Recommended Health Care for Your Pet Bird

Before having a pet bird, you must consider and learn how to take care of a specific bird you want as a pet since your top priority is its proper health care. Avian veterinarians are experts in identifying various birds and their characteristics and can explain their behavior to the owner.

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The avian veterinarian should be able to communicate or have a positive relationship with the pet bird to have a starting point; a lousy communication with it will only make it harder to handle. After purchasing your desired bird, have it examined so that you will know the basics of managing your pet bird. After it is reviewed, a veterinarian will explain it thoroughly to its owner, especially if there are any traits that your bird has been experiencing lately. Some tests may not be necessary. Others could depend on the kind of bird, its age, and your avian veterinarian’s assessment.

Listed below is what you need to know about your bird’s health care:

In this guide

1. 1. Body Weight
2. 2. Hematocrit (HCT) / Total Serum Solids (TSS)
3. 3. Gram Stain
4. 4. Aerobic Bacterial Culture
5. 5. Parasite Flotation
6. 6. Chlamydia Psittaci
7. 7. Psittacine Beak And Feather Virus (Avian Aids Virus)
8. 8. Polyoma Viral Disease (PVD)
9. 9. Psittacid Herpes Virus
10. 10. Avian Borna Virus (ABV)

1. Body Weight

An individual bird’s weight is in grams, which is used to evaluate its health. As juvenile birds grow older, they should acquire weight gradually. Ranging 1-5% is an adult bird’s ideal healthy weight. Hence, this essential measurement has diagnostic and therapeutic utility, also prognostic in dealing with a particular pet bird. Weighing your bird once a week in the morning before feeding and keeping a weight journal may be very helpful in maintaining home healthcare.

2. Hematocrit (HCT) / Total Serum Solids (TSS)

This test can determine the bird’s overall health state. The hematocrit or packed cell volume is essential to measure the circulatory system’s percentage of red blood cells (RBC). White blood cells (WBC) are a defense against disease, which is why the decrease in WBC indicates an infection is occurring. Plasma (or “buffy coat”) is essential in demonstrating the bird’s general body debilitation. Blood samples reveal preliminary information about our pet birds. 

3. Gram Stain

Gram Stains indicate the bacteria population in droppings with two types: gram (+) and gram (-). A gram (+) bacteria has an indicator of a dark blue stain, meaning its normal flora in birds. In contrast, a gram (-) appears in a pink or red stain, an abnormal stain result for birds. Humans are gram-negative, so kissing your birds mouth-to-mouth is not advisable, for it may cause bacterial infection in birds. 

4. Aerobic Bacterial Culture

Aside from gram stains, an aerobic bacterial culture is also designed to confirm bacteria found in birds. Once the gram stain’s result is gram (-), an aerobic culture will be performed. Oral cavity and fecal droppings are primarily used in this test. A culture test appears to be more accurate than a gram stain, for it displays what kind of pathogenic bacterium is present. 

5. Parasite Flotation

Fecal flotation is a test comparable to the one used to identify internal parasites in dogs and cats. Internal parasites can exist in birds, such as roundworms and tapeworms, and external parasites such as lice and burrowing mites. Your vet can help protect your bird from this invasive parasite.

6. Chlamydia Psittaci

This disease is contagious to humans and occurs mainly in dried saliva, feces, mucous, and feathers. Once these spread through the air and are inhaled by humans, your cells may slowly damage in time. The signs of these bacterial infections include mucus from nostrils and eyes, cough, diarrhea, and difficulty in flying. For treatment, discuss this illness with your veterinarian for you to know the proper clearing of the infection.

To prevent transmission in humans, practice basic hygiene like washing your hands with soap before and after handling a bird, cleaning their cages, and using protective gear such as gloves, an adequately fitted P2 respirator, and protective eyewear. 

7. Psittacine Beak And Feather Virus (Avian Aids Virus)

A potentially deadly disease that a bird can have. It primarily affects parrots, cockatoos and lorikeets (psittacine birds). AAV is spread through feather dust, droppings and contracts at feeding, roosting, nesting, and drinking sites. Psittacine’s symptoms vary depending on the species and age of the bird. As of now,  there is no cure for this disease. We recommend having your pet birds tested to know their health condition.

8. Polyoma Viral Disease (PVD)

This virus is still unknown where it originated and how long does it infect until the bird’s death. However, it is estimated that death may occur from 2-15 days for small birds while 140 days for larger birds. Signs of PVD involve anorexia, weight loss, diarrhea, dehydration, difficulty breathing, and abdominal enlargement. There is no exact treatment for infected birds other than intensive care.

9. Psittacid Herpes Virus

Also called Pacheco’s disease, this causes sudden death in birds and has no clinical signs that birds are infected. Some birds may be carriers of this virus but never become ill such as Nanday and Patagonian Conure – consider removing or isolating them from other birds. If you owned a bird that died from the psittacid virus, your home should have thorough disinfection to prevent the transmission.

10. Avian Borna Virus (ABV)

Borna Virus is transmitted from bird to bird or through contact with the infected bird’s feces which can be fatal in attacking the nervous system. Its symptoms include weight loss, abdominal distention, vomiting, intermittent shaking of the head, plucking out their feather plucking or self-mutilation, crying or moaning, aggression, and seizures.

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There is no treatment for ABV, but you can discuss with your veterinarian the treatment options for you. It requires special care, so you must look out for your bird thoroughly.
Bird Sitting Toronto can provide your bird with the care and attention it needs and the comforts and amenities you specify. It’s not easy to find a good bird sitter in Toronto to help keep your bird happy and safe while you’re gone. For more questions or concerns, call us at (647) 490-7156.