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.
For a makeshift incubator, use a small box lined with soft clothes like tee shirts.
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. Tuck this in just under the cloths.
A heating pad under the box is also helpful, set on low. This is one of the few times I’d ever use both heat sources if necessary to maintain incubation temp (approx. 90 degrees).
If ever using an electric source for heating anything in anyway, please be vigilant and constantly double checking carefully.
Gently drape a light cover over this box to further help hold heat in and keep light low.
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If your bird is too big for a box-incubator or you prefer to stick with the cage:
Putting a heat source into the cage may be necessary. 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.
You can also use plain 'sugar water' - add 1 to 2 tablespoons of natural, real sugar to about 1/2 cup of water and mix well .
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.
Find an avian vet near you http://aav.org/vet-lookup
http://www.parrotpro.com/avlist.php
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.
If you have a Pet Smart in town you may have a vet for your bird. Most Pet Smart’s now have a veterinary clinic inside and many of them will see birds (open 7 days a week too).
I hope he's ok -
Certified Avian Specialist
Cert. Avian Specialist; Int. Assoc.Animal Behavior Consult; Pet Ind. Joint Advisory Council; author