Sleeping more than usual

Sassi (2.5 yr. BCC) has been sleeping more than usual during the day. When she's not sleeping she seems to be her normal self. There are no other warning signs - poop normal, eating normal, no weight loss, no sneezing or labored breathing.

She's been getting her normal 10-11 hours at night. Normally, she's up before I am, but this morning she was not. I started noticing her sleeping more on Friday. Sunday she would play and hour or two then wanted to be held and napped.

She is going through a molt right now, but she's never been sleepy during previous molts.

When does sleepiness warrant at trip to the vet?

Sleepiness does not normally drive a visit to your CAV unless it is tied to another observation, like tail pumping or other illness based observations.

It is possible that your Parrot is going though its first extensive molt. With a heavy molt, it is not unusual for Parrots to sleep more as replacing Feathers requires energy and the more feathers the more energy. You 'may' see a slight increase in what your parrot is eating also.

Birds like to take mini naps all the time, usually when your not doing anything exciting. You said "held" while napping. It's warm, she's sitting on the human she loves the most. Might just be enjoying a nap. I wouldn't worry at this point unless something else comes up. Especially if the napping is preceded by beak grinding and fluffing up and contented sounds.

I'm going to go against the grain here. I would say if this is a sudden change then get to a vet. My guy appeared sleepy on a saturday which I thought was caused by me waking him during the night when he was awake he was his usual cuddly funny self. Sunday he was still sleepy but I noticed his poo became watery and he began to deteriorate in front of my eyes. Monday morning was when he died. Only recently I discovered it was Teflon poisoning caused by a cooking tool I didn't realize had teflon in it. Above all else go with your gut, if you're worried get him to vet. It's better to get them to a vet and it turn out to be nothing than to hold off and lose them

I will also state I am super paranoid (main thing holding me back from getting a new parrot) just so you can formulate an opinion

I will add that I would probably go to the CAV's it may be there is something that will turn up in a blood test or the beginning of something not good?

If she has coped with a moult previously then what has changed?

If this started Friday and today is Tuesday I would want that appointment today really.

We went to the avian vet this morning. The physical exam and fecal were normal. She has lost some weight since she was there last spring. She was 70g last spring with a full tummy. Today she was 64g on empty tummy/post AM poo. Normally she is 67-68g post AM poo by my scale at home. They took x-rays. The initial read looked good, but they are sending them to a radiologist for a second look. The blood test results will be back in a couple days.
Until then, Dr. G recommended feeding strictly pellets (Harrison's HP) and added Emeraid for her.

Harrisons HP is what I feed Skittles and he has never been sick (knock on wood) in the 6+ years that I've had him.

When you notice behavior that is 'out of the norm' and appears worrisome- that cannot be attributed to any likely cause, then a vet trip is warranted.

But if you notice your birds feathers appear shaggy during a molt, that's not unusual or if you notice your bird sleeping a lot one day when they were up later than usual or were disturbed repeatedly through the prior night, thats all stuff than can be explained.

Its just with birds, who are masters of disguise when it comes to hiding sickness, its often better to err on the side of caution rather than take a 'wait and see' approach if there aren't any other reasonable causes to be explained.

IMO there is never a wasted trip to the AV.

I put Sassafras on my scale this morning. By my scale she has not lost more than a gram. I even checked my scale with a calibration weight. I attribute the big "weight loss" on the vet's scale to time of day (full digestive system vs empty).

I'm still glad they are doing the tests. She has never had blood work done. The closest "board certified avian vet" is 2 states, 9 hours, away. I've tried two different vets in my area recommended for avians. Neither has wanted to do blood tests on a bird so small without suspicion of an underlying condition. Thankfully, she took it well and did not need to be anesthetized to draw blood.

The stress of the vet visit must have given her a shot of adrenaline. After a good nap, she was quite animated last night!

Skittys_Daddy said:

Harrisons HP is what I feed Skittles and he has never been sick (knock on wood) in the 6+ years that I've had him.

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Yep, that's her normal pellet. She loves them.

Skittys_Daddy said:

...When you notice behavior that is 'out of the norm' and appears worrisome- that cannot be attributed to any likely cause, then a vet trip is warranted.

But if you notice your birds feathers appear shaggy during a molt, that's not unusual or if you notice your bird sleeping a lot one day when they were up later than usual or were disturbed repeatedly through the prior night, thats all stuff than can be explained.

