Birds are flock creatures and only the fittest survive in the wild, so it is their nature to hide any illness due to this. Keeping a log of your birds weight is imperative in possibly seeing the first signs of illness. A good scale that weighs in grams is a must for all who share their lives with a feathered companion! Birds who are ill will loose small continuous amounts of weight. This is why it is so important to know your birds healthy weight and check them often.
So first step is to get a scale that weighs in grams. If you have never weighed your bird, remember this is a foreign object to them and they may be fearful of it. Many scales have a tar feature so that you can place a perch on it and then zero out the scale so you are only seeing the birds weight. If your bird is still fearful of the scale, you may want to camouflage it by covering it with something less frightening.
Keep a journal of your birds weight, it is easy to forget exactly what they weighed especially if you have more than one bird in your home. I recommend at least weighing weekly, if you see any flux in weight then you may want to start weighing daily. It is best to weigh at the same time each day. We normally weigh each morning before breakfast, this will give you a very accurate idea of their normal weight.
Any significant changes in weight need to be called into your avian vet asap. Knowing your birds weight can be what saves their lives. Illness can spread quickly and if undetected for any length of time, can make it more difficult to save them.
Deborah
Copyright © 2011 Deborah FeatheredAngels
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