My conure keeps fluffing up — should I be worried?

Mango (my sun conure) has been a bit fluffed up since this morning. He's eating his pellets and had some carrot but seems quieter than usual. Temperature in the apartment is normal, around 21°C. He had a vet check 2 months ago and was healthy. Is this normal or do I need to rush to the vet?

If it's been less than 24 hours and he's still eating and drinking, watch closely but don't panic yet. Birds hide illness well. Any changes in droppings? Watery or discoloured?

Fluffing + quieter = watch carefully. It can be nothing (they do fluff up just to regulate body temperature) but it can also be the early sign of something. I'd recommend calling your avian vet and describing the symptoms — most will advise over the phone whether a visit is urgent.

You're right to pay attention — birds are prey animals and instinctively hide illness until they can't anymore, so any behavioural change is worth noting.

Good signs you mentioned: he's eating, had some veggies, no obvious distress. Watch for: changes in droppings (runny, unusual colour, no droppings at all), laboured breathing, tail bobbing with each breath, any discharge around nostrils or eyes, loss of balance.

A single day of being slightly off can sometimes just be a slightly cold room, mild stress, or disrupted sleep. But if he's still fluffed and quiet tomorrow morning, or any of those warning signs appear, see an avian vet same day — not a regular vet, an avian specialist.

BST's go-to is Britannia Animal Hospital in Mississauga — we take our own birds there and they're excellent with exotics. In Toronto proper, Upper Canada Animal Hospital and Don Mills Veterinary Hospital are also solid choices. Check out our avian vets page at /vets for the full list. How is Mango doing now?