Expert: Chrys Meatyard - 12/2/2006

Question
Hi Chrys,
It's been about a week of my female parakeet being sick.  I notice now that she has a slightly watery stool, but no discharge from nostrils or eyes.  She is fluffed up and still occassionally sits on the bottom of the cage in the corner.  I have tried to find an avian vet, but the closest one is 2 hours away.  Is there anything I can give her or do for her to help her get better?  I thought about putting a lamp over the cage to help her get warm, but I have two other birds in there with her and wonder if this would do them any harm?  I've been offering more fresh foods, but they all still go to their seeds, should I remove the seeds completely?  I'm afraid they won't eat at all if I do this.

Answer
Hi, Wendy.

I didn't realize there were other birds in the same cage.  You need to remove the sick bird and put her in a cage by herself.  Yes, extra warmth would help.  She needs to be kept warm and quiet.  This is a sick bird and you need to take her to the avian vet, even if the vet is 2 hours away or your bird could die.  In fact, she could have already infected the other 2 birds.  You've waited too long already.  

I can't advise you of what to give your bird to help as I don't know what is wrong with your bird.  You can try giving some probiotics to help with the stool problem.  However, if your bird has a bacterial infection or yeast infection, etc., your bird needs medicine only the vet can prescribe.  Also, the vet will take a cloacal and cloanal swab for testing in order to determine exactly what bacteria, etc., is involved, and prescribe the proper meds for that problem.  Your birds will not eat other foods as long as seed is available to them at the same time.  Don't mess with the diet of the sick bird right now...let this bird eat whatever it will eat and drink.  The stress of a diet change would be devastating right now.  However, the other birds need to be on a healthier diet for sure (as well as the sick bird after she gets all well).  

Birds won't eat anything they don't recognize as food.  In other words, you can't put strange foods in the bird's cage and expect them to eat it!  You just have to keep offering the foods every day, maybe in different forms, different types of foods, etc., and they will eventually  try the new foods.  But you have to remove any seed at the same time you offer the other foods...they will always eat the seed over anything else.  You also need to get them used to eating pelleted food.  Did I give you my website with all this information?  If not, here it is:

http://www.angelfire.com/falcon/birdinfo/index.html

You really need to get this bird to the birdie vet ASAP.

Chrys