Budgie being sick

[JakeNTech]

Hello, sorry if this is in the wrong place I am new here. Our budgie Dave is about 3 yeat old. Since January his behavior changed. When we got him he was very chatty and liked dancing to lots of music.But since January he has not chirped much. But he still played with all of his toys. Then in the last three months he has been sitting on the floor of his cage alot and has not been touching the fruit he used to love when we put it in his cage. About a week ago he started sicking up seed but started chipping a bit more and slightly more active. In the last week he kept bringin up seed. It was green in color but some of the bits of seed are green in colour. He also stated eating more of the cage floor,nit sure if it is gravel he is eating or seed he has kicked out of his pot. However today he seemed ok. Not chipping too much but more active then normal. A few minutes ago I noticed that he was being sick again and that what was coming out was white foam. He was rapidley moving about his cage floor and then stoped. After a while he went and sat at the peach at the top of his cage inffont of his mirror. We took him outside to sit in the sun this morning incase it was a vitamin d issue,we made sure that he had shade in his cage that he could sit in if he got too hot or didn't want to be out there, but he sat in the sun. Please help! I have done all the googling I can do but nothing seems to be right. Thanks in advancex for your help. Sorry for any tyoung error's am in a rush and can't find my glases.

 

[ParrotLover2001]

Are you able to take him to a vet?

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[JakeNTech]

No, unfortuaty , the stress of the journey would probably make him worse. He dozen't like it much when I walk with his cage.

 

[ParrotLover2001]

No, unfortuaty , the stress of the journey would probably make him worse. He dozen't like it much when I walk with his cage.

I understand, but everyone else won't, they'd say to take him to a vet.
Unfortunately there's isn't much you can do of you can't take him to a vet. I'd try to make him comfortable.

I had a sick budgie a few years ago that I couldn't get to a vet, I did what I could do to make her comfortable.

Sent from my Galaxy s8

 

[JakeNTech]

Ok.Thanks. I appreciate the help

 

[plumsmum2005]

Have you tried putting him in a container that can be made dark and taking him? Birds are usually less stressed this way? If the person he is attached to holds this and talks to him and someone else drives this may help. This little guy has been off for some time and the odds don't get better with waiting. Will an AV come to you?

Birds Online - Health and diseases - Infectious diseases - Vomiting (crop infection)

 

[Flboy]

Also, it is a must, he must not be allowed to eat off the bottom of his cage!

 

[JakeNTech]

Ok. So after a quick google there is one avian vet near me will see if i can get an appointment in the next day or two. He seems to be eating a lot of seed at the moment and is being a bit more active.Will get rid of the grit and sand off the cage floor. Thanks for the help!

 

[Anansi]

Yes, you definitely need to get him to a vet. It's not that we don't understand, as ParrotLover2001 has implied, but rather that a vet really is the only way to help him if he's as sick as it sounds from your post. Remember, budgies are prey animals. As such, they are instinctively hardwired to hide any and all weaknesses to the best of their ability. Failure to do so in the wild would result in them being targeted by predators looking for an easy meal. So by the time you can easily see that he seems ill, chances are he's dealing with something serious. So an avian-certified vet would definitely be your best bet.

Btw, when you say white foam was coming out, do you mean in his droppings? Or from his mouth?

EDIT: Just saw your follow up post. Please let us know what the vet has to say. Hoping the best for you and Dave!

 

[JakeNTech]

Yes, you definitely need to get him to a vet. It's not that we don't understand, as ParrotLover2001 has implied, but rather that a vet really is the only way to help him if he's as sick as it sounds from your post. Remember, budgies are prey animals. As such, they are instinctively hardwired to hide any and all weaknesses to the best of their ability. Failure to do so in the wild would result in them being targeted by predators looking for an easy meal. So by the time you can easily see that he seems ill, chances are he's dealing with something serious. So an avian-certified vet would definitely be your best bet.

Btw, when you say white foam was coming out, do you mean in his droppings? Or from his mouth?

It was coming from his mouth, his droppings look normal, which is why I drew a blank on google. I do get that they need to hide there illnesses, its just trying to find someone near by that will treat a budgie.

 

[Flboy]

Make sure the vet knows that he has been eating off the bottom of his cage, possibly picking up his own droppings! Very easy to have a crop infection from this!

