Unfortunately, accidents can - and DO happen, so it's always a good idea to be prepared! While accidents usually produce obvious injuries, illnesses are often kept well hidden by birds. In nature, if you're sick you pose a threat in making your whole flock vulnerable to predators, so parrots have become adept at masking signs of illness. This is one reason that it's vital to have a "well bird" check-up annually. Needless to day, once a bird is showing obvious signs of illness, he's often very sick and needs immediate vet attention. First Aid is intended to help you get by until you can see the vet, or in treating minor injuries.

It's helpful to have a "hospital cage" for emergencies - a smaller, easily portable cage where you can isolate a sick or injured bird and easily move him to a warm, quiet, area of your home. It's advisable to have a quarantine area as well - for new birds coming into the home, as well as sick birds recovering from an infection. This area should be well separated from the rest of your birds to prevent air-borne transmission of germs, as well as those spread by direct contact.

Some of the signs of possible illness include: more time on cage floor, talking and playing less, fluffed feathers, lack of appetite, drinking more water, personality changes (such as becoming bitey or not wanting to come out of the cage), tail bobbing, puffy eyes, sleeping on both feet with head tucked, droopy wings, sneezing or coughing, "clicking" in chest, vomiting, diarrhea, soiled vent, etc. I won't go into specific diseases here, but hopefully you get the general idea - if things are "different," get to the vet! Other problems include broken blood feathers or egg binding.

It's a good idea to put together a first aid kit (Your Parrot Place has a nice one for sale!) Include: