$38 : My parakeet is on the bottom of the cage. Appears weak, unbalanced,

Hi there,

Sorry to hear that your bird is having trouble.

Any time that a bird is not eating and spending its time at the bottom of the cage, this indicates potentially serious illness. Birds are masters at hiding any problem until it is advanced and severe, so by the time they are showing signs of disease, they are often very sick.

I would recommend that you have your bird seen by a veterinarian who is well-versed in bird medicine as soon as possible. In the meantime, you can try to get some fluids into the bird using a small medicine dropper, however if the bird appears stressed by this (open-mouth breathing, puffing feathers, stumbling, etc), do not continue.

One caveat. In a sick bird, simply the act of collecting the bird and transporting it to a veterinary clinic can sometimes be enough stress to kill the bird. Use slow movements and keep the bird in a warm, dark, quiet place before, during and after transport for best results.

Hope that helps!! Happy to answer more questions for you if you have any.

Thanks!
Dr. Paul

Veterinarian

Small Animal Medicine and Surgery Internship, Veterinary Acupuncture trained, Wildlife and Exotics

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