paranoia, health risks, cleanliness

[Boyd75]

okay,
i babysitted a friends bird, and im aranoid they were not super healthy.
im worried it will affect my birds.

What are the rocedures to sanitize a cage, and toys, and cothes that may have come into contact with the bird.
ive been reading alot on PFBD, that i didnt even know about before and im not sure if im overreacting or not.
the bird had a beak with some cracks on it, not like all the way through, just not level across, not smooth.. there we go. like flaky kinda.

the stool was runny, then later in the day was red, that may have been from him eating my birds food.

he puffed up alot, not like all the time, but often.
he didnt seem sick other than the poo.

he walked arounf his cage on the bars, groomed himself, he did have a little bald spot too i assumed it was just something he had gone through and hadnt grown back yet.
he ate and drank just fine, made noises, screamed more like it haha.

maybe im just paranoid?
but
if it was something that could have been contagious, how can i sanitize my birds things safely?
does anyof the above "symptoms sound like anything serious?

how often should a bird puff?

after reading about it, ive noticed some similarities in my birds, and im not sure what is healthy, and what is at the oint of vet worthy.

 

[Tangie]

I understand how you feel, I go through paranoia a lot. Birds beeks are supposed to be flaky, as it's the result of new beak growth. The stools could be runny for any reason. He could have consumed some water, or perhaps he might be nervous because his schedule changed around and a new person is involved.
Was there any food that had a red tint that you fed the bird, perhaps?
And puffing up is fine for a parrot to do, especially if it's a little chilly. If he is puffed up 24/7 then something might be up. Might.
I know my Kiko is always fluffed up while he's napping or sleeping....or resting.

 

[RavensGryf]

As a general rule I am REALLY careful about not babysitting and mingling and such, with birds I know nothing about. Especially if I know the owner isn't aware of what is out there...
It may sound mean, selfish, etc. but personally I wouldn't have done it. MY birds at home are far too precious to risk it. Especially since you say you had hesitations. Hard to say without seeing it, and even seeing it, some birds can have disease even when they look great. On the other hand, some birds can be healthy and just be taking a nap everytime you looked at it? Some days they fluff or nap more than other days. Sometimes poops are a little softer than normal depending on what they ate, etc. Chances are you'll be fine.

 

[Amethyst]

I remember this time I was cleaning and removing the newspaper from the bottom of my parrot's cage. I noticed a splotch of red under his poop. I freaked out and we took him to the vet. Imagine my embarrassment when the piece of newspaper I brought to the vet,(which I thought was blood or something) turned out to be an advertisement on the flip side of the newspaper that turned darker when my parrot pooped on it. Oh my gosh....I felt so dumb....Yeah, parrot owners can be real paranoid sometimes! LOL

 

[MrsKay]

There are lots of threads on here about sanitizing cages and toys.
If you want to sanitize the cage you can take out the birds, rub it down with a 10% solution of bleach and water, then rinse the cage very thoroughly and dry it.
There are other methods for toys and they can be sanitized depending on what they are made of, but I wouldn't use bleach on them or anything that may be toxic to the bird