Hello there.
I'm very worried for your little girl, as I think it's very likely that she is ill. Increased sleeping and keeping her feathers puffed for any extended period of time are two hallmark signs of illness. Other common symptoms of illness include a change in her droppings' color and consistency, a change in her vocalizations (there's usually very few in a sick bird), and a poor appetite. Birds also puff up their feathers when they're cold, or in greeting (usually just the head and neck feathers), but since she's been sleeping more often and "looks miserable" I would assume that she's very sick.
Unfortunately, these are very generalized symptoms and only an avian vet will be able to determine exactly what's going on with your girl. Unfortunately, birds are extremely delicate creatures and you can't just wait and see if they'll recover - more often than not, they don't recover if left untreated, so it's important to seek out help and soon, because these little guys can go downhill very quickly.
I would also look for any other symptoms of illness. And I would assess her condition several times a day. Write down what you see each time, note what she's eaten, etc. This will help the vet diagnose her.
Here's a great list of other symptoms to look for:
http://www.mit.edu/~rei/Birds-sick.html
Until you can get her to the vet, there's a couple of things I would do for her. Firstly, you need to separate her from any other birds. Cagemates will add stress and it will expose them to illness unnecessarily.
Next, I would cover her cage with a dark blanket. Leave one side open for ventilation. Covering the cage will help reduce stress. I would also keep the cage in a very warm room - 80 to 90 degrees F. You can offer a heat lamp, but be sure the light only affects a portion of the cage - we want her to be able to get out of the light if she get's hot. If her cage is in a busy area, I would move it to a quiet area - like a guest bedroom, where she'll be able to rest.
For food, if she's eating, that's wonderful. If not, this is a real problem and she needs to get to the vet today. I would offer some easy-to-eat foods. Many ill birds won't work for food when they're ill, so cracking seeds is out of the question. Some good foods include cooked rice or pasta, boiled egg yolks, steamed veggies, apple sauce and warm cereals. If she stops eating before she can get to the vet, you can mix some honey with some water and hand-feed her with this. About ten to fifteen drops from an eyedropper every half hour is ideal. If you have nutrical supplement at home, you can mix some of this in as well. If you have to hand feed her for more than a few hours - like overnight - you can use a blender to turn her favorite soft foods into a mash, add a bit of water and give this to her with some nutrical with the dropper. It's not a permanent fix, but it will help her from going downhill even quicker until she can get help.
If you don't know of an avian vet in your area, you can try one of these links:
http://www.aav.org/vet-lookup/ http://www.lafeber.com/FindALocal/Vet/default.aspx http://www.birdsnways.com/birds/vets.htm And this is a wonderful site on bird care, including how to care for an ill bird, complete with supply lists, so you always have the necessary items on-hand:
http://books.google.com/books?id=Kcngp3vk2ucC&pg=PA99&lpg=PA99&dq=sick+bird,+nutrical&source=web&ots=ShjmRbf6ik&sig=_C_zHy5Jmmjfu7lonAD9bGmeJXk&hl=en#PPA100,M1
I wish you and your girl luck! I hope she's feeling better soon. Don't hesitate to let me know if you have any additional questions!
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-Mia Carter
Pet Expert
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Edited by Mia Carter on April 15 2008 at 1:49 PM
• A timely visit to your vet is the best way to get a correct diagnosis! • Please "ACCEPT" if my answer was helpful! •