BIRD CARE

CLINIC AND CHECK UP

Owning, or rather, becoming a companion to a bird is a larger responsibility and a difficult task. Birds are very reserved and hide their illness and hence it becomes very difficult to know whether anything is wrong with him unless you are very alert and vigilant. Trust yourself. If someone tells you to treat your bird in a fashion that makes you uncomfortable or give your bird something that you don't think that he or she should have, follow your heart and/or ask many other people for their opinions. But always trust your heart. This is your companion that needs your love, care and attention and trusts that you will always look out for his/her best interests.

Veterinary Care

It is important that even before you bring your bird home you should find a good avian (bird) veterinarian in your area. You should be able to do this either through the pet store that you purchase your bird from, other veterinarians, or asking other bird owners in the locality. Take your bird first to the vet for a thorough check up after bringing him home.

Because birds are not domesticated like dogs and cats, they hide diseases very well to protect themselves from predators. This also leads to making sure that a bird is healthy which is a difficult task, it's hard to tell just by looking and your vet will need to do a few tests, to check for any bacterial infections.

Bacterial infections can be very common with hand fed birds and are easily treated and cured. Your vet may also recommend a blood test to make sure that all the levels of vitamins and blood cells are normal. This will also allow the vet to maintain record of your bird's history of illness in case your bird ever becomes ill and which he can have to compare it to.

Even if getting your bird checked up by a vet will be expensive but it will save you the heartbreak of bring home a hand fed baby parrot only to lose him or her in a matter of months. Most responsible bird sellers will allow you some sort of health guarantee. This is usually based within a short time frame, usually one to two weeks, for you to have the bird examined and pronounced healthy.

However don't forget to take him regularly to your vet for fortnightly check up since that will keep you tension free. If you notice any abnormalities like less appetite, drowsiness, not interested to play with his favourite toy then immediately take him to the vet and get him checked. Better be on the safe side than repent.