Since birds often don’t show signs of illness until they’re very sick, it’s important to monitor your bird closely. Also, if you have more than one bird, it’s important to catch an illness early to prevent it from spreading. Here are some signs to watch for:
- Changes in attitude: A sudden increase or decrease in food and water intake could indicate an illness. Other changes to look for are decreased singing or vocalization, inactivity, and increased sleeping. Also, you should watch to see if your bird’s personality has changed-for example, becoming more aggressive or submissive.
- Changes in appearance: A change in your bird’s feathers such as lost or broken feathers, picking or pulling at feathers, bald spots, or abnormal feather color could all be signs that your bird is sick. Any swelling or discharge around the eyes as well as a discoloration of the beak could also mean disease.
- Changes in stance: If your bird begins to exhibit behavior such as sitting on the bottom of the cage, sitting low or falling off perches, losing its balance, or walking in circles, you should have your bird checked out by a vet.
Symptoms such as weakness, bleeding, trauma, labored breathing, seizures, or collapse should be viewed as emergencies, and you should take your bird to the vet right away. For more information on birds and bird care, visit the associates at Pet Supermarket. They can help you keep your pet bird happy and healthy!
