Common African Grey Parrot Health Issues and What Causes Them

African greys face a mix of nutritional, behavioral, and infectious health risks, and this species is more prone to a couple of specific conditions than smaller parrots are.

Hypocalcemia (Low Blood Calcium)

This is the signature health issue in this species. Veterinary sources describe it as the most common cause of central nervous system disease in African greys specifically. Watch for muscle tremors, weakness, and in serious cases, seizures. A seizure is an emergency, get to a vet immediately for injectable calcium. Longer-term, this is managed through proper diet, vitamin D, and UVB exposure.

Feather-Destructive Behavior (Plucking)

Bald patches and damaged feathers. African greys are specifically noted as especially prone to this compared to smaller parrot species such as the budgie and the cockatiel. Causes include stress, boredom, loneliness, insufficient sleep, poor diet, sexual frustration in a bird with no mate, or an underlying medical issue. Always rule out medical causes with a vet first. On the boredom side, foraging work is the intervention with the most research behind it.

Aspergillosis

A fungal respiratory infection commonly seen in greys. Watch for labored breathing, sneezing, lethargy, weakness, and weight loss. Bacterial infections of the airways produce the same signs, so telling the two apart takes a vet and a test. Caused by warm, moist, unsanitary conditions or mold, often from fresh food left in the cage too long. Always see a vet, treatment can take months, and this can be fatal if untreated.

Psittacosis

Caused by Chlamydia psittaci. Signs include tail-bobbing, wheezing, nasal discharge, diarrhea, and a fluffed-up appearance. This is zoonotic, it can spread to people in the household, and needs a vet for antibiotic treatment.

PBFD (Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease)

A virus causing feather and beak deformities along with immune suppression. It is uncommon in greys today, but in a young bird it can progress to fatal disease through bone marrow suppression. Diagnosed through vet testing.

Cancer also turns up in greys with some frequency, one more reason the yearly exam below is not optional.

The First Exam and the Workup Behind It

A new grey sees an avian vet within one to two weeks of coming home, and afterward at least once a year, with many avian vets advising twice. Greys hide illness like every prey species, so the exam is how problems get found early. The vet should be a member of the Association of Avian Veterinarians, and that membership list is the place to start looking. The timing of that first visit against the quarantine period is the same for every new bird.

A baseline workup usually includes:

• A physical exam, with the bird's weight recorded as the reference number for the rest of its life, and the droppings checked.
• Blood work. A complete blood count and a chemistry panel that measures calcium, among other values. For a grey, that calcium reading is the early look at the hypocalcemia at the top of this page.
• Whole-body X-rays, usually under sedation or gas anesthesia, to check organ size and position, masses such as granulomas, and swallowed foreign bodies.
• Disease screening as indicated: psittacosis, polyomavirus, avian bornavirus, and circovirus, the virus behind PBFD.
• A fecal exam for intestinal parasites, and swabs of the mouth and vent for abnormal bacteria or fungus.

Not every vet runs every test at the first visit. The exam findings and any contact with other birds decide which ones are needed.

The Husbandry Pattern Worth Remembering

A seed-heavy diet with insufficient UVB directly causes hypocalcemia, the most defining health risk for this species. Boredom and insufficient sleep drive feather plucking, particularly common in greys. And a damp, poorly ventilated cage with old food left sitting invites aspergillosis. A quality pelleted diet and a gram scale for tracking weight over time both support catching problems early.

Sources & Further Reading