Healthy observations

There are things you should look for in buying a bird. Check the nostrils, and make sure there is no wet or sticky discharge. The eyes should be clear with no runniness or wet feathers around them. 

The area around the vent (the bird's rectum) should be clean with no droppings in the feathers. 

Check the feathers, baby birds should have fresh, soft feathers. If they appear extremely worn or if many are missing, this could be a sign of a health problem. The exception to this is tail feathers. Many baby birds are raised with multiple clutch mates that tend to chew on each other's tails in play, causing them to look rather ratty until they molt and grow in new ones.  The facial feathers of a baby bird might have some small amounts of caked-on formula from hand feeding, but if there is a lot of buildup, this might indicate a sloppy hand feeder who isn't careful about cleaning up the babies.  

Feel the chest area, babies may feel a bit thin immediately after weaning, but you should feel meat on the ribs, and the keel, (center of the breastbone) should not be very sharp. Listen to the breathing, if the bird is wheezing or whistling as it breathes normally, this could indicate a respiratory problem.

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