A body check is one of the most important first steps. We assess this in a few ways:

• Weight: Compare your bird’s weight against the normal range for their breed e.g. Shavers/Hylines 1.8-2.2kg

• Body Condition Score: Birds can be “skinny fat,” so feeling the keel bone gives us a far more accurate picture than weight alone.

• Fat Pad Check: If you know where to feel, you can also check the fat pad just under the vent.

These three measurements together tell us whether your bird has nutritional reserves or is already compromised.

Before settling your bird into a hospital pen, give them a quick but thorough once-over to make sure there are no unwanted parasites hitching a ride. External parasites are often a sign that a bird has been unwell for some time and can no longer groom effectively enough to keep them under control.

What to look for:

• Lice, mites, ticks and scaly leg mites
  

Where to check:

• Vent area (most important)
• Under the wings.
• Around the face.
• Around the tail base.
• Scales on the legs.

Signs:

• concrete like egg sacks at the base of feathers (lice eggs)
• Red, inflamed or irritated skin
• Raised/crusty or missing leg scales.
• Feather loss, especially around the vent, belly, under wings

Sick birds must be brought inside and away from the flock. Birds mask illness extremely well, and being in the group drains their already-limited energy trying to keep up appearances.

A hospital pen keeps them warm, quiet, and stress-free, all crucial if they’re underweight or haven’t been eating (remember: around 70% of a bird’s daily intake goes into heat production).

Once inside, you can accurately monitor:

• Food intake
• Water intake
• Droppings (very important)

This gives us reliable information to guide treatment.

Droppings are one of the most important diagnostic clues we have. They tell us immediately whether your bird is eating, drinking, and how their gut is functioning.

Concerning droppings to look out for include:

• Minimal / tiny droppings
• No droppings at all
• Very wet or watery droppings
• Bubbly or frothy droppings
• Green bile starvation droppings
• unusual coloured droppings (red, yellow and black)
• Mucus droppings

These patterns indicate that we need to intervene quickly.

Minimum requirements daily

Food = 35g/kg

Water = 70ml/kg

It is crucial that your bird gets their minimum intake requirements for food and water. Offer soft, tempting foods and their favourite treats while they’re in the hospital pen to encourage eating.

When birds are unwell, especially if they’re experiencing digestive upset, they may engage in behaviours to try and self-soothe. These can sometimes lead to poor intake choices, which can worsen their condition.

Keep a close eye out for the following behaviours so you can intervene early, before complications arise:

• Excessive drinking.
• Overconsumption of grass or leafy greens
• Eating excessive amounts of grit, stones, or pebbles.
  

Careful observation during illness is key to preventing secondary problems such as impaction, spilling and aspiration.

IMPORTANT: If they are not eating or drinking on their own, we must step in and assist-feed or syringe fluids until they stabilise. The sooner you learn how to do this, the better their chances.

If your bird is hunched, tail down, not eating or lethargic they likely need pain relief.

Meloxicam

Dose: 0.5 mg/kg (low dose) up to 2 mg/kg (high dose) twice daily. We have a handy calculator if you need help working out the right dose for your bird here

Note: Be sure your bird is well hydrated.

Aspirin

Dose: 25mg/kg twice daily. Below are some available options.

• Aspro Clear 500 or Disprin 500 (500mg/tablet): A high dose dissolvable aspirin tablet. To prepare, dissolve one tablet in 1 litre of water and offer this as the sole drinking water.
• Disprin Aspirin Soluble (300mg/tablet): A lower dose dissolvable aspirin tablet. To prepare, dissolve one tablet in 600mls of water and offer this as the sole drinking water.
• Cartia (100mg/tablet) An oral, low-dose aspirin tablet. To administer, wrap the dose in a small piece of bread or cheese, this helps prevent the tablet from sticking to the oesophagus by adding bulk and encouraging smoother swallowing.

Notes: Short-term use only (4 days max). Must NOT be mixed with other medications, especially Coxiprol.

Pain relief not only keeps them comfortable, it often restores appetite and mobility.

Always consult your vet before giving any pain relief.

When was your bird’s last proper worming?

(Topical “spot-on” one off treatments, Garlic, BETA Drench and ACV don’t count as full worming.)

If it’s been more than 3 months, it might be time to start a structured worming programme, ideally once your bird is stable. Parasites can drain essential resources from your bird’s body, weakening their immune system, causing weight loss, and slowing recovery from illness.

A faecal egg count (FEC) is a great first step to understand exactly what worms are present so you can treat appropriately.

You can find our full worming guide here and our FEC service here

If your bird isn’t improving after the above steps, or if they are rapidly declining, book an appointment.

These steps buy us time, keeping them warm, fed, hydrated, and comfortable is critical, but they do not replace treatment.

You can see your local avian-friendly vet, or book a telemedicine appointment with us so we can help you build a plan tailored to your bird’s needs.