Parrot Care
What You Need to Know about Parrot Care
Parrot care is an unending part of owning a bird. There are multiple things that you need to consider in being supportive of an injured or sick bird.
Heat is an important part of caring for a sick bird. Birds use a lot of their metabolism and energy in maintaining their body temperatures at about 104 degrees. So, if you have a sick bird, you need to keep his surroundings warmed so that his energy can work at healing him. The correct temperatures for sick parrot care between 85 and 90 degrees. Turn the heat above 85 until the bird begins to pant (yes, birds do pant), and then back off on the temperature until he stops panting. After the bird is recovering, you can back the temperature down gradually until you're back to normal temperature.
Maintaining proper humidity is the second step to insure successful sick parrot care. This is especially important if your bird is fighting respiratory illness, as the humidity can help ease your bird's breathing, and help keep his air passages moist and clear. The best way is by using a vaporizer; the second best is by using a humidifier. If you don't have either of those, you can put the bird's cage in a bathroom, and run hot shower water periodically. If the bird's illness doesn't affect its respiratory system, or he's injured and not sick at all, humidity isn't such an issue. Respiratory involvement can be tracked by watching for these symptoms: beak held open (but not panting), breathing heavily (tail feathers move when he breathes), discharge from nostrils, or clicking or raspy or wheezy noises when he breathes.
Fluids are the next most important aspect of helping your sick bird recover. Like humans, birds become easily dehydrated when they are sick. They may not take in as much water as is normal, their temperature may be high, or their digestive system may be disrupted. Adding fluids will help mitigate these symptoms. Oral fluids are helpful for a sick bird, but if he is too dehydrated, you may need a vet to administer fluids under your bird's skin. If your sick bird isn't drinking enough, try giving him fluids off your finger, a syringe or a spoon. You can use pedialyte solutions, grape or apple juice or the like. Bottled water can also be used. Be sure not to use Gatorade or similar sports drinks, as their salt content is too high.
Since you have maximized the temperature to help your bird divert his resources to fighting illness, make sure that his nutritional needs are met as well. The best things to keep available through your parrot care are foods high in carbohydrates, and those that are easier to digest. You can feed your bird rice cereal, ground up pellets with fruit juice, cream of wheat, honey, molasses, baby food or Instant Ounces, which is emergency feed for birds. Feed by hand or force-feed if you have to. A bird can starve to death in 72 hours or less even when he is healthy, so when he's sick, nutrition is even more important. Without adequate food, he won't be able to recover properly.
Take parrot care seriously, and you can help your bird live a long and healthy life.