and Your Bird

When you bird suddenly becomes ill, your very first step should be to call your vet. However, there are things you can do to prevent your bird from dying and to make your bird more comfortable while waiting for your vet or while on the way to the animal hospital. Birds make wonderful pets, but they require lots of work and attention, so if your bird becomes ill suddenly, it is important to provide the best care possible.

First, keep your bird hydrated. Just like humans, a sick bird can easily lose hydration, which can lead to a number of problems. Eating is important as well. If necessary, force-feed your bird. This will provide your bird's body with the needed energy for fighting the illness. Your vet can instruct you on what to feed your bird and how to do it. In general, you should remove other foods from the cage to ensure that your bird is eating only the healthy foods for sick birds that you are providing.

It is also important that your bird be warm. A heater or light can make your bird uncomfortable, but make sure that your bird’s cage is in a warm room and provide a hot water bottle in the cage for your bird. Sick birds should have an environmental temperature of about 30 degrees Celsius, unless instructed otherwise by your vet.

When your bird is sick, quarantine from other birds or pets is usually recommended. Have an extra, smaller cage on hand use for this purpose and keep the ill bird in a different room. Use disinfecting sprays when handling he sick bird and clean his or her cage often to kill bacteria. To keep the germs low, keep the water levels in the cage as low as possible and replace often in order to stop bacteria from breeding.

If your bird is very ill, do not hesitate to take him or her to the local animal hospital. If possible, have someone else call or announce that you will be coming and get on the road, early treatment is the key to saving your bird's life in many cases. Sometimes, no matter how well you care for your pet bird, his or her health will simply suffer. Make sure that you are providing the best home possible, and the rest is up to chance. The important thing is to look after your bird when he or she is sick to help your bird heal and become well again as soon as possible.