|
EVALUATING THE HEALTH OF PARROTS
Before and After They Come to Live With You
(Including Recognizing Stunted Baby Parrots)
By Sally Blanchard
![]()
This article is copyrighted and may not be reprinted without the written
permission of Sally Blanchard or the PBIC, Inc. Contact us for permission.
Your new parrot’s physical health at the time of his purchase can play an
important part in both his physical and emotional development. Sick bappies may
miss out on the nutrients needed for healthy normal growth. They may also spend
so much time in survival mode they miss out on a great deal of the learning
needed for successful socialization. Carefully examine a parrot before you buy
him.
This section may also be very helpful in
evaluating indications of health throughout your parrot’s entire life. Remember
that many birds hide their illness as a survival strategy so symptoms may not be
immediately obvious unless you are paying close attention. Parrots do
show signs of illness before they become seriously ill, but we have to observe
our parrots carefully on a daily basis so we know what is normal and what is
not. Any physical symptoms or change in normal behavior warrants a trip to an
avian veterinarian. The vast majority of bird diseases are not self-limiting (as
with humans and the flu or a cold). This means parrots will not usually get
better without proper medical treatment.
The following should help you determine
whether the young parrot you are looking at is a healthy bappy or not:
Watch his energy
level. An emotionally and physically
healthy parrot chick is energetic, robust, and ready to go unless it is just
after feeding or nap time when he usually sleeps soundly.
Check the
chick’s posture. If it is not nap
time, fluffed feathers, and a drooping head can indicate a health problem. Many
bappies have not yet developed their balance skills so they may still be quite
clumsy, but frequent loss of balance, sitting with feet far apart, or an
inability to perch should be questioned.
Check the feathers carefully.
The
virgin
feathers on a baby parrot are usually the most beautiful — soft, bright and
velvety. Feathers should be clean and shiny without streaks, breaks, holes, or
discoloration. Breaks in the feather growth and discolorations can be a sign of
malnutrition, illness, use of antibiotics, or deprivation feeding during the
time of the feather growth. Feathers still in the sheath, unfeathered areas or
patchy areas (especially around the crop) are usually a sign of a very young
bird — too young to be fledged, weaned, or sold to a new home. However, in more
mature babies, these same conditions can be caused by disease and malnutrition.
Rough feathers all over the body can be a sign of a bird who is not preening —
usually a sign of illness. Do not buy a bappy with any deformed or clubbed
feathers unless there is a legitimate, non-disease explanation. Dirty matted
feathers are an indication of poor care. In feather powder producing African
greys and cockatoos, lack of powder can mean either a recent bath, which is not
a problem, or a serious illness if other symptoms are present. A few damaged or
broken feathers may simply be a sign of an active bird, but can also indicate
poorly formed feathers or that a youngster was housed in a cage too small for
normal activity. If the parrot you buy has broken tail or wing feathers, please
do not have anyone pull them as it can cause both trauma and serious problems
with feather regrowth.
Look at the skin and crop.
Skin areas should be smooth and supple with a good peachy color. Gently move the
feathers apart to check the skin on the crop at the upper breast; discoloration,
and a scaly, hard, or scarred area can be a sign that the crop was burned during
handfeeding.
Watch the bappy’s breathing.
Normal breathing should be
relaxed and barely noticeable. After a period of high activity, normal breathing
will resume within less than a minute or so. If the breathing stays labored or
rapid, with increased tail pumping and wheezing, or whistling in the breath, the
bird is likely to have compromised health. With extreme stress there may be a
“thunking” sound coming from the chest when the parrot breathes.
Check the weight.
Feel the keel bone in the
middle of the upper breast. Although it is true that a chick may lose weight
before fledging and during the weaning process, he will still have a healthy
weight. A sunken breast with a sharp keel bone is usually a sign of an underfed
chick. However, there is a great deal of difference between the breast area of
different species. For example, a well-fed Amazon will usually be more rotund
than a well-fed cockatoo.
Look carefully at the eyes.
Eyes can provide an
excellent indication of a parrot’s health. If the bappy is playing and full of
energy, his eyes should be shiny, bright, and alert. Dull, lifeless,
half-mast
eyes during activity are signs of a sick bird.
