When a client calls saying their pet bird’s behaviour has changed advise them:
Select one:
a. To wait as many birds seem ill when they are just scared and bringing it to the clinic will make it more stressed
b. To bring the bird in as birds mask the signs of disease so it may be very unwell
c. To cool the bird down to stop it getting pyrexic if it is unwell
d. To place it in a dark room to minimise stress
Many clients and veterinarians want to know if the bird is an emergency case. The answer is that birds hide or ‘mask’ the signs of disease until they are very sick. So the key is that any bird which shows any obvious signs of change from their normal behaviour may be an emergency. Do not just wait and see how the bird is over a few days. By the time a decision to take the bird to a veterinarian is made, it may be too late. Preferably take the bird straight to the veterinarian.
The most common presenting signs of an emergency are sleeping all the time, laboured breathing, vomiting, diarrhoea, poor ability to stand or walk, and seizures. Other obvious emergency signs are wounds on the bird or blood in the cage.
It is important to handle the bird as little as possible. It is best to pick up a very ill bird in a towel to avoid any problems during handling. A bird that is too unwell should not be handled at all but simply warmed up first.
To decide if the bird is hypothermic, use the rule of thumb that if a bird is ‘fluffed up’ it is probably cold and ill. In fact being ‘fluffed up’ is the most common noticeable sign of a bird emergency.