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Parakeets will hide their illnesses.

Because they're so small, parakeets will hide their sickness from everyone as long as possible.  After all, sick birdies in the wild are generally caught, dead, food-for-predators birdies.

A healthy, happy budgie will generally have "on" and "off" periods - the "on" periods have them playing with their toys, exploring their surroundings, chirping and beeping and burbling etc. 

Their "off" periods have them simply resting with their beaks tucked into the feathers on their backs.  My flocks generally have 2 or three off times during the day.

A parakeet that sits at the bottom of the cage floor all fluffed up is a parakeet sick.  Should that happen, you should take him or her to an avian vet.  The Association of Avian Veterinarians has a great lookup page where you can find the local avian vets in your area.

Parakeet Health/Safety Tips

Here are forums and resources you must read regarding the health of your parakeet:

• Your Budgies Health Forum
• Budgie Health Forum
• Health and Medical Issues Forum
  
• Budgie Health Tips
• Toxic Plants
• Bird Health Alerts - subtopics -

• Parakeet Safety
• Parakeet Safety Medical Kit
• Why Parakeets Should Not be Left Home Alone and Loose
• About Keets
  

The above are superb resources for learning how to take care of your parakeet, but how do you go about dealing with actual sickness?  It's time now for:

Budgie Illnesses

• Signs of Illness in Parrots
• Recognize a Sick Bird
• Birds Online - Health and Diseases - subtopics -

• Birds Online - Parasitic Infections - subtopics -

• Birds Online - Plumage Defects - subtopics -

The above are really excellent resources to help you take great care of your budgie.  But what can you do if real problems exist? 

Glad you asked!  It's time for: