When to Consult your Avian Vet?

As a lovebird owner, you should know when to fix an appointment with your avian vet. Hence I have pooled some of the important disease symptoms of lovebirds below. If you have noticed any of the symptoms, you ought to contact your vet immediately-

1. head, tail or wings drooping
2. vent soiling
3. More thirst, which will lead more water consumption
4. disorientation
5. Change in normal activities- Preening playing with toys, different perching areas etc.
6. abnormal sleep pattern
7. Picking of feathers or falling of feathers in excess amount
8. Untidy and fluffed up appearance
9. Head circling
10. Loss of appetite

Significant Diseases in Lovebirds

As a lovebird's owner, you should know about the most frequent conditions seen in your pet bird. An introduction to pet psittacine diseases with regard to keeping lovebirds as pets will be discussed in this post. In addition to this, some typical symptoms noticed in the lovebird's disease are also highlighted.

Gout

It is a metabolic disorder characterized by deposition of urates and uric acid crystals in visceral organs or tissues. Articular gout is regarded as chronic form. Visceral gout is regarded as acute form. Signs are not specific in visceral gout but in articular gout a typical tophi with whitish yellow centers can be seen around the joints, ligaments and tendons.

Malaria

It is a parasitic disease caused by plasmodium sp. Affected birds reveal absence of normal behavioral activities, anemic signs, edema of eyelids and emaciation. It is a significant to mention that sudden death is commonly encountered in affected bird.

Coccidiosis

It is also a parasitic condition. Red tinged diarrhea is common in affected birds. Weight loss associated with chronic diarrhea may suggest the disease of many birds is housed together.

Egg Drop Syndrome

Usually seen in unmated birds. Any debilitating condition-weather infections, metabolic, nutritional-especially hypocalcemia could cause egg retention. Since a bird producing eggs require increased calories, provisions of good quality diet in adequate is must in them.

Ranikhet Disease

Affected birds reveal yellowish or hemorrhagic diarrhea, coughing, sneezing, and Dyspnea (difficult in breathing). Since Central Nervous System is commonly affected, incordination / hyper-excitability is noticed in addition of jerking of head, torticollis, tremors, nodding, and bilateral paralysis of limbs.

Feather Loss

Hypothyroidism and hyperadrenalism are often associated. Hypothyroidism in pet pittacines is associated with excess fat deposition over legs and abdomen. Affected birds have delayed moult and diffused loss of contour feather and hypercholesteremia along with hypoalbuminaemia will be seen.