Chapter 6 - Common Illnesses

I propose to deal here only with the more usual diseases that a parrot is liable to contract, and what I have to say applies of course equally to cockatoos and macaws. One thing of paramount importance to remember with regard to a parrot is that if it has its head under its wing and both feet on the perch it is almost certainly ill, whereas if it has its head under its wing and one foot tucked up into its breast feathers it is merely resting in the normal parrot manner.

Generally speaking, they are healthy, hardy creatures, particularly those belonging to the various species which are most frequently to be found in captivity, and the fact that many of them manage to survive for a great number of years, often in spite of, rather than because of, the treatment they receive, is a striking tribute to the toughness of their constitutions.

I should certainly say that the diseases most commonly met with in parrots are Chills, Pneumonia and Enteritis. I refer, of course, to the ordinary non-infectious enteritis, and not to the dreaded infectious type, which is invariably fatal but fortunately much rarer.

A bird with a chill sits about looking thoroughly unhappy and keeps putting its head under its wing. If it is noticed at once and promptly put in a steady temperature of between 8o° and 900 F. (nothing less is of the slightest use) it will often recover as quickly as it got ill.

A neglected chill is liable to be quickly followed by pneumonia or enteritis or both, and it should perhaps be pointed out that enteritis can also be caused by musty seed or stale green-food, particularly if the latter was picked when wet, and it is characterized by vomiting and diarrhea.

In addition to heat treatment, a bird with enteritis should be given to drink three tablespoonful of water with five drops of Syrup of Buckthorn mixed in it.

Pneumonia in birds was generally considered to be incurable, and the only real hope even to-day is the wonderful modern drug Sulpha mezzathine or one of the antibiotics. These, however, cannot be obtained without a veterinary certificate, and the condition of sick birds deteriorates so rapidly that they are apt to be dead before this can be got. If obtained in time, the vet. will doubtless advise as to the actual quantity to be given.

A bird suffering from Bronchial Catarrh breathes in a heavy and laboured manner which is often accompanied by wheezing and also a slight clicking sound. In addition to heat treatment, the rather lengthy cure consists of giving the patient five drops of the following mixture:

3 parts liquor ammon-acet.
3 parts tincture of squills
2 parts sweet spirit of nitre
mixed together with 1 oz. drinking water.

If there is a mucous discharge from the nostrils they should be sprayed or dabbed with Glycothymoline and warm water in the same concentration as is recommended for human gargling purposes.

Fits are often instantaneously fatal, but in cases where a bird has a fit but survives, it is of the utmost importance to give it complete rest and quiet, and in order to ensure this it should be put in a cage with the top half covered over so that the bird is in a subdued light—only just enough to allow it to feed. Food should be of the plainest, with plenty of green-food and fruit.

Egg-binding is most prevalent in cold weather—though there are other causes—and the best cure is simply to put the bird in a steady temperature of 850 F. when it will usually pass the egg satisfactorily.

Feather plucking is a vice rather than a disease, and a very tiresome one as it completely spoils a bird's appearance, and in my experience is incurable. Although not unknown in aviary birds it is chiefly prevalent among caged members of the parrot family, and I am quite sure that boredom is one of its main causes. As the best preventive a caged parrot should always be given plenty to occupy it as well, as being let out for exercise as often as possible.

Feather-eating Mites give a bird a generally ragged look, as they actually eat the webbing of the feathers, often leaving minute round holes in the portions they have just started on. The best cure is to dust the bird's plumage thoroughly, either with D.D.T. powder or else with 0-5 per cent. Gammexane Dust. Red Mite should be similarly dealt with but they of course are, like ticks and fleas, bloodsuckers and not feather-eaters.

Gout and Arthritis have each rather similar symptoms— namely a painful swelling of the joints—and both are usually seen in oldish specimens. There is no certain cure, but the swellings can be painted with tincture of iodine, and a 5-grain tabloid of either salicilate or iodide of potassium can be mixed with 6 tablespoonful of drinking water.

Overgrown Beak and Toenails more usually occur in elderly caged specimens, and are doubtless partly due to lack of the normal wearing down and renewal process which occurs in a natural state. This, however, is not always the case, and sometimes the beak of a quite young and healthy bird in an aviary will suddenly start to overgrow, and the same applies in a rather lesser degree to toenails.

As far as I am aware nobody knows exactly why this should happen except that it may be caused by some sudden lack or disturbance in the bird's general make-up. Once it has occurred there is no actual cure for it, and the only thing to do is to clip the superfluous growth off whenever necessary with a pair of very sharp nail-scissors or clippers. It is quite a simple matter to do this to the beak, but great care must be taken with the toenails as these have a vein down the centre, which can be clearly seen if the nail is held up with a bright light behind it. Do not cut the toenail right up to this vein, otherwise it will bleed.

Paralysis of the Feet often comes on very suddenly and one of its causes is chill. The bird should be kept very quiet and be given a piece of soft turf on the floor of the cage to rest on. It often helps to massage the legs with methylated spirits or, alternatively, to paint them with tincture of iodine. In addition, put the bird in heat.

Tuberculosis is fortunately not very common in parrots as it is incurable. It is a wasting disease, the bird "going light" as it is called—that is to say, either gradually or rapidly losing weight and eventually dying. Its most frequent victims are elderly members of the parrot family that have been caged for long periods under bad conditions.

The various "Fatty Degeneration9 diseases (chiefly of the liver, heart and kidneys) while also incurable, are nevertheless, to a certain extent preventable, just as they are in human beings. There is of course no magic talisman, but as much exercise as possible, fresh air and plenty of plain but nourishing food do all help.