Parrot First Aid Kit

Before you purchase your parrot you should gather together a parrot first aid kit for emergency situations.   It is hoped that you will not encounter an emergency with your parrot but these things happen and you will be lost without a parrot first aid kit.

Emergency preparedness is very necessary to avoid additional stress to the owner of a parrot.   Your life long companion is in trouble and you are not ready to deal with it – panic!!   Yes, it's true, this is what happens 99 times out of 100.   If you have gathered together your parrot first aid kit then the stress level will stay within controllable bounds.  

What should your parrot first aid kit contain?

The following items are considered essential:-

An aquarium, or similar glass box, with a heat lamp in the lid, of suitable size to contain your bird comfortably with paper or card in the bottom to act as insulation.   It might also help to have a heated pad in the bottom of the aquarium to maintain the birds body heat.   If the bird loses body heat it will use its retained fat to keep itself warm.   This could mean the difference between life and death in extreme circumstances.

A small cage or carrying-basket, which could also be used as an isolation unit or hospital area for a sick or injured bird.

A pair of blunt ended scissors.   These will help should your bird -have become entangled or caught-up in something.   You do not want to cut the bird by accident, which could happen with pointed sharp scissors.

Surgical gloves.   To be worn to keep any wounds as clean as possible and to prevent you infecting the bird through the wound.

Locking forceps, or good tweezers.   Can be used to remove broken blood feathers etc.

Styptic pencil or powder or similar blood clotting agent.    This is for use on bleeding nails or occasionally beaks after careless trimming.   You should wear surgical gloves when using styptic powder as some of these powders can burn the skin leaving painful temporary damage.  

A list of emergency telephone numbers including, that of your avian vet, the nearest emergency clinic and, if possible, a poison control phone number.

Minor things include:-

Latex gloves

Gauze bandages and pads

Cotton swabs and Q-tips

Torch and batteries

Syringes for giving medication or fluids

Nail clippers

Fluids for rehydrating

You may think of other items for your parrot first aid kit but if you have the above this will give you peace of mind and make you ready for that unexpected emergency.