Medical emergencies are incredibly stressful; especially when they involve those we love. We never want to think of our Eckie being sick, in pain or injured. Unfortunately this can happen and we need to prepare ourselves and know what steps to take if an emergency situation arises.

Basic Emergency Care Overview

• Keep calm and reassure your Eckie. Talk to them in a soft, calm voice. Always say their name. This will help keep them alert and focused on your voice
• Assess your parrot and their surroundings to determine what may have caused the injury
• Pick your Eckie up gently. If required, support their head and neck
• Do not lay your Eckie on their back
• Remove anything that may be obstructing their airways. Pry open their beak and remove the foreign object. You may need to use a Q-tip if the object is covered in saliva. This will help give you a little more control when removing the object
• Stop any bleeding
• Remove any objects they may be tangled or caught in
• Keep your Eckie warm by gently wrapping them in a warm towel. They will need to maintain their body temperature to keep them stabilised
• Take them to a quiet room to examine them. Some wounds may be obvious while others may take some time to discover
• Keep your parrot in a horizontal position and examine them carefully. Start with their head and work your way down their body. Try to be as gentle as possible. This is a visual examination to determine the extent of the injury
• Call your avian vet if required and provide them with a detailed description of the situation
• If your parrot has suffered a fracture, gently support the wound. If a bone is protruding, cover it with sterilised gauze. If the wound is bleeding, gently apply pressure. Ensure the injured limb is kept immobile, especially during transportation to the vet
• Take all necessary items with you to the vet, e.g. faeces sample or any objects that may have been swallowed or poisoned your parrot
• Do not feed the parrot any food or water until a vet has examined them
• Place your Eckie in your emergency carrier for the drive to the vet. Line this carrier with soft warm towel to prevent them from being jostled during the drive
• Alternatively, hold your Eckie gently while another person drives
• Drive as carefully as possible. The last thing you want to do is speed and have an accident
• Reassure your Eckie on the drive to the vets and ensure you stay as calm as possible

Note: If your Eckie suffers illness or injury, seek the advice of your avian vet immediately.