5 Common Parrot Diseases Explained: Symptoms and Treatments

In the wild, many species of birds are animals that will be preyed upon. They need to be vigilant to avoid predators and remain safe. A common trait among prey animals is to hide any ailment they have so as not to be seen as a weak and inviting target. Their lives depend on maintaining the appearance of good health.

This behavior makes it difficult to detect health problems that your pet bird may be experiencing. You need to be aware of the signals that may indicate that your bird is ill, so you can address them before it’s too late. This requires observation of your pet bird so you can notice the signs of illness as early as possible.

5 Parrot Diseases To Watch Out For

1. Psittacosis in Birds (Parrot fever)

What it is?

Parrot fever is also known as psittacosis, chlamydiophila psittaci, or ornithosis. It is an infectious disease that can occur in most species of birds. It is usually spread through contact with droppings and the dust of birds.

Symptoms of Psittacosis in Birds

• Lack of appetite
• Difficulty breathing
• Depression
• Watery, green droppings
• Discharge from eyes and nose

Failure to catch these symptoms early enough can lead to sudden death in your pet bird. If your bird exhibits these symptoms, get it to a vet quickly.

Treatment

Antibiotic treatment under the proper care of your avian vet can result in the successful treatment of your bird.

Contagious to humans?

This disease can be transmitted to humans and will present itself as being very flu-like.

---

2. Polyomavirus in Birds

What it is?

Avian Polyomavirus is another infectious disease that can be found across mammals and occurs in birds. This is a very deadly virus that often affects younger birds. Some studies have indicated that adult birds may develop an immunity. The spreading of the disease happens through the dander of birds, droppings, and touching of the birds. Budgies are considered to be one of the most prevalent carriers, so take extra care if they are your bird of choice.

Symptoms of Polyomavirus in Birds

It can take a period of time before the bird shows any sign of infection.

• Swollen abdomen
• Loss of appetite
• Vomiting or diarrhea
• Weight loss
• Dehydration

Treatment

Vaccination against polyomavirus is recommended and should be done when the birds are still in the breeder’s nursery. There is no known treatment for an infected bird. Strict hygiene and limiting the contact between potentially infected birds is the best preventative action to guard against this disease.

Contagious to humans?

Some forms of this disease can be spread to humans.

---

3. Pacheco’s Disease in Birds

What it is?

This deadly, viral disease is caused by a form of the herpes virus. It is spread through infected feces and nasal discharge. General stress encountered when moving, breeding, or brooding over the loss of a mate can active the virus which had been dormant in your parrot.

Symptoms of Pacheco’s Disease in Birds

• Tremors
• Lethargy
• Sinusitis
• Anorexia
• Green droppings
• Sudden death

Treatment

The anti-viral drug Acyclovir can be effective if treatment is started early, but it can cause kidney damage. It is a highly contagious and deadly disease. Quarantine is the best preventative measure.

Contagious to humans?

It doesn’t appear to be contagious to humans.

---

4. Giardia in Birds

What it is?

This parasitic disease that can be passed from infected birds through cysts released into the bird’s feces. Unclean water supplies are a common source of this problem. To see more information about parasites in birds, check out our guide here.

Symptoms of Giardia in Birds

• Diarrhea
• Dry itching skin
• Weight loss
• Bulky stool
• Depression

Treatment

Giardia can be treated with antibiotics and usually requires several courses as it often recurs. Prevention is best accomplished by keeping the aviary clean and dry and avoiding overcrowding. The use of water bottles is recommended instead of open water supplies.

Contagious to humans?

It is possible for humans to get giardia if they drink from the same water supply of birds, which should be fairly straightforward to avoid.

---

5. Malnutrition in Birds

What it is?

Any of the common signs of illness listed in this section may be the result of malnutrition. If you have your bird on a good diet of nutritionally balanced pellets and fresh foods this should not be a problem. However, they may be lacking certain vitamins in which case you may want to consider checking out our bird supplements guide so that you can overcome these deficiencies.

Symptoms of Malnutrition in Birds

A sign of such deficiencies can be feather stress bars and darkened feathers. You should also ensure the bird is getting enough full spectrum sunlight, especially if they are indoors for most of the day. If this is the case, they may require artificial bird lighting, as seen in our guide here.

Treatment

One needs to be cautious when changing diet, as in some cases birds will not accept the new food and will literally starve themselves. It is recommended that you visit your vet and have your bird examined before a major change in diet. Once the bird’s nutritional needs are met the negative symptoms should resolve themselves over time.

Contagious to humans?

No.

---

9 Sick Parrot Symptoms

The first sign that may be evident to the parrot owner is a change in some characteristic of their bird. There are a number of specific changes to look out for that may indicate a sickness in your pet bird.

1. Strange appearance or stance

• Huddled
• Bird is losing their balance
• Excessive feather plucking
• Hanging on side of the cage with its beak
• Trembling
• Walking in circles
• Not preening

2. Behavior and attitude

• Changes in vocalizations
• Drooping wings
• Inactivity
• Change in personality

3. Bird’s droppings

• Color and consistency changes
• Decrease in dropping
• Blood in droppings

See our full guide to parrot poop here.

4. Head appearance

• Squinting and half-closed eyes
• Flaky or overgrown beak
• Head twitching
• Loss of symmetry indicating swelling

5. Feathers

• Ruffled, fluffed or dull
• Wet, stained on head or vent area
• Over plucking
• Excessive molting and bald spots
• Feather stress bars

6. Legs and feet

• Lameness
• Abnormal nail growth
• Swollen feet or joints
• Crusting or discoloration

7. Breathing

• Tail-bobbing while breathing
• Heavy panting
• Open beak breathing
• Change in parrot sounds
• Exercise intolerance
• Sneezing

8. Eating and drinking

• Decrease in appetite
• Vomiting
• Swelling in crop area
• Straining to defecate or pass eggs
• Inability to pick up food

9. Weight loss

Weight loss is a common sign that your bird is sick. You should monitor your bird’s health weekly using avian scales such as the bird scale pictured in the above image. If you notice any drastic drops in your the weight of your bird then you should take them to the vet and double check the bird food and diet. These scales are also useful for preventing your bird from becoming overweight.

Daily monitoring of your bird, including changing a layer of paper from the cage bottom, will enable you to notice if any of these changes are occurring. Unfortunately, many of the ailments that your pet bird may encounter will present themselves with the same set of indications. This often makes it difficult to determine what problem the parrot is experiencing. Here is a video that shows some things to watch:

When these symptoms appear and you cannot easily determine the cause, it is wise to consider a trip to the avian vet for your parrot.

When In Doubt, See The Vet!

If your parrot is exhibiting any signs that indicate it is having a health problem, your best course of action is to see your avian vet. As stated previously, your bird will attempt to conceal its ailment, often until it is too late to be treated successfully. Early detection is the best chance you have to get your bird the treatment it needs.

References:
https://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/javma.2005.226.532?journalCode=javma
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1439-0450.2005.00823.x
https://www.jstor.org/stable/1590254?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
https://europepmc.org/abstract/med/500464
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4757-1656-6_11
http://www.exoticpetvet.net/avian/diseases.html
https://www.petcoach.co/article/signs-of-disease-and-illness-in-pet-birds-how-you-know-if-y/

Post Updated: 2019-08-27