Very sick Parakeet...RI?

[Demjor19]

I have a young male Parakeet (it's actually my fiances) that has had a little sneeze for the past few days. Niether of us are overly knowledgeable about birds, but love him tons nonetheless (we are just fairly new to birds). Anyway...I figured the sneezing should be considered a warning sign, so i watched it for any signs of worsening (which we did not notice).

I woke up this morning to a bird that is fluffed up, breathing very heavily, and can barely open its eyes (it seemed to happen so suddenly). We hurried and called every avian within about an hour drive and no one can see him until monday.

Since i couldn't get him to a vet, I set up a smaller enclosure with all food and water in a closer reach for the bird. I then setup a heat source to maintain the temps at 80-85 (which is what I read based on several google hits).

Now i just checked on him (Skeeter) and he can no longer stand on a perch (I found him face down in the enclosure). So in my final attempts to comfort him, I placed a small towel in his enclosure (making a small "nest" for him). I then placed him in the nest as gently as i could and he is just laying there breathing heavily.

From this point I have no idea what to do? I hate feeling helpless in these situations! he seems so far gone now that i would almost hate to disturb him even if I could find an emergency vet to see him.

I know there are a few bird people on here...Do you guys know of anything I can do? Is there anything I can do?

Thanks,

[Rue]

Birds hide illness well. If they showed it, they'd be more vulnerable to predators in the wild...so by the time YOU see the bird is sick, it's mostly very ill.

At this point, do what you can to keep the bird warm and hydrated...and see if you can get him to eat something. Birds have a very high metabolism...they need to eat and drink often...

But it doesn't sound good.

If he makes it over the weekend, get him to a vet, he likely has a respiratory infection of some kind...

[Demjor19]

Birds hide illness well. If they showed it, they'd be more vulnerable to predators in the wild...so by the time YOU see the bird is sick, it's mostly very ill.

At this point, do what you can to keep the bird warm and hydrated...and see if you can get him to eat something. Birds have a very high metabolism...they need to eat and drink often...

But it doesn't sound good.

If he makes it over the weekend, get him to a vet, he likely has a respiratory infection of some kind...

Thanks. I have food and water in with him and he shows no interest in either. He is just laying in the corner tossing as he breathes with his eyes closed. Is there anything I can do to help him eat or drink?

[Demjor19]

He's gone. Thanks anyway.

[Red]

Dam jordan, sorry for the loss :(

[Lady Hobbs]

I don't know a lot about birds but I do know they easily can catch pneumonia and die if left in drafty areas. Hope your guy recovers.

Dang it! Just read your last post. Sorry

[Northernguy]

I just saw the post Demjor!
Sorry to hear it!:22:

[HeatherB]

Check the store where you got him if it has been recently. They may offer you a reimbursement. If not, if it has still been recent, I would let them know yours died (most likely from pnemonia or a resp. infection) and then they would at least know to keep an eye out for thier current stock.

If you try again, make sure you keep them out of drafts. Even if you have the windows open, it may feel warm to you, but it gets cool quickly on a bird. I usually cover at least half of my cockatiels cage (the end that would get the draft) with a towel or blanket. They also make perches that stay warm- and when the bird sits on them, it warms them up!

Also make sure you disinfect the cage, food cups etc! Are you using a bowl for water, or a bottle? I had one cockatiel that died and we suspect it was from the water bowl.We switched to a waterbottle and have had no problems yet!

[Demjor19]

Thanks for the kind words all.

Check the store where you got him if it has been recently. They may offer you a reimbursement. If not, if it has still been recent, I would let them know yours died (most likely from pnemonia or a resp. infection) and then they would at least know to keep an eye out for thier current stock.

If you try again, make sure you keep them out of drafts. Even if you have the windows open, it may feel warm to you, but it gets cool quickly on a bird. I usually cover at least half of my cockatiels cage (the end that would get the draft) with a towel or blanket. They also make perches that stay warm- and when the bird sits on them, it warms them up!

Also make sure you disinfect the cage, food cups etc! Are you using a bowl for water, or a bottle? I had one cockatiel that died and we suspect it was from the water bowl.We switched to a waterbottle and have had no problems yet!

This little guy came from the lfs where my fiance works. We know the breeder and actually spoke with him today. All of his birds are hand raised and very healthy.

Our tortoises have timothy hay as a substrate and it creates a TON of dust. After reading some info on Parakeets, I suspect the dust had much to do with it. We kept him in the reptile room, where the temps are warm and there is very little to no draft. Since then I have removed the timothy and we are serching for a less dusty substrate. We decided not to get a new parakeet until after our wedding (which is July 10th), since we will be quite busy until then.

Thanks again for all the support. It has been a very sad day here.