parakeet is sick

Question
My parakeet looks sick.  he is unable to fly across the bedroom as he usually does.  I noticed that he's holding his tail tilted down under his body.  For the last few weeks I noticed that his poop is whitish and wet.  Help me! I love this bird

Answer
Monique,

His diarrhea could be caused by an infection or a number of other things but it's important that you treat it right away. Of course a trip to the vet is my first recomendation, but I realize that that is not always possible so I will share with you how I have treated my parakeets at home.

Until he's feeling better don't give him any greens, they contain too much water and tend to make the loose droppings worse. I give my pets millet sprays, they love it and it helps to dry up the stool, so to speak. Make sure that he is in a warm place free of drafts, you might even want to wrap a cover part of the way around his cage if it seems chilly in the house. Make sure he's in a quiet place where he can rest without lots of loud noises which can be upsetting for him.

You can buy medicine at your local pet store and I would definitely invest in it. There are a few different kinds, usually with names that sound like human antibiotics. You can ask the clerk to help you or browse through all of the parakeet meds until you find the one that says it's for diarrhea. At one time I saw some parakeet treat that said it would help treat diarrhea, but I don't know if it's still available or not.

It's important that you treat him soon, diarrhea can be deadly for parakeets because they get dehydrated really quickly. I hope that I was able to help you, if you have any follow-up questions I would be more than happy to try and help. I hope your pet is feeling better soon.

Angel