Sign of a sick budgie/parakeet/parrot

Knowing the signs of a sick bird can help you spot sickness in your parakeet/parrot early enough for you to call your vet and get your parrot looked at by an avian vet within a time frame that gives your parrot the best chance of recovering and going back to thriving in your care.

Laboured breathing – tail bobbing with breath – If you see your bird’s tail going up and down similar to their breath this is laboured breathing. The only time you should see a bird’s tail moving is when they are getting ready to poop. This is something you do not want to wait out as breathing is the most important thing next to food and water, but food and water are pointless if your bird can’t breathe.
Audibly breathing – if your bird is making sounds while breathing or you can hear them working hard to breathe this goes for the same as above it is very dangerous and needs to be addressed by a professional as soon as possible
Feather picking – feather picking can mean a lot of things but if you have ruled out that your bird is not bored then it is a good idea to take them to an avian veterinarian as this can mean a lot of different health issues the main concern being parasites, mites, or worst case Psittacine beak and feather disease.
Nasal discharge – sneezing is fine some birds get dust in their nostrils and will sneeze to get the dust-out. However, their sneezes should never be wet or visibly have discharge coming out of their nostrils
Eye discharge – nothing should ever be coming from your bird’s eyes. If you see yellow, greenish or clear discharge this could be a bacterial infection. This is something that could be a simple fix but it could also be major and life-threatening so it is best to immediately go to an avian veterinarian
Lose poops/ Different coloured poops that don’t reflect any diet changes – poop is often the first sign of illness you will get from your bird so regularly inspect your bird poop if it ever looks off call your vet let them know and describe it to them and they will be able to diagnose this for you (likely not over the phone).
Holding body lower to perches
Sleeping more
Spending time at the bottom of the cage – this can sometimes indicate their balance is off or they are worried they might fall again something a vet should be contacted about
Not eating as much – similar to you if you aren’t feeling well you don’t want to eat, birds are the same
Weight loss – this is a sign they are not eating (above) and should be taken just as seriously.
Fluffed-up feathers – this is part of what is sometimes referred to as the sick bird look. This is usually paired with closed eyes and a very quiet bird. this is one of the most critical states your bird can be in. for a bird to look unwell it is not a slight cold or URI – please take your bird to the vet immediately as your bird’s life is very much at risk.
Poop stuck to vent – poop should never be sticking to your bird’s body.
Excessive “yawning” – this could mean they are working on breathing.
Not as vocal – this is likely because they are conserving their energy to fight whatever they have.
Changes in vocal tones – very common with Upper Respiratory Infections
Wheezing – very common with Upper Respiratory Infections
Clicking noise in the body – this is common with parasites; this is something that should not be taken lightly.

If you notice anything from this list or anything abnormal to your bird you must quickly get to an avian veterinarian. Often once a bird shows signs of sickness, they are very ill, because in the wild if a bird showed signs of weakness, it was left behind by the flock which ultimately lead to death.