Its just with birds, who are masters of disguise when it comes to hiding sickness, its often better to err on the side of caution rather than take a 'wait and see' approach if there aren't any other reasonable causes to be explained.

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Thanks for the confirmation and words of advice!

plumsmum2005 said:

IMO there is never a wasted trip to the AV.

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Thanks for the reassurance!

Peace of mind is hard to secure, but well worth it. Hope all is well with Sass.

Spying on mine while away at work, I notice on cloudy/low-light days, they do sleep more and are less animated.

She can more than cope with a few tasty treats and a good tea after having blood taken IMO.

When Skittles flew into the window last Fall, I panicked cause one of his feet went numb and he was having a hard time balancing. I had a panic attack. After a few minutes, all appeared to be back to normal and he was behaving as if nothing ever happened. But I was still sick with worry. I arranged an emergency trip to the vet- they only charged me for a mini-visit rather than a full one or an 'er' one.

He was fine and the foot numbness was likely do to how he hit the window (like your funnybone). The vet checked for signs of distress and discomfort as well any bruises or fractures.

Truthfully, that vet visit was more for my piece of mind too. In all honesty, when Skittles goes to the vet on Monday for his annual, I'm not concerned one bit. Anxious to get it over with though. He actually does VERY well with the vet and that's likely cause he is VERY used to being handled and they wrap him in a towel and he LOVES towels! But I can't imagine he'll have any health issues- but knowing and thinking are two totally different things. With my OCD, the knowing is worth the hassle, the cost, and the trip. Plus, with birds you just never know for sure until the vet visit. Prevention is key.

The blood work came back good. CPK was high, but SassiB has started flying recently and that is likely the cause. Radiologist reading of the X-rays showed a slight dilation of the digestive tract. <Gasp!> Was my reaction. DVM is not concerned at this point. Her previous diet was likely the cause. I'm not sure what foods exactly, but I will ask at the next appointment. She is on a strict pellets only diet with supplemental Emeraid for the next month. I've been trying to get a weight on Ms Sassi the last couple days, but the stinker is up and eating before I'm out of bed. Which is a good sign. She has been sleeping less and getting into trouble more. We will revisit the DVM in on month.

"Normal CPK values range between 100 and 300 IU/L."

Will you get another CPK reading in a month? I would want one I think?

Good to hear Sass is OK though. (You could withdraw food the night before, set your alarm and get that weighing in).

Sassi had her follow-up.

Her sleepiness is gone. She is alert and playful during the day.

I'm a little disappointed about her weight. By the vet's scale she still only weighs 64 grams, same as a month ago. I'm bringing my scale next time for comparison.

She is still molting like crazy. Prior to switching to the pellets only + Emeraid diet her new feathers had stripes on them. She was obviously not getting proper nutrition. The feathers she is getting now are perfectly colored.

My take away has been that when you are dealing with a bird this small every morsel they eat counts. The amount of chop and seeds she was eating didn't seem like much, but on a small bird it doesn't take much. I'm introducing some fresh veggies back in, but in very small amounts; less than the size of a pea. She gets safflower and millet as training treats, but no more than 6 seeds or a couple "nuggets" of millet.

It's still possible that she has PDD. I didn't push for more tests, because, to my knowledge, there is no definitive test. And what would we do differently? If anyone has dealt with PDD I'd love to hear about your experience.

The plan is to go back in 6 months. Earlier if she doesn't gain or anything changes.

plumsmum2005 said:

"Normal CPK values range between 100 and 300 IU/L."

Will you get another CPK reading in a month? I would want one I think?

Good to hear Sass is OK though. (You could withdraw food the night before, set your alarm and get that weighing in).

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Her creatine kinase (which I believe is the same as CPK) was over 1,400. Normal range according to this lab is 50-500 U/L.

Good suggestion for weighing her; however, I would rather she eat as much as she wants whenever she wants. Despite her early rising, I am able to get her on the scale at least weekly.

Here's a picture of Sassi's feathers showing stress bars from too many seeds. She is in the middle of a molt so you can see the changes in her feathers. Look at the wing, the inner most feathers have the stress bars. The middle ones show improved nutrition, and the outer most feathers (hard to see) have bronzing and haven't molted yet.