Emergency signs in a sick bird: go to a vet now
- Huddled, weak, unresponsive, or sitting low or on the cage floor
- Tail bobbing with each breath, beak open while resting, or stretching the neck to breathe
- Off balance, falling or unable to perch
- Bleeding that does not stop
- A seizure
- Fumes, smoke or aerosol spray, even if your bird looks fine. Move them to fresh air first. See Teflon and birds.
- Straining, a swollen belly or tissue showing from the vent. See egg binding.
- Panting, with feet and beak that feel hot
- Swallowed poison or metal
- Blood in the droppings or red urine. Black droppings too: no source covers them, so that one is our own advice. See the droppings chart.
A bite, scratch or mouthing from a cat, dog or rat needs an avian vet today for antibiotics, even if your bird looks fine. Bite infections in birds can be fatal. The timing is our own advice.
Source: Merck Veterinary Manual, Injuries and Accidents; Lung and Airway Disorders; Disorders Affecting Multiple Body Systems; Traumatic Injury; Bacterial Diseases · Association of Avian Veterinarians, Signs of Illness · University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine
What to do on the way to the vet
- Fumes or smoke? Move your bird to fresh air first.
- Put your bird in a secure, well-ventilated carrier. Cover at least three sides with a towel, so it is dark and quiet inside.
- If your bird is struggling to breathe, handle them as little as possible. Never press on the chest: it makes breathing harder.
- If your bird is fluffed or seems cold, and has not been somewhere hot, keep them warm, at about 80 to 90 °F (27 to 32 °C).
- Warmth has a limit. If your bird pants or holds their wings away from their body, they are too hot. Do not warm them. Lower the temperature around them and go now. Keep any carrier cover loose so air can move. No source gives a cooling method, so that last step is our own advice.
- Go now. If it costs no time, bring recent papers from the cage floor.
What never to do
- Do not syringe-feed, or drop food or water into the beak. A weak bird can breathe it in.
- Do not give any drug or remedy your vet did not prescribe.
- Do not use powders your bird could breathe in.
- Do not try to make your bird vomit.
- Do not use a heat lamp or heater with a non-stick coating, or anything that gives off fumes or smoke.
- Do not carry your bird on your shoulder.
- Do not wait to see how your bird is tomorrow.
Source: Merck Veterinary Manual, Injuries and Accidents of Pet Birds; Introduction to Disorders and Diseases · Association of Avian Veterinarians, Signs of Illness · Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine · Vetere et al., Front Vet Sci 2025
Swallowed something, or breathed fumes? Act now.
Fumes or smoke: move your bird to fresh air at once and go to a vet. Anything swallowed: do not wait for signs. Call your avian vet, an emergency clinic or ASPCA Animal Poison Control on (888) 426-4435 now, and be ready to leave. The line is open 24 hours a day (a consultation fee may apply). Swallowed metal or avocado means go to an emergency clinic now. Do not try to make a bird vomit: it can breathe the vomit into its lungs.
The hard part
Why do birds hide illness?
In nature, birds hide sickness so they do not look weak to other animals. By the time an owner notices, Purdue’s veterinary school says the bird may have been sick for one to two weeks. It also warns that any caged bird that looks ill to its owner is seriously ill.
Eating does not prove health: birds often keep eating and drinking when sick. Feathers can hide even severe weight loss or a swollen belly. And a calm sound proves nothing: a quiet bird can be very sick.
So watch for small changes in appetite, behavior, posture or activity. What matters is a change from your own bird’s normal.
Source: Merck Veterinary Manual, Illness in Pet Birds; Management of Pet Birds · Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine · Association of Avian Veterinarians, Behavior: Normal and Abnormal
Posture
Why is my bird fluffed up?
A bird may fluff up when cool, but that should not last long. Merck says a bird puffed up for long periods, or sitting low over the feet, could be cold or sick and should be checked on.
- Fluffed and sleeping more than normal: this is on the Association of Avian Veterinarians (AAV) list of signs that need a vet at once. Call your avian vet now.
- Fluffed, sleepy and inactive together, or huddled, weak or low on the perch: go now.
- Fluffed in a cool room, and otherwise bright and busy: warm the room and move the cage away from drafts. If it does not settle quickly, call your avian vet (our own advice).
Source: Merck Veterinary Manual, Introduction to Birds; Injuries and Accidents; Providing a Home for a Bird · Association of Avian Veterinarians, Signs of Illness
The list
What are the signs of illness in a bird?
The Association of Avian Veterinarians groups them by urgency. Merck says to take your bird to the vet for any of its listed signs.
Signs that need a vet at once
- Labored breathing or unusual breathing sounds
- Discharge from the nostrils, eyes or mouth
- Eating or drinking much less, or much more
- Vomiting or regurgitation
- Weight loss, or far fewer droppings
- A swelling on the body
- Less calling and less interest in company
These are the AAV’s words. Where our other pages or the app say within a day, that is the latest we would leave it, and it is our own advice. Sooner is always fine.
Regurgitating to a mirror, a toy or a person can be courtship: see parrot body language. If your bird also looks unwell, call.
Source: Association of Avian Veterinarians, Signs of Illness in Companion Birds · Merck Veterinary Manual, Illness in Pet Birds
Early signs: book a visit
- Crusty material in or around the nostrils
- Stained feathers around the nostrils, face or vent
- An overgrown beak or nails
- Changes in eating habits or aggression
- Broken, bent, picked or chewed feathers, or a molt that drags on
- Limping, shifting weight, or sores on the bottom of the feet
A changed voice is also on the AAV’s early list. Our own advice, the same as the app’s, is to see an avian vet within a day.
Eye swelling, redness, blinking a lot or an eye kept closed needs a vet soon.
Source: Association of Avian Veterinarians, Signs of Illness in Companion Birds · Merck Veterinary Manual, Eye Disorders of Pet Birds
At home
How do I check my bird at home?
- Weigh weekly in grams. The AAV says a change of 10 percent up or down calls for a vet visit. See the bird weight chart.
- Look at the droppings daily on plain paper. See the droppings chart.
- Count resting breaths for one full minute, from a distance, before you touch your bird. A rise above your bird’s usual count matters. A normal count does not prove your bird is well.
- Do not take a heart rate or temperature at home. Holding a bird still can harm them. Your avian vet does these.
- Book a yearly check while your bird is well. See finding an avian vet.
Source: Association of Avian Veterinarians, Signs of Illness; When Should I Take My Bird to a Veterinarian? · Merck Veterinary Manual, Management of Pet Birds
In ParrotSense
A daily check that never says “healthy”
- Count resting breaths and tap what you see: tail bob, open beak, fluffed, sitting low, not alert, sleeping more
- One verdict: nothing flagged, call your avian vet, within a day, or go now, with first-aid steps on a go-now
- A normal check says birds hide illness, so it does not rule anything out
- A sustained rise above your bird’s own breathing counts is flagged, and the checks go into the vet report
Launching first on iPhone and iPad, with Android and Amazon soon after.
Questions
Frequently asked
What is a normal breathing rate for a bird?
Why is my bird fluffed up and sleeping?
How can I tell if my bird is dying?
My bird is sick and I have no avian vet. What now?
Can a sick bird make me sick?
ParrotSense keeps daily checks, droppings and weight for your own bird, so a change from their normal is easier to see, and puts it in a report for your avian vet.
See the daily checks