Concerned about heart disease in your bird? Discover symptoms, diagnosis and treatment from experienced avian vets in Melbourne.

At Melbourne Bird Vet, we are proud to offer advanced fluoroscopy imaging - a powerful diagnostic tool that allows our avian veterinarians to view your bird’s organs and body systems in motion and in real time.

Last update for this post: 24/12/2024 (as of this update, H5N1 is not yet in Australia) What is avian influenza? The avian influenza viruses (AIVs) belong to the family Orthomyxoviridae and are highly contagious diseases of birds. There are several viruses that belong to this group and are classified as high pathogenic (HPAI) or low pathogenic (LPAI) based on their ability to cause disease in birds. Viruses that at LPAI may cause minimal disease, while HPAI strains can cause

Excessive egg laying is a common condition in pet parrots, particularly with cockatiels. Laying eggs is not a problem, but when a bird is not healthy enough to do so, or when they lay an excessive number of eggs, they can become egg bound. When a bird is egg bound, she will usually require hospitalisation, medication, and possibly surgery to remove the bothersome egg. It is important in these birds that we reduce the number of eggs they lay in the future to prevent a reoccurr

PTFE and/or PFOA (E.g. Teflon) Birds are susceptible to PTFE toxicosis from overheated cookware or microwavable items that are heated at a high enough temperature to release toxic fumes into the air. Common items with PTFE and/or PFOA are non-stick pans, cake tins, air fryers, microwavable popcorn bag linings, some heaters and hair dryers. Ensure your kitchen is well-ventilated and that any PTFE & PFOA items are never left to burn or used at an extreme heat. Some owners opt t

Birds use their beak to eat, climb, chew, balance, preen and carry small objects. It is an important part of their anatomy, and taking caref

The best diet for finches includes finch seed, pellets and vegetables, and small amounts of fruit or nuts as a treat.

The best diet for a pigeon includes pellets, vegetables, whole grain and a small amount of seed, fruit and insects.

Cockatoos can include: Galahs, Black Cockatoos, Sulphur Crested, Gang-Gang, Pink Cockatoos & Corellas, A common mistake in caring for cockatoos is to feed too much dry seed. Dry seed alone is very high in fat while being low in protein and many essential vitamins and minerals. A cockatoo fed entirely on dry seed can end up with multiple problems such as poor feathering, respiratory disease, fatty liver and diabetes. The best diet for a cockatoo/galah includes pellets, fruit

A common mistake in caring for cockatiels is to feed too much dry seed. Dry seed alone is very high in fat while being low in protein and many essential vitamins and minerals. A cockatiel kept entirely on dry seed can end up with multiple problems such as poor feathering, respiratory disease, fatty liver and diabetes. The best diet for a cockatiel includes pellets, fruit and vegetables and small amounts of seed as a treat. The diet we recommend be fed: High quality cockat

Diet for Eclectus Parrots For any bird species we can make general diet recommendations but ‘one size does not fit all’ and a diet on which one bird may thrive may not suit another. This is particularly so for Eclectus Parrots who are a tropical species that have a complex breeding behaviours where the females may remain sedentary protecting a nest site for up to 11 months of the year, while males will range widely around the rainforest for fruits and berries. They regurgit

A budgerigar kept entirely on dry seed can end up with multiple problems such as poor feathering, respiratory disease, fatty liver and diabe

In the wild, rainbow lorikeets feed on nectars and pollen from flowering plants. It would be impossible to provide this diet to a captive bird, so we must offer the foods that most closely resemble the natural diet. The diet we recommend be fed: High quality lorikeet formula (eg. Passwell or Wombaroo) These are both designed as complete diets for lorikeets. A number or other brands exist which make this claim but many of them are little more than sugar and flour combination

Amazons, Macaws, Quakers & Conures are South American Parrots A common mistake in caring for South American parrots is to feed too much dry seed. Dry seed alone is very high in fat while being low in protein and many essential vitamins and minerals. A South American parrot fed entirely on dry seed can end up with multiple problems such as poor feathering, respiratory disease, fatty liver and diabetes. The best diet for a South American parrot includes pellets, fruit and veg

Across the board the most common nutritional problem that we see at MBVC is birds being fed all seed diets. This can be harmful in itself as an all seed diet is low in vitamin A & a range of other vitamins and trace elements; it can also lower a bird’s immunity and overall ability to fight other diseases. To ensure your bird is getting enough vitamins, minerals, and nutrients, they should be provided with fresh, clean vegetables daily. Feed a range of vegetables across the ye

Alexandrines, Indian Ringnecks, Malabars & Mustache Parrots are all Asian Parrots A common mistake in caring for Asian parrots is to feed too much dry seed. Dry seed alone is very high in fat while being low in protein and many essential vitamins and minerals. An Asian parrot fed entirely on dry seed can end up with multiple problems such as poor feathering, respiratory disease, fatty liver and diabetes. The best diet for an Asian parrot includes pellets, fruit and vegetabl

Instructional Videos on how to give medications to your pet bird

Toxicity from heavy metals can occur when birds ingest substances that contain lead, or high amounts of zinc or copper.

Chickens are very intelligent and busy birds. A good diet and regular health checks are crucial to having a happy, healthy flock.