 

[JakeNTech]

Is it possible it could have been heat stroke? As all he is doing now is eating and eating?

 

[Kentuckienne]

Well, that's some good news.

There are a lot of things that could be wrong. If there is sand and dirty on the cage bottom, and he's eating it, he could get a serious infection or crop problems. Put a grate in the cage bottom, even an old cookie rack or other metal cooling rack, anything so he can't reach through the grate to the stuff below. Parrots have died from eating walnut hulls and other things used to line cages.

There is also a disease that affects a bird's digestive system ... I believe it's called Avian Bornavirus. If he had a problem in his crop, say it got plugged up with sand, that would prevent him from eating, and if he managed to puke up the bulk of that he might be feeling better. But get him off the bottom of the cage, ASAP.

And do still take him to the vet for a checkup. The vet might decide to flush his crop, to remove anything that might still be stuck in there. And they can do a few tests to rule out infection. Some diseases are easily treated, some are not. You'll want to know, because if he does have a serious illness you will want to sterilize everything so you don't accidentally transmit the disease to other birds. Even guests to your house can carry disease germs away with them.

I hope you will post back and let us know how things turn out. I wish you both the best of luck. Those little guys are just dynamite, and if they were expensive they'd be coveted by all. Have you seen Disco the budgie's videos on YouTube?

 

[JakeNTech]

Hello. Thanks for your advice. After some doing research into crop infection that is what I believe it is, and a after a phone call to the vet they believe it is, although I can't get an appointment for a while, .Have changed the sand paper at the bottom of his cage and haven't put any grit or extra sand back onto it. Need to go out and by something to stop him getting to it tomorrow. He is now holding on to the side of is cage and flapping his wings about, which he hasn't done for along time. Have seen discos vids, one of the reasons why we bought a budgie. Dave seems to enjoy shouting at them!!

 

[plumsmum2005]

Sorry only just seen you are in UK - will this help?

Avian Vets | Parrot Veterinary Services

Let the professional decide and administer what is needed please second guessing is wasting time IMO.

 

[JakeNTech]

Sorry only just seen you are in UK - will this help?

Avian Vets | Parrot Veterinary Services

Let the professional decide and administer what is needed please second guessing is wasting time IMO.

The vet that came up for my location is the one I have contacted, Useful link though.

 

[plumsmum2005]

Does this little one eat any fresh foods? Not of prime importance until he feels better but certainly worth looking into at that point. An all seed diet is not that good. Plenty of help in that department available here if you need it?

 

[JakeNTech]

Does this little one eat any fresh foods? Not of prime importance until he feels better but certainly worth looking into at that point. An all seed diet is not that good. Plenty of help in that department available here if you need it?

Before January he ate lots of apples and a bit of cucumber, but then went to mainly seed and millet, we would put apples into his cage but he would not touch them. But in the last few weeks he has started to enjoy apples again, although it is just the skin he eats. We have tried him with broccoli, he had the same reaction that I do towards it XD, bananas,carrots I think we might have also given him some celery, but that would have been a while ago.

 

[JakeNTech]

I read somewhere online that if they don't go near an item of food then to take out what they normally eat, and soon they will get curios and go and try it. Is this something you recommend?

 

[Kentuckienne]

I read somewhere online that if they don't go near an item of food then to take out what they normally eat, and soon they will get curios and go and try it. Is this something you recommend?

Not quite. The Harrison's bird food site has some good articles about converting a bird to a pelleted diet. The main takeaway for you is that you don't want to remove all their food and just leave them the stuff they don't like. They might not realize that the scary thing in their bowl is food. You give them their morning food, all they can eat, and then take that away after an hour, say. After that offer the new food. If it's pellets, put them in the dish and leave them all the time. Fresh food you can only leave a while before it gets germy. What I do is give them the food in the dish, then stand there and eat some of that same food myself. They will probably get curious and try it. Make yummy noises. Give some food to another person to eat with relish. Have that person give you some of the food and eat it with relish. Then offer the bird a bite again. Eventually they catch on. You can leave the new food for them, but be sure to offer the food they do eat at least twice a day for fifteen minutes. Otherwise they might starve to death.

Check out the diet/nutrition articles in the forum here for ideas of what to feed and not to feed...