Have you ever had a bird related emergency? Most pet bird owners have, and if you haven’t, you’re really lucky! Birds are curious and clever, but sometimes it seems that they don’t think much about their own personal safety. In a split second, a bird can get themselves into a sticky situation. Whether you’re dealing with accidents, illness, or injury, we’ve found that it’s always best to be prepared. That’s why we decided to put together a masterlist (it’s REALLY long!) that will help you put together the ultimate bird first aid/emergency kit. We took apart our own emergency kits and documented the contents here, with pictures and links to make it easy for you to make your own.
Arya Jeyne at MSPCA Angell getting bandaged after a foot injury.
If you’re a bird lover you may find that you’re suddenly dealing with an emergency related to a wild bird, stray pet bird, or friend or relative’s bird, so we’ve included supplies to deal with all kinds of bird related emergencies. Do you need to rush out and purchase every item on the list right now? Well, the good news is that you probably have some of these things around the house already. We’ve also tried to link to items in different sizes to cover all different varieties of pet and wild birds. You may find that you don’t need to own a heat lamp, heating pad, heated perch, and hot water bottle, but having one or two of those options is certainly important. Use your own judgement and collect the supplies that apply to your bird(s) and your lifestyle.
Many of these items are self explanatory. If not, we’ve provided a line or two to explain how we use them. In addition to the supplies below, you’ll need a box or container to hold all your supplies. Whatever doesn’t fit into your kit, make sure to keep organized and at the ready, you never know when you might need them!
Amazing natural healing. For managing difficult wounds and helping with the removal of necrotic tissue.
For trauma, bruising, and reduction of pain. Dissolve one or two arnica pellets in water and syringe into the bird’s beak. Repeat every one to two hours until pain and trauma begin to improve.
For stopping the blood flow when you’re dealing with a broken blood feather, beak or nail.
Healing wounds, scrapes, cuts, irritations and more.
For the topical treatment of burns.
Washcloths, Hand Towels, Bath Towels
Toweling, drying, cleaning, and anything you can think of.
Use for anything from cleaning up messes to lining cage bottoms and anything and everything in between.
Syringes 1ml, 3 ml, 6 ml, 10 ml
Use to administer medications, feed soft foods, teas and juices, and more.
Bandage Scissors, Ball Tip Shears
Locking Hemostat – Straight & Curved
Slant and Pointed Tip Tweezers
Nail Trimmers, Small/Tiny, Medium, Large
Pre-cut into different sized strips and re-roll to have on hand for feet, toes, legs, wings, etc.
Saline Spray, Saline Solution (0.9% Sodium Chloride)
Q-Tips, Cotton Swabs, Cotton Balls, Cotton Pads
Pre-cut into different sized strips and re-roll to have on hand for feet, toes, legs, wings, etc.
Whenever we have a sick or injured bird, we add a little pedialyte to their water to help stave off dehydration and provide electrolyte support.
Read all about the benefits here.
For dry eyes, or to flush the bird’s eye to help remove dust, etc.
Wooden Popsicle Sticks, Tongue Depressors, Ice Cream Spoons, Flat (not sharp!) Toothpicks
For making splints of various sizes.
For covering bird cages.
Small Bird Carrier, Pet Carrier or Travel Cage
Always have carriers easily accessible and ready to transport birds in an emergency.
For catching escaped or stray birds.
Emergency Information Sheet
Include an emergency info sheet in your kit, but also program this information into your smartphone so there’s no need to take extra time in the moment. Hang a copy of the sheet in your kitchen and in your bird room, too.
- – Veterinary clinic phone number, hours and directions to the clinic
- – Emergency clinic phone number and directions
- – Poison control center phone numbers
- – Local Wildlife Care Center(s) phone number(s), hours and directions to the center(s)
- – Contact information for bird sitter, friend or relative who will care for or check on your birds in an emergency
- – Local avian rescue/animal shelter, phone number, hours and directions
- – Local avian behavior specialist phone number, email, website
- – Local avian hobbist group, pet bird support group, or breed club phone number, email, website
Additional Resources
Tea for Parrots – Using Teas to help with digestive upset, stress, insomnia, egg laying, nausea, arthritis and more.
Holistic Birds.com – All about avian health and holistic care.
Animal Poison Control – 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, (888) 426-4435. (A $65 consultation fee may be applied to your credit card.)
Toxic and Non-Toxic for Birds – Includes wood varieties
