Starve a cold… or feed a fever?

This old adage absolutely does not apply to birds. Never withhold food from your parrot because you believe he’s too ill to eat. In fact, the opposite is true. When he’s ill try to get your parrot to eat anything. Entice him with all his favorite foods if you have to.

The digestive tract of a bird is unique in the animal kingdom. Knowing how it works is crucial to being a good parrot parent. If it appears that your parrot needs to eat almost constantly, your observation is right on the mark. A parrot is in danger of starving if he doesn’t eat for more than a day. In fact, your new parrot pet can’t go without food for more than 35 to 35 hours. And this is if he’s healthy. If he’s sick food is even more crucial to his well being.

If you’ve never owned a parrot before this may sound a little strange, but a healthy bird rests on one foot. (The exception to this is the young parrot. He needs to use both feet to keep his balance.) If your parrot is sitting on both of his feet or closing one or both of his eyes, he probably isn’t feeling his best.

You can also tell quite a bit about a bird’s health from his appearance. A bird’s plumage should just look healthy. The coloring should be bright, the appearance should be smooth. Additionally, he should be able to keep himself clean. There should be no dirt hanging for his feet or his beak.

If you have any doubts about the general overall health of your bird, take him into your veterinarian. It’s better to catch any health conditions in its early stages than before the problem becomes larger. And if there is no problem, then you’ve gained some peace of mind in the process.