My parakeet can't fly and lets me touch her. Should I see a vet?

Hello! If your female bird is trying to escape your male bird, I would recommend keeping them separated. Frustrated and scared birds often hurt themselves attempting to escape situations. When a bird holds up their leg, it is the equivalent of a human limping and is a sign of pain. I would recommend taking her into be seen by an avian vet. They will likely recommend x-rays. The x-rays will ensure that she has no broken bones, as well as looking at her abdominal organs. Abdominal problems are a common cause of leg issues in birds because their abdominal organs are on top of their sciatic (leg) nerve. They will likely recommend an anti-inflammatory to help with her pain and make other treatment recommendations based off of x-rays and physical exam. I hope this helps! Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

It would be best to bring your bird to a local avian veterinarian, especially if he has been ill for a few weeks. it's possible that an underlying illness, neurologic issue, muscular disease, stroke or other problem has occurred that needs to be examined and treated as needed. In some cases birds may not recover fully, and you may need to adjust your bird's environment to help him get around a little easier, such as adding in flat platform perches or changing access to food and water.

Thanks for reaching out about Koko and including a photo. With the fall, there are worries about a fractured limb (likely a leg). You might have to travel to the vet as this is probably beyond what can be done at home. A warm environment, remove perches to prevent further falling. Diet needs to be appropriate to facilitate bone growth, healing and health. Is there a wildlife rehabilitation group local that can help? Good luck.

I am so sorry but I did not see your original question so I'm not sure how much I can help. The only advice I can give you is to take Harry to an avian veterinarian so they can help you determine if the cause of his illness is internal or external. What the other expert was referring (I guess) is that you need to figure out if he truly "can't" fly or is it that he is just too weak/sick to fly. Taking him to the vet for an exam is going to be your best bet. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

You are probably correct in that your bird has suffered some sort of wing injury. I would recommend taking her to be evaluated by your veterinarian and possibly having X-rays performed to see if any of her bones are fractured. I would also recommend that you trim her wings for now to keep her from flying and further injuring herself.

Hello. I am very sorry to hear that Blue is having such trouble. This actually sounds very serious to me and I would urge you to take Blue to a veterinarian as soon as possible. I wouldn’t wait, since birds can deteriorate and die very quickly and Blue already sounds quite unstable. I’m sorry to relay this news and wish I had an easy solution for you. In the meantime, please keep Blue warm and quiet in a small cage or box. If he’s alert enough to eat, offer whatever he wants or is willing to eat. Best of luck.

Internal diseases in birds can spread in many different ways- nasal secretion, lacrimal secretion, droppings and direct contact. him not being able to fly can be due to various reasons as well, i would recommend taking him to an avian vet specialist in order to get it checked.