The eyes of tired, napping bappies will often be half shut with the lower lid
coming up to meet the upper lid. This is not a problem, especially if a fully
satiated baby becomes sleepy after feeding. However, half-mast eyes in an active
bird are usually a sign of a sinus infection. Swollen, puffy, red eyes, a teary
discharge, matted feathers around the eyes, and frequent kicking at the eyes
with the foot are signs of an infection. Bulging eyes may be a sign of a stunted
baby.
Check the cere and nostrils.
The soft area above the beak, the cere, should be soft and fleshy with clear,
round, and well-formed nostrils (nares). In some parrots, the nostrils are
covered with feathers, in others the cere is naked. There is a little piece of
flesh in each nostril that may look like a small seed — it is normal. Any
redness, clogging, or discharge can be a sign of an infection. Beak grooves
running from the cere or misshapen nostrils can be a sign of a chronic
respiratory problem.
Look at the vent.
This is the all-purpose
opening where the combined body wastes come out of the parrot. The skin and
feathers around the vent should be clean. The area should not be soiled or
pasted with wet or dried droppings. Missing feathers around the vent may be a
sign of a chronic problem.
Check the droppings.
Parrot droppings have three components:
1) the toothpaste consistency fecal matter in the center that may be a greenish
color or the color of whatever the bird has been eating;
2) the urates which are usually just a little more moist than the fecal matter;
and
3) the surrounding liquid wastes called urine. A bappy who has been weaned to a
varied, nutritious diet will have droppings that reflect the various foods the
bird has been eating. Healthy droppings do not necessarily look like the classic
alien fried egg
photos in many books. For example, yams and
carrots may create a brownish-orange dropping, beets and berries make the poop
reddish, and broccoli droppings are green. Fruit and some veggies can cause
droppings that reflect their liquid content. These are wetter than normal but
still healthy. Droppings that are excessively watery or contain undigested food
matter are usually a sign of a problem. Droppings in which the normally white
urates appear pasty and lime-greenish can be an indication of chlamydophila
(psittacosis). Any consistent change in droppings not related to food intake
should be discussed with an avian veterinarian as soon as it is noticed.
Check wings,
body, legs, and toes.
Look for
bruises, scrapes, swellings, lumps, or bumps. Make sure the chick has full range
of motion with his legs and wings. If a baby is still resting his weight on his
hocks instead of his feet, he is too young to purchase.
Recognizing stunted birds.
Check the size of the head and feet in proportion to the body. Undernourished,
poorly-fed parrot chicks who have been weaned too soon usually have heads and
feet that are out of proportion to their bodies. Feathering is usually sparser
than with other parrots of the same species and the same age. The bird may look
unbalanced and top-heavy. Their eyes are bulgy. They are often dehydrated and
their skin may be reddish in color and not as supple as a well-nourished chick.
This is more apt to happen with incubator hatched, day-one handfed chicks,
especially the large macaws. These undernourished chicks usually end up
underdeveloped both mentally and physically, and often have continuing health
problems. Parrots who are at least partly raised by their natural parents are
less likely to be stunted. Stunting can occur in any poorly raised parrot
species, but seems to be move problematic in macaws.
Rescuing a sick
parrot. Many people have a tendency to
want to help parrots in bad situations. While admirable in many ways, rescuing
an abused or neglected parrot from a bird mart or bad bird shop often
perpetuates the sale of poorly cared for parrots. The disreputable seller will
usually just replace the sick bird sold with another sick bird to be sold to
someone else — too often a person who has no idea what a sick bird looks like or
how to help it become healthy.
On the other hand, a parrot may have some health problems or physical
handicap that a reputable seller will be totally honest about. If the seller
works something out with you because he or she knows you will do the right thing
by the parrot, buying a bird with a solvable health problem or a handicap that
is not life-threatening may be the right thing to do. There are also many
parrots in sanctuary and rescue organizations in need of new homes. Just make
sure that you understand the nature of any physical or behavioral problems the
parrot many have and that you can afford the veterinary care and have the time
and energy required to improve the parrot’s health.
If
this article helped you and you appreciated the information, The Companion
Parrot Quarterly continues to have in-depth, practical articles such as this
one. PLEASE
SUBSCRIBE
Top of Page
|
