11/18/2025
‼️Disease in Parrots
‼️ PLEASE READ
This is Very Important Information!!!
Always Always Always Quarantine, Disease Test your Babies!!!
Alot of these diseases can be prevented.
Birds can appear diseased or seemingly healthy and can shed the agent for weeks or months.
‼️A Common herpes virus causes an acute, rapidly fatal, hepatitis in parrots, and is known as Pacheco’s Disease. This is most frequently encountered in recently imported birds in quarantine. It will spread rapidly and will wipe out a high percentage of the group in a few days.
‼️Circovirus is the cause of the highly unpleasant Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease (PBFD). This virus attacks young growing feather and beak tissue in fledgling birds, as well as damaging their immune system, so they have no resistance to other diseases. In budgerigars it is known as French Moult, and although most infected birds will die, some will survive but with damaged wing and tail feathers, so they can never fly and are hence known as runners. In most other parrots, infection is almost invariably fatal. The course of the disease varies with the age at infection and the infective dose of virus. Very young chicks will die quickly, often dropping feathers by the handful first. Older birds will develop characteristic feather deformities or discolourations – white in black birds like the Vasa parrot or pink in African greys. See also Psittacine Beak & Feather Disease
‼️ Avian Bornavirus is responsible for another devastating disease with a prolonged incubation period – Macaw Wasting Disease (so-called because it was first identified commonly in macaws), or Proventricular Dilatation Disease (PDD) or Proventricular Dilatation Syndrome (PDS). This virus is similar in its effects to Key-Gaskell Syndrome in cats or Grass Sickness in horses. Initial infection causes mild transient diarrhoea, from which most individuals recover. In a small percentage, there is damage to the nerves controlling the stomach, so that this organ becomes stretched, thin-walled and bloated. Digestive efficiency is impaired, so affected birds will eat well but lose weight, commonly vomit, and will pass undigested food items (especially seed kernels) in their droppings. Some birds will also show nervous signs such as tremors or inco-ordination. Like PBFD, the incubation period can be many months, making the source of infection difficult to define. It is also currently incurable, although isolated pet birds may be maintained by feeding soft foods and giving non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
Parrot Wasting Syndrome
Also called macaw wasting syndrome or proventricular dilatation disease, this illness is characterized by weight loss, vomiting and a swollen crop, and may even present with seizures or depression-like symptoms. Treatment includes providing a stress-free environment for the bird and a special diet, and severe cases may require non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS).
ALL These viral diseases have no specific treatments, since antibiotics will have no effect. Thus their control depends on vaccination (where possible, and currently such availability is very limited); hygiene and disinfection; and quarantine. It is important never to mix newly-acquired birds with existing stock immediately. They should be kept in isolation for a period of quarantine to allow dormant infections to show themselves. This period should be from 10 – 30 days, the longer the better. Most infectious agents will show up in this time, but as mentioned with PBFD and PDD, some viruses will incubate for many months. However, parrots can be tested during the quarantine period for the presence of these viruses. Such control measures apply equally to other infectious diseases.
These are just a few of the diseases that can affect pet birds, and it is important that bird owners carefully research other illnesses and health conditions that may be a problem for their specific pet bird species.
Always Seek Veterinary Care.
Because many pet bird diseases show similar symptoms, and because many birds are clever at hiding signs of discomfort until an illness has progressed drastically, it is important to always be vigilant about your pet bird's health and seek expert veterinary care right away if problems are noticed. An avian veterinarian can perform blood tests, biopsies and other procedures to accurately diagnose different diseases, even if not all symptoms are apparent. Once the illness is diagnosed, proper treatment can start and your pet bird can get back to health as quickly and easily as possible.
