Worried about my Green Cheek

[Issen]

I have a one year-old green cheek conure, and lately he's been acting a bit differently. Normally, he's a bit nippy and very energetic, but he's been pretty lethargic for the past few days. He's been sleeping in his happy hut throughout much of the day, using the time he spends out of his happy hut for eating, and his feathers have been fluffed up most of the time too. He also suddenly became very 'affectionate', letting me scratch around his face while putting his foot up to his neck and making a scratching motion. He seems to lean against me slightly when I take him out of his cage, too. What worries me is that this isn't his normal behavior. He's only been like this for the past few days. I have a vet appointment scheduled for this coming Saturday, but I'm still worried. Any advice would be great, thanks!

[Pajarita]

Well, I am afraid that your bird sounds quite sick and I would not recommend waiting an entire week to see a vet about it because, by the time we actually notice the bird is not behaving normally, it has actually been sick for days and days (birds hide the symptoms when they are sick and you only see them when they are so very sick they can no longer hide them). Please call them again and tell them you need an appointment right away, that your bird is very sick a.nd you are afraid it might die if you wait an entire week. I am sure they will accommodate you. In the meantime, keep him in a quiet area of the house and VERY warm (and by that, I mean at a temperature between 85 and 90 degrees). I do this by putting a heating pad (the kind that doesn't turn off by itself after 2 hours) at the bottom of the cage and covering all sides but the front (so he has some light to eat) with some type of material (this 'traps' the heat inside the cage). Give him soft food to eat (cooked whole grains, a good quality multi-grain bread, cooked couscous or pastina - you can mix some fruit or veggie puree from baby food in there, too).

Good luck, my dear!