Birds that are in shock appear weak, unresponsive, fluffed up and breathe in slowly and out quickly. Place the bird in a quiet, semi-dark, warm, humid environment. Warmth is essential in getting birds through a state of shock – temperature should be between 25 and 30 degrees.
Foods to offer: seed, millet, pellets, some fresh fruit, or easily digestible human foods such as mashed ripe bananas, applesauce, strained or soft vegetables such as peas or vegetables, infant rice cereal or baby food, oatmeal, or ground up pellets mixed with fruit juice.
If you find a sick or injured bird, contact a wildlife rehabilitator or local veterinarian to see if they are able to care for it. Make sure you call first as some clinics don't have the facilities to isolate sick birds, and can't take the risk of spreading a communicable disease among their other birds.
There are many causes of anorexia and lethargy in pet birds including cancer, viral or bacterial infections, fungal or yeast infections, parasites, endocrine or hormonal diseases, and organ-specific problems such as liver, heart, or kidney failure.
Make sure they are eating and drinking
Without proper nutrition and fluids, sick birds will not get better. If your bird is not eating or drinking as they should, contact your veterinarian immediately.
Place the wild bird in a cardboard box and cover it with a lid or towel. Then place the box in a cool, safe place to give the wild bird time to recover from the shock of the injury. Be careful when handling the injured bird; use gloves to protect yourself from any disease or germ.
It was concluded that acetaminophen does not cause any nephrotoxicity in birds like diclofenac and it can be used safely in treatment of birds.
If his eyes appear to be sunken or dull, or the skin surrounding his eyes has a wrinkled appearance your bird may be suffering from dehydration. Dehydration also can cause a bird's mucous membranes, located inside the bird's mouth, to become sticky or dried out.
Do not try to force feed or give water to the bird. Take the bird outside and open the box every fifteen minutues to see if it is able to fly away. If it is still staying put after a few hours, you can try to find a local wildlife rehabilitator. Click here to locate a Wildlife Rehabilitator by county.
Hang climbing ropes or nets from the floor to play stands or other favorite spots. Climbing is great exercise and your bird will benefit from the struggle – no helping!
Put it back in the nest if it doesn't have feathers
If the bird is very small and still featherless, you should place it back in its nest. If you can't find the nest, put the bird on a branch safely out of reach of dogs and cats.
Although there are more than 10,000 species of birds in the world, when an avian patient needs pain medication, veterinarians often rely on one drug, butorphanol.
There are many “human” medications used in birds. Just as one example, people will take an antibiotic with the brand name Augmentin. The generic name for this is amoxicillin/ clavulanic acid. Birds can take this medication just fine as well but the brand used most frequently is called clavamox.
You can provide water so that the bird can drink on their own, but don't try to drip-feed the bird water. This way, the bird will be able to drink water even if it's dehydrated.
You can mix glucose, multivitamins and antibiotic syrups in water as this will speed up the rehydration process for birds. “Giving dehydrated birds electrolytes mixed in water is the best way to help them, but adding honey to water may encourage the bird to drink faster.
If you have found a sick or injured bird it will need to see a vet before coming into care. If you are able to safely contain the bird, you can keep it in a quiet, dark, warm place e.g. wrapped in a towel in a ventilated box or carrier with a lid while you transport it to the nearest vet.
Just as biting can be indicative of pain or discomfort, so can screaming. Thus, any bird that suddenly starts screaming should be checked out by a veterinarian to ensure there is no medical basis for this behavior. While screaming can indicate underlying stress or unhappiness in birds, so can decreased vocalization.
One way to know whether your bird is feeling well or not is to notice whether it is squinting. Squinting is a very good predictor of your bird being in pain; however, it does not necessarily indicate an eye infection.
Symptoms of a depressed bird can include: Fluffed-up feathers. Loss of appetite. Change in droppings.