How to Know if Your Bird Is Sick
Weigh your bird daily., Check its droppings., Pay attention to how much food your bird eats.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Weigh your bird daily.
Weigh your bird at the same time every day so that its weight will fluctuate less due to meal times.
Declining weight is a significant sign of illness.
If your bird’s weight drops by 10% or more, you should immediately take your pet to the doctor.While this might seem like too much work, changes in weight are one of the earliest signs of illness, so monitoring weight is often the only way to effectively catch health problems in time for intervention.
Alternatively, feel your bird’s breast bone.
Its chest should be well-rounded and muscular.
If you can feel the bone (the keel), your bird has lost too much weight and should be taken to the doctor immediately. -
Step 2: Check its droppings.
Put plain paper on the bottom of the cage to make it easier to see and monitor droppings.
Watch droppings for any change in frequency, color, texture, or quantity.
Take your bird to the veterinarian if any change in the nature of your bird’s droppings persists for 12 hours or more.
Feces naturally varies somewhat in color.
However, you should watch for bright red, bright black, and bright green feces.
Undigested food in the droppings or hard feces can be a sign of illness.
Diarrhea is a sign of bacterial and fungal infections.
The bird’s feces should have white parts called urates.
If the white part is missing from the feces you should take your bird to the vet immediately.
Unusually large amounts of urine can indicate an issue with digestion.
Be mindful if this continues for an extended period of time.It is also a bad sign when feces is stuck to the tail feathers after your bird goes to the bathroom.Matting of the feathers in the area suggestions diarrhea., If your bird begins to eat less, this could indicate a health issue.
Monitor how much food you give you bird and how much is left after a feeding.A sick bird might try to disguise its lack of appetite by picking up food, only to drop it on the floor of the cage.
Be mindful of scattered food.Be especially mindful if your bird isn’t eating its favorite food.
If you believe that it is sick, test its health by feeding it a favorite treat.
See how it responds. -
Step 3: Pay attention to how much food your bird eats.
Detailed Guide
Weigh your bird at the same time every day so that its weight will fluctuate less due to meal times.
Declining weight is a significant sign of illness.
If your bird’s weight drops by 10% or more, you should immediately take your pet to the doctor.While this might seem like too much work, changes in weight are one of the earliest signs of illness, so monitoring weight is often the only way to effectively catch health problems in time for intervention.
Alternatively, feel your bird’s breast bone.
Its chest should be well-rounded and muscular.
If you can feel the bone (the keel), your bird has lost too much weight and should be taken to the doctor immediately.
Put plain paper on the bottom of the cage to make it easier to see and monitor droppings.
Watch droppings for any change in frequency, color, texture, or quantity.
Take your bird to the veterinarian if any change in the nature of your bird’s droppings persists for 12 hours or more.
Feces naturally varies somewhat in color.
However, you should watch for bright red, bright black, and bright green feces.
Undigested food in the droppings or hard feces can be a sign of illness.
Diarrhea is a sign of bacterial and fungal infections.
The bird’s feces should have white parts called urates.
If the white part is missing from the feces you should take your bird to the vet immediately.
Unusually large amounts of urine can indicate an issue with digestion.
Be mindful if this continues for an extended period of time.It is also a bad sign when feces is stuck to the tail feathers after your bird goes to the bathroom.Matting of the feathers in the area suggestions diarrhea., If your bird begins to eat less, this could indicate a health issue.
Monitor how much food you give you bird and how much is left after a feeding.A sick bird might try to disguise its lack of appetite by picking up food, only to drop it on the floor of the cage.
Be mindful of scattered food.Be especially mindful if your bird isn’t eating its favorite food.
If you believe that it is sick, test its health by feeding it a favorite treat.
See how it responds.
About the Author
Danielle Nelson
Experienced content creator specializing in cooking guides and tutorials.
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