Keeping a close eye on your parakeet will help you quickly notice and figure out if the bird is sick. One thing that you will quickly notice is the bird laying in its food dish
This article is a look into why your parakeet is laying in his food dish
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Why is my parakeet laying in his food dish:
Paarakeets, or any other type of bird for that matter, are not known to lay down, birds can rest and even sleep standing up, they aren’t known for laying in their food dish either.
Here is why this may be happening:
The bird is sick:
Birds who are in good health will sleep standing up but parakeets who are sick will lie down a lot.
If your bird is sick it will try to hide signs of being sick, this behavior is instinctual as wild birds would do this to keep predators from singling them out.
However, if your bird can’t hide signs of being sick then you will see signs of illness in the bird. Signs of illness can indicate that the bird’s sickness is likely quite far along.
If the bird is laying down in its food dish, then the bird’s sickness is likely so far along that the bird will be too weak and too sick to stand on its perch so it will lay in its food dish.
What to do:
Your bird may be suffering from a variety of ailments depending on what other symptoms the bird is showing.
It may take a while to figure out what is wrong with your bird on your own so it is recommended that you take your bird to the vet for diagnosis.
The vet will do a physical exam on the bird and run tests on the bird to diagnose the problem.
Once the problem is found the vet will prescribe treatments for the bird based on what is wrong with the bird.
In the meantime, isolate the bird and give it its own fresh food and water until you can get the bird to the vet.
It is nesting:
You may actually have a parakeet female, not a parakeet male, and the female may be using the food dish as a nesting site.
These birds like to nest in small enclosed and safe places and this may be the food bowl. If you don’t have any other places available for the bird to nest then the bird may choose to nest in its food bowl.
The parakeet does not need a male to produce eggs, she only needs him to produce fertile eggs, but she will lay eggs when she is ready nonetheless. And she may be preparing to nest in the food dish.
What to do:
Nesting in the food dish isn’t the best because the bird can poop in the food dish while nesting and her eggs can hatch in the food dish. All of this material will mix in with the food and the bird may still eat it.
So, it is recommended that you get the bird a nest box or you can give her a small cup to nest in, this will keep her out of the food bowl.
You can also remove and empty this food bowl. Be careful when doing this, your bird may charge at you as you do this as a way of protecting its territory.
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other bird related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Conure Beak Problems, Why Is My Bird’s Beak Cracking, Conure Beak Cracking, Cockatiel Rubbing Vent, Will Male And Female Budgies Always Mate, Bird Poops In Food Bowl, How Do I Know If My Budgie Is Eating Enough?, Pigeon Vomiting Green,