As stated before in the introductory section, 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. Or it happens on an elongated holiday weekend. 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. Its like mom vs dad when they get sick. Dad’s get a sniffle and the world ends. Mom’s handle sickness like Hannibal Smith in that A-Team episode where they drank the poisoned milk and still managed to get away from the bad guys. If your bird looks ill its time to take action.
Sorry to say folks but those types of illnesses won’t wait til Monday and the only thing that’s left if you do 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 Bumfuk 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. Have a vet at the ready.
Also, 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.