General Anesthesia in African Grey Parrots

Bird · Psittacus erithacus · typical adult weight 0.40–0.65 kg

5 cited drugs treat General Anesthesia in african grey parrots: Alfaxalone Injectable, Ketamine, Ketamine Injectable, Propofol, Propofol Injectable.

Induction and maintenance of general anaesthesia. Injectable induction with ketamine, propofol, alfaxalone, or etomidate; inhalational maintenance with isoflurane or sevoflurane. Species-specific airway anatomy and thermoregulation drive plan choice.

The overview above describes General Anesthesia across species; the citations below are the ExoticRx dose rules scoped to african grey parrots — a reference list, not new species-specific clinical guidance.

Alfaxalone Injectable(Alfaxan)

Neurological

Route	Dose	Frequency	Duration	Indication	Evidence	Source
IM	10–15 mg/kg	IM once	Single dose	Anesthesia induction	Moderate	Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th ed, Table 5.2, Table 5.4 (the served figure is printed in each; all lie in the chapter covering this species); located 2026-08-06. — SOURCE EDITION: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary — ISBN 9780323833929, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323833929

Full Alfaxalone Injectable dosing in African Grey Parrots →Calculate for this african grey parrot →

Ketamine(Ketaset, Vetalar)

Anesthetic

Route	Dose	Frequency	Duration	Indication	Evidence	Source
IM	10–30 mg/kg	once	Single dose	Sedation, anesthetic induction	Moderate	Doneley B. Avian Medicine and Surgery in Practice: Companion and Aviary Birds, 2nd ed., CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL; 2016.; Hawkins MG, Barron H, Speer BL, et al. Birds. In: Carpenter JW, eds. Exotic Animal Formulary, 4th ed., Elsevier Saunders, St. Louis, MO; 2013:183-437. — Verified against Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.451 (2026-08-01). — SOURCE EDITION: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary — ISBN 9780323833929, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323833929; Current Therapy in Avian Medicine and Surgery — ISBN 9781455746712, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781455746712

Full Ketamine dosing in African Grey Parrots →Calculate for this african grey parrot →

Ketamine Injectable(Ketaset, VetaKet)

Neurological

Route	Dose	Frequency	Duration	Indication	Evidence	Source
IM	10–30 mg/kg	IM once	Single dose	Anesthesia induction	Moderate	Doneley B. Avian Medicine and Surgery in Practice: Companion and Aviary Birds, 2nd ed., CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL; 2016. \| Hawkins MG, Barron H, Speer BL, et al. Birds. In: Carpenter JW, eds. Exotic Animal Formulary, 4th ed., Elsevier Saunders, St. Louis, MO; 2013:183-437. — Verified against Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.451 (2026-08-01). — SOURCE EDITION: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary — ISBN 9780323833929, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323833929; Current Therapy in Avian Medicine and Surgery — ISBN 9781455746712, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781455746712

Full Ketamine Injectable dosing in African Grey Parrots →Calculate for this african grey parrot →

Propofol(Rapinovet, PropoFlo)

Anesthetic

Route	Dose	Frequency	Duration	Indication	Evidence	Source
IV	1–5 mg/kg	once (induction); give slowly to effect	Single induction	Induction of general anesthesia	Weak	Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th ed., Table 5.5 (Chemical restraint/anesthetic agents used in birds), p.455, Propofol block, ref 233. Independently corroborated: Avian Medicine appendix Table 5, p.825, 'Propofol 1-5 mg/kg IV \| Most species/induction'. — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 5.5 (Chemical Restraint/Anesthetic/Sedative/Analgesic Agents Used in Birds.a,b). The copy held is an ebook conversion with no printed page numbers, so the table — not the page — is the citable location. — SOURCE EDITION: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary — ISBN 9780323833929, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323833929

Full Propofol dosing in African Grey Parrots →Calculate for this african grey parrot →

Propofol Injectable(Rapinovet, PropoFlo)

Neurological

Route	Dose	Frequency	Duration	Indication	Evidence	Source
IV	3–5 mg/kg	IV to effect	Single dose	Anesthesia induction	Moderate	Doneley B. Avian Medicine and Surgery in Practice: Companion and Aviary Birds, 2nd ed., CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL; 2016.; Langlois I, Harvey RC, Jones MP, et al. Cardiopulmonary and anesthetic effects of isoflurane and propofol in Hispaniolan Amazon parrots. J Avian Med Surg. 2003;17:4-10. doi:10.1647/1082-6742(2003)017[0004:caaeoi]2.0.co;2 — Verified against Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.455 (2026-08-01). — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 5.5 (Chemical Restraint/Anesthetic/Sedative/Analgesic Agents Used in Birds.a,b). The copy held is an ebook conversion with no printed page numbers, so the table — not the page — is the citable location. — SOURCE EDITION: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary — ISBN 9780323833929, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323833929

Full Propofol Injectable dosing in African Grey Parrots →Calculate for this african grey parrot →

All drugs cited for General Anesthesia →All drugs for African Grey Parrots →

Other conditions in African Grey Parrots

Bacterial Infections Pain Management Seizures and Epilepsy Endoparasites Sedation Hypocalcaemia Coccidiosis Systemic Fungal Infections

Sourced from published veterinary references; awaiting credentialed clinical reviewer. See our editorial process. Reference only — not veterinary advice. Verify against current literature before clinical use.