Is there any sneezing, discharge (if so, any color to it)?
How long has this been going on? How old is your bird and how long has he been with you?
Where in the home is he kept? Has he been exposed to any bad inhalants such as Teflon coated pans, scented candles... whatever you can think of to add will help us answer you more thoroughly.
When your bird starts to act ‘off', chances are it's been ill for quite a lot longer than you imagine. Their natural, hard-wired instincts to hide illness/weakness overrides their bonding and trust in you every time. You see, in the wild a weak or ill bird will end up another animal's dinner, very quickly.
When you notice signs of illness or weakness, there are no home treatments or cures and the stuff you'll find pushed in pet stores and online are huge wastes of your money and precious time. No matter what - do not delay having your bird seen. We must never haphazardly treat our birds with medications or herbals without knowing what's really wrong. In doing so, we could make things worse. Much worse.
What you can do while securing a vet to see your companion is supportive care.
Most birds will need a heat source to maintain body heat while you're getting their medical treatment lined up or while you're on your way to see the vet with them.
Putting a heat source into the cage may be necessary since a sick or distressed bird may lose body heat. I prefer a non electric source and use rice socks.
Use a thick, clean sock and fill it ¾ with plain, raw white rice. Knot the end and microwave it for about 1 ½ minutes. Shake it afterwards to distribute the heat and be sure it's not too hot.
You can layer a thick towel on one side of the cage, secure with clothespins out of the reach of the bird's beak - then clip a heating pad over the towel and set on low. Check often to be sure it's not overheating and that the bird isn't gnawing through. A side attachment like this will allow the bird to move closer or away as needed.
If the bird is bottom-bound, install a heating pad under just a portion of the base, again, set on low.
The rice sock option is far safer and more efficient though.
Cover the cage with a thick blanket, leaving all or part of the front door uncovered for better air circulation, to help keep the bird calm by being able to see out and of course so you can check on it regularly just by peeking in. The covering also helps hold some of the heat inside.
I'm very uncomfortable giving the heating pad suggestion because of the potential for the bird to bite through the bars and possibly catch a part of the heating pad. This is just one reason I prefer to avoid electric sources of heat. Another reason is that heating pads can suddenly become faulty and overheat. If ever using an electric source for heating anything in anyway, please be vigilant and constantly double checking carefully.
If your bird will drink and eat on their own, excellent. If not, have an eyedropper ready to administer a few drops of plain water, or better yet, children's Pedialyte every 20-30 minutes. Put the dropper gently inside the beak and let the drops fall into the bottom beak under the tongue rather than trying to get into the back of the throat. We don't want to chance the bird inhaling the fluid and developing pneumonia.
Another feeding option is to offer ½ spoon of all natural, organic baby food (squash, yams, sweet potatoes, mixed vegetables) which many birds take readily; also try some pabulum or baby rice cereal and a few licks of natural (no artificial anything) yogurt.
If your bird is in distress from overheating: Gently spritz a light mist of cool water without frightening them and focus on their feet. Pouring a gentle stream of cool water on their feet may also be helpful.
http://www.exoticpetvet.net/avian/heat.html (details on overheating)
These are just temporary supportive measures to keep your bird alive while you get professional, hands on care. These measures will not cure your bird.
Don't mistake what looks like recovery to be a real recovery. It is very common for a bird to regain enough strength to start hiding their illness again, but what's happening is that it's progressing and by the time you see symptoms again, it will be much worse or too late.
I'd rather take my bird in for an evaluation and find out everything is fine and there's no known explanation for the period of acting ‘off' (which does happen by the way), than to lose my companion.
Find an avian vet near you http://aav.org/vet-lookup and
http://veccs.org/hospital_directory.php
These days, with birds growing fast in popularity as in home companions, many DVM's are quite experienced and able to see and treat many birds. If you have a pet store that sells birds or know of any bird breeders - ask them who they use for their bird care.
Also note that on weekends, nights and holidays there are vets open. Finding them is often just a matter of calling around and listening to emergency numbers listed on the answering services.
An hour's drive to get help is better than spending an hour at home and not being able to do anything.
Good luck. I sincerely hope your beautiful feathered friend is ok. Please check back and let me know.
God bless,
Certified Avian Specialist
Cert. Avian Specialist; Int. Assoc.Animal Behavior Consult; Pet Ind. Joint Advisory Council; author