ALWAYS have a 24 hour certified avian vet at the ready that you’ve established a link with just in case. Even if it’s a 4 hour drive one way, it’s better than waiting til morning or waiting for Monday. Like most other unfortunate accidents or events, birds, like kids, like have a tendency to get sick on a Saturday afternoon after your local vet closes and doesn’t open again until Monday. Birds hide their sickness very well as a survival mechanism in the wild so if they’re showing signs of illness then they’re pretty far along already. Sorry to say folks but those types of illnesses won’t wait til Monday and the only thing that’s left is yet another Facebook post on how “we lost our precious baby X today who got sick and the vet wasn’t available til Monday”. In the lower 48 states, you’re never more than 137 miles away from a McDonalds so unless you live out in Bumphuk Montana, you’ll have a vet within a few hours drive. It’s sad losing your best buddy and a member of your family (because unless you mistreat your fid and keep it in a cage constantly, it WILL become a member of your family) but it’s really bad to lose out on a grand or two that some of these birds cost simply because you’re not willing to drive a couple of hours to seek veterinary help.
Also, (and this should probably be in the maintenance section as well) have at least 2 soft dishtowel sized cloths (washed in unscented detergent and no fabric softener) handy to wrap your bird in for medical procedures. Whether its trimming claws, checking for injuries, what have you. Most vet offices recommend that you practice wrapping the bird in a towel and pretend to do things. Clip or pretend to clip claws, practice putting the bird on a shoebox top that mimics a vet’s bird scale, etc. This way, when the bird is at the vet, when the vet needs to do a medical exam or procedure, they’ll wrap the bird in a white towel/cloth so having your bird used to this will help both you and the vet should the need arise. Any time a vet has to handle an animal; risk goes down with a calm pet during medical procedures. Treats afterwards are good in this instance.