Whether you’ve owned birds before or have just got your first set of parrot shredding toys, you need to make sure you know all there is to know about avian health so you can protect your new pet and ensure it lives a long and happy life.

Birds are susceptible to various diseases and infections, one of which is Megabacteriosis, which can affect cockatiels, lovebirds, budgerigars, finches and canaries in particular. It can be hard to detect, although some affected birds will show blood in their faeces. Symptoms include lethargy, regurgitation, a ruffled appearance and weight loss.

Food poisoning can also affect parrots so you should always exercise the same caution when preparing your parrot food as you would when feeding your family. For example, don’t cut vegetables up for them using a chopping board or a knife that has already been contaminated with raw meat produce.

Avian gout is also a relatively common complaint among parrots but is typically related to their diet so make sure you feed them properly and you shouldn’t have a problem in this regard.

Infections and diseases are quite rare if you have a single-bird home, but if you show your birds or they mix with others frequently you are putting your pet at risk. If you do have just one parrot at home and it comes down with an infectious disease, it’ll most likely be because there’s something in its home environment that doesn’t agree with it, or it is perhaps malnourished. Find out about what to feed your parrot here.

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