Parakeet seems ill

Hello-- I know I am new here, and that obviously the best thing to do is to take the bird to the vet, however, I am posting in hopes someone might some idea of how to help since I am not able to.

My sister lives on the other side of the country and has two parakeets. One of them is behaving perfectly fine, but the other is acting very strangely. She is breathing slow and is currently sitting at the bottom of the cage in a little bed my sister has made for her. She was eating, but is not only sitting in this dish at the bottom with her feet curled up underneath her. Normally this bird isn't one for being touched, she prefers to be in the cage and is happy sing-songing all day.

Currently my sister is able to pet her gently and the bird opens her eyes a little bit when she does this, but then goes back to just laying there. Is there anything possible we can do, or does anyone have any advice?

I am not able to drive her to the vet because as I said I am all the way on the other side of the country. My sister does not own a car, and the nearest vet is more than an hour drive from her.

I apologize-- I just found out Arden has passed away. She went downhill really fast and we're still not sure what happened. =(

I’m sorry for the loss of Arden. From your description unfortunately it did sound like her prospects weren’t very good. So often these little ones appear to be perfectly fine until suddenly they’re not, and they can deteriorate so rapidly that it’s just not possible to get them medical attention even under ideal circumstances.

Now might be a good time for your sister to do an inventory of the remaining bird’s cage. Many bird toys contain bells made of “mystery metal” which some birds, like my Val for example, find irresistible but can lead to heavy metal toxicity. Any “happy huts” or sleeping tents should also be removed as some birds love to chew on them and can choke on the synthetic fibres.

Please pass our condolences on to your sister, the sudden and unexpected loss of precious little souls like Arden is never easy.

God speed your way to the Rainbow Bridge sweet girl, until we meet again.

In case you should ever want to try further to find veterinary help...


Certified Avian Vets
https://abvp.com/animal-owners/find-an-abvp-specialist/
If none are near you...
Avian Veterinarians
http://www.aav.org/search/custom.asp?id=1803
In my opinion, any of the vets listed here should be better than a regular vet.
International contacts, too.
Or... sometimes I find a place to start just by Googling "avian veterinarian near ((your location))"

I am very sorry for your loss.

So sorry for your loss! She was a beauty and now is an angel flying pain-free.