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Home  >  Health

5 Common Parrot Diseases Explained: Symptoms and Treatments

bird-diseases
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.

Table of Contents -->

  • 5 Parrot Diseases To Watch Out For
    • 1. Psittacosis in Birds (Parrot fever)
    • 2. Polyomavirus in Birds
    • 3. Pacheco’s Disease in Birds
    • 4. Giardia in Birds
    • 5. Malnutrition in Birds
  • 9 Sick Parrot Symptoms
    • 1. Strange appearance or stance
    • 2. Behavior and attitude
    • 3. Bird’s droppings
    • 4. Head appearance
    • 5. Feathers
    • 6. Legs and feet
    • 7. Breathing
    • 8. Eating and drinking
    • 9. Weight loss
  • When In Doubt, See The Vet!

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.

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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.

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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

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Bhanudas jambhulkar says

    June 22, 2018 at 12:36 pm

    Yes, I had one budgie which has passed away, was under normal condition suddenly with no minutes passed
    I got one new budgie and want to handle very carefully, need for diagnosis and treatment
    Please provide me

    • Jack Taylor says

      June 22, 2018 at 2:21 pm

      Hi Bhanudas,

      Sorry to hear your previous budgie died. If you’re new to parrot owning then I recommend you start with this guide:

      https://www.herebird.com/owning-a-parrot/

      Whereas species specific information about budgies can be found here:

      https://www.herebird.com/english-budgies/

      Hope it helps,
      Jack

  2. Ajmal says

    July 3, 2018 at 4:16 am

    My parrot (green jungle middle long race) has lost his feathers from neck. Feathers are un-grown from one year till now.

    • Jack Taylor says

      July 12, 2018 at 3:45 pm

      Hi Ajmal,

      Is this due to feather plucking?

      You might want to see our guide to feather plucking in the link below:

      Feather Plucking Guide

      Jack

  3. Sadia says

    July 21, 2018 at 11:18 am

    Hi! My parrot is I’ll. Vet said he is having respiratory tract infection. He prescribed amoxicillin & paracetamol for 5 days but still no improvement in health. I am very worry. Plz help! :-(

    • Jack Taylor says

      July 23, 2018 at 9:29 am

      Hi Sadia,

      If your bird is unwell and if you’ve already taken your pet to the vet then it is best to follow their instructions. If you’re still concerned then a second opinion from another vet can’t hurt, but I would return the bird to the original vet if the condition worsens.

      I hope your bird is doing better.

  4. Esther S says

    July 29, 2018 at 2:39 pm

    My quaker parrot, wants to mate. When in the year is best.
    should I purchase another parrot?

    Thanks, Esther

    • Jack Taylor says

      July 31, 2018 at 9:06 am

      Hi Esther,

      If you’re looking to mate a quaker parrot then I recommend checking out this guide to pet bird breeding:

      https://www.herebird.com/pet-bird-breeding/

      And here’s a guide to quaker parrots:

      https://www.herebird.com/blue-quaker-parrots/

      Hope it helps!

  5. Hind says

    August 7, 2018 at 7:02 pm

    Our parrots feet are swollen, redened and desquamated in some areas. Some cracking has started in the swollen parts as well.
    Its been only 2 days started off with one foot and now the other. There seem to be diarrhea as well.
    Appetite not affected and acitvity is minorly decreased. Please advise? A vet is my last option since our pets seem to die after visiting the vet.

    • Jack Taylor says

      August 15, 2018 at 2:33 pm

      Hi Hind,

      I strongly recommend taking your pet bird to a vet. If you’re not comfortable with your previous vet then you can always visit another one.

      Also, check what types of perches you’re using with the guide here:

      https://www.herebird.com/bird-perches/

      However, if the bird also has diarrhea then this suggests there are other non-foot issues happening and so a good vet is needed for diagnosis.

      I hope your bird gets better,
      Jack

  6. Reesman says

    September 14, 2018 at 10:20 am

    My cocktiel is breathing heavily and is falling down and sneezing way should I do I am so worried
    Pls help me.

    • Jack Taylor says

      September 15, 2018 at 8:43 am

      Hi Reesman,

      Definitely take your cockatiel to a vet immediately for diagnosis.

      Jack

  7. Kayla says

    October 7, 2018 at 8:30 am

    My Quaker parrot has discharge around the nostril that has spread to her left eye. I have an appointment set for a few days from now, but the spread to the eye is very recent. Should I take her to an emergency vet or wait it out the four days…? Everything else is normal behavior wise

    • Jack Taylor says

      October 8, 2018 at 8:56 am

      Hi Kayla,

      Yes, this sounds like a serious condition and I’d highly recommend you take your quaker to a vet before it gets worse.

      Best,
      Jack

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