Budgie is sick!

[Inko-ai]

One of my budgies is sick, and I'm not sure what to do. She puffs herself up and sleeps with her head tucked into her wing a lot. She threw up a couple times today, but it wasn't wet. She threw up pure seeds. I also noticed seeds in her poop.
Besides sleeping more, she is acting normal. She is playing, chirping, grooming, etc. It seems almost like she has bursts of energy, and then gets tired and has to rest.
She is eating really well. She may even be eating more than usual. She is drinking normal too.
I've put up a heat lamp, because I read that can help, and it really seems to have perked her up.
(I should also mention that she is molting at the moment, and her cere is turning from brown, back to her usual coloring. Not sure if that's related.)
I have been trying to get her to a vet all day. I've called nearly 20 clinics, and none of them can see her. I've made an appointment at one clinic, but they can only see her on Wednesday, and it's really far away.
What can I do to help my budgie?

 

[foxgloveparrot]

Make her comfortable and make sure she eats healthy veggies, drinks water, and overall make her feel good. You seem to be doing most things right, until you can take her to a vet on Wednesday. I hope she feels better soon!

 

[Inko-ai]

Okay, good to know I'm doing okay. These are my first parrots, and I've had them for less than a year, so I've never had to deal with this before.

 

[Inko-ai]

I just went to go check on her, and I'm just so confused now. She was acting completely normal. She was chirping like crazy, then came to give me a kiss through the cage. Then she banged her food bowls (her favorite game), gave me another kiss, then jumped onto the bars, hung upside-down, then climbed all the way to the bottom of the cage. She gave me another kiss (she likes giving kisses), then climbed all the way back up. When I opened the cage door, she jumped on my arm and ran out, and flew a couple laps around the room.
What's weird is that she doesn't act consistently sick. She'll act sick for a couple minutes, and then go completely back to normal.

 

[Inko-ai]

I'm suspecting now that something in the seed mix is causing this. I've been limiting the amount of seeds she's been getting today. I had the seeds out for several hours (she had pellets and veggies to eat)and she seemed to be doing really well. She was active and happy. Before covering the cage for the night, I put the seeds back in, and she immediately started acting worse again.
I'm thinking the hemp seeds might be the problem, because she only recently started eating them. Could she be allergic to them?

 

[wrench13]

Any time you notice a difference in behavior, demeanor, appetite, poops or other stuff the smart thing is to get the parrot to an avian vet. We must say this 1,000 times a year to folks - parrots hide illness until it's almost too late to do anything. They are prey creatures and the obviously sick ones get eaten first.

 

[Inko-ai]

Any time you notice a difference in behavior, demeanor, appetite, poops or other stuff the smart thing is to get the parrot to an avian vet. We must say this 1,000 times a year to folks - parrots hide illness until it's almost too late to do anything. They are prey creatures and the obviously sick ones get eaten first.

Oh yes, I know. I'm definitely getting her to a vet. But, do you think it's possible for a bird to be allergic to a seed? Would it be worth it to make a new seed mix with just millet, oat groats, and rolled oats (seeds they've eaten for months and I know are okay), just to see if that helps her?

 

[fiddlejen]

If you have access to your prior seedmix then certain it's worth the attempt of changing back. Definitely still keep that appointment but if you suspect something your bird is eating could have something to do with a problem, then yes, change out that food. Especially where you say there is an item in the food that wasn't there before. Whether an allergy or some problem with that particular food item, if you're seeing a connection, then certainly best to remove that food.

 

[Inko-ai]

If you have access to your prior seedmix then certain it's worth the attempt of changing back. Definitely still keep that appointment but if you suspect something your bird is eating could have something to do with a problem, then yes, change out that food. Especially where you say there is an item in the food that wasn't there before. Whether an allergy or some problem with that particular food item, if you're seeing a connection, then certainly best to remove that food.

Alright, I'll do that then. Thank you!

 

[Inko-ai]

She seems to be doing a little better today. She is still puffed up, but she only slept with her beak tucked into her wing once today. She also hasn't thrown up. Twice it looked like she was going to, but then nothing happened.
I also managed to get an appointment at a different vet earlier in the day tomorrow. That vet is an hour closer too, which is nice. Unfortunately, I won't be able to go in with her. But they said I can bring my other budgie along, so she won't be alone.

 

[Inko-ai]

Alright, so this is basically what the vet said. Sprite has one of two possible things. I can't remember what they're called, but one causes the liver to enlarge, and the other is a yeast infection that causes the stomach to enlarge. Both cause very similar symptoms.
So, since we're not sure which of the two she actually has, she gave Sprite a shot of antibiotics to treat the enlarged liver, and she's sending a sample of her poop to a lab to test for the yeast infection. We'll get the results from that by next week. If the test comes back positive, we're going to switch over to a different treatment. If it's negative, we're going to keep going with the antibiotics.
In the meantime, because Sprite is unable to absorb nutrients from her food, the vet gave me a