Avian Health Care.

Points of Interest:

1. Sick birds eat too. Many birds die from a long-standing illness while they are actually in the process of eating.
2. Birds do not get "a little cold". They are so good at compensating for various forms of disease that what looks like a "runny nose" or "the sniffles" is most likely a sign of a long-standing or very serious disease.
3. "Diarrhea" is many times a kidney problem. A bird's droppings consist of a firm string-like portion which is actually the stool, a pasty white material (urates) which comes from the kidneys, and a watery portion which is urine. The amount of urine varies greatly with water consumption. Many times what seems to be diarrhea is actually a large amount of urine with no stool or urates.
4. Be honest with yourself and the doctor. He will not be upset that you may have used fourteen different treatments at home over a period of four months but he can treat the bird more successfully if he knows this rather than being told, "Chirper hasn't felt well for a few days."
5. Many diseases look the same. Don't be mislead by a well-meaning friend who tells you his Andean condor had the same thing when it was a baby. Even during an "epidemic" two birds with the same symptoms may have to be treated differently.
6. Please, ASK QUESTIONS! The doctor cannot be sure just you much you know about sick birds. Many outstanding breeders are relatively ignorant when it comes to working with diseases. A well informed owner can be very helpful to the doctor and greatly increase the chances of successful treatment.

Home Care:

1. Warmth is essential. This means the temperature around the patient should remain between 80° and 90° twenty-four hours a day. Check the temperature with a thermometer, don't guess, but be certain to remove the thermometer so the bird does not chew on it.
2. Absolutely no drafts. A healthy bird can cope with many environmental changes but these same changes can be deadly for an ill bird. Keep your pet confined to his cage. Cover top, bottom, and three sides so no drafts can enter. Leave one side uncovered (but turned away from potential drafts) so the bird can be observed without disturbing it. This also lets the patient be aware of daytime/nighttime which is essential for normal behavior and eating.
3. A sick bird must be allowed to have at least twelve hours of undisturbed rest. Cover the entire cage and leave it alone. Being next to the TV or in a busy room is not going to let a bird properly rest (sort of like sleeping on a bus).
4. It goes without saying that a sick bird should be examined by a doctor so that proper medication can be prescribed for your bird's individual problems. If you do treat your pet with anything prior to seeing the doctor, always bring the medicine with you and be certain the person who actually brings the bird in knows how much of the medicine was used and for how long.
5. Ordinarily a bird's cage should be kept virtually spotless. However, if you are contemplating taking your pet in for an examination, let the cage accumulate droppings, food, etc. for twenty-four hours prior to the exam. The doctor can tell a lot about the bird's health by examining the cage.