When your bird suddenly becomes ill, your very first step should be to call your vet. However, there are things you can do to prevent your bird from dying. You can make your bird more comfortable while waiting for your vet or while on the way to the animal hospital. Birds make wonderful pets, but they require lots of work and attention. In the event your bird becomes suddenly ill, it is important to provide the best care possible.

First, keep your bird hydrated. Just like humans, a sick bird can easily lose hydration, which can lead to a number of related problems. Eating is important as well. If necessary, force-feed your bird. This will provide your bird’s body with the needed energy for fighting the illness. Your vet can instruct you on what to feed your bird and how to do it. In general, you should remove other foods from the cage to ensure that your bird is eating only the healthy food that you are providing for your sick bird.

It is important that your bird be kept warm. A heater or light can make your bird uncomfortable, but make sure that your bird’s cage is in a warm room and provide a hot water bottle in the cage for your bird. Sick birds should have an environmental temperature of about 30 degrees Celsius (86F), unless instructed otherwise by your vet.

When your bird is sick it is usually recommended that it should be quarantined from other birds or pets. Have an extra, smaller cage on hand to use for this purpose. Keep the sick bird in a different room. Use disinfecting sprays when handling the sick bird and clean their cage often to kill bacteria. To keep the germ count down, keep the water levels in the cage as low as possible and replace often in order to stop bacteria from breeding.

If your bird is very ill, do not hesitate to take it to the local animal hospital. If possible, have someone else call or announce that you will be coming. Leave as soon as possible. In many cases early treatment is the key to saving your bird’s life. Sometimes, no matter how well you care for your pet bird, their health will simply suffer.

Make sure that you are providing the best home possible for your bird. The rest is up to chance. The important thing is to look after your bird when they are sick. Do everything you can to keep them well. If you notice your bird is sick you should call a vet to be on the safe side. Follow any instructions they tell you. If it’s just a minor illness your bird will have a good chance of recovering.