Talking Parrots

By Kaye Dennan

Having a sick parrot is very disconcerting and because parrots need urgent care if they are very unwell it is beneficial to be able to read the signs of ill health even before the parrot gets really unwell. Not unlike us when we are unwell, parrots do show signs of not being happy which in turn could mean that they are sick. The body language of a pet parrot is a very good way to tell if your parrot is sick.

A parrot does need to feed each day so if a parrot gets very ill very quickly it is important that a visit to the vet is organized early on without waiting a day or two as we do sometimes with other pets like dogs or cats.

What to look for in your parrot so that you can pick up signs of illness. Is it:

· as happy as it usually

· eating properly

· shying away and not being interactive

· sitting in a corner of its cage not showing interest in anything

· sitting on both legs, rather than the one leg it will often sit on if it is resting

· picking at its feathers and/or its feet

· doing anything that is out of character

· biting when it does not usually have that sort of behavior

· happy to come out of its cage but just wants to cuddle up and not interact

Keep these signs in mind when observing your parrot.

Other signs that a parrot owner might observe is aggression and squawking. A sick parrot does not usually like being handled and can get quite aggressive. Another telltale sign is if the parrot is fanning is tail as this is another sign that he is not happy.

A continually squawking parrot means that he could be suffering from distress so it is wise to check out his cage and to see what is going on. The squawking might not be too raucous but constant. Check on the nutritional value of his feed to make sure he is getting all his vitamins and nutrients. This is a good place to start if he is still eating.

Otherwise squawking can be for one of many reasons: loss of a family member, boredom, fear, lack of sleep or even jealousy (which could be over another pet or a family friend). This would mean that the parrot’s illness is more of an emotional nature than a physical one.

Squawking is a way of attracting attention. I have heard of one case where there was a rat in the aviary with the parrot and the parrot was going absolutely crazy squawking and flapping his wings. The owner could not figure it out until they looked in the bottom of the aviary and saw the rat.

Being an observant parrot owner means that the parrot will have a much happier life. As a pet owner we all need to make sure we are taking the best care of our animals and creatures that we can as they do rely on us for their overall well being.

Caring for parrot can be such a rewarding job and they can be so much fun when cared for properly so visit http://petparrotsecrets.com where there is a range of information and help, plus the opportunity to sign up for my FREE mini-course of Pet Parrot Care.