Parrot Illness
Parrots are fairly fragile creatures and unfortunately get sick rather easily. Illnesses in parrots also tend to get worse quickly and may become fatal if the bird does not receive the proper care. It is therefore vital that you can recognize various parrot illnesses and take your bird to a vet immediately if they seem to be unwell.
If a pet parrot suddenly becomes aggressive and does not want to be handled, it may be because it is in pain. Continual squawking could also be a sign that your bird is not feeling well, although there are numerous other reasons why a bird might squawk, so this is not necessarily a tell-tale sign of parrot illnesses.
Sick parrots may also huddle at the bottom of their cage and avoid sitting on their perch. A subtler sign of illness would be your parrot standing on its perch on two feet rather than one. Parrots often balance on their perch on only one leg, especially when they are sleeping, so if your bird is standing on its perch with two legs more frequently than usual, it could mean that his balance is off and he is feeling ill.
Parrots and Sour Crop
One of the most serious parrot illnesses is called sour crop. A parrot’s crop is halfway down its esophagus and is designed to allow the bird to store extra food. This crop needs to be emptied daily into the bird’s stomach or the food in it will become rancid and the parrot will get sour crop.
One way to determine if your parrot has sour crop is to feel where the breast feathers are. A healthy crop will feel a bit like a soft balloon. If this area feels tight, however, your bird may have sour crop and you should take it to the vet immediately.
Sour crop is one of the most common serious parrot illnesses, and you should take whatever measures you can to prevent it. This would include feeding your parrot only twice a day and not letting it nibble too much in between meals. Also make sure that you do not leave rancid food in the bird’s cage, as ingesting bad food can also cause sour crop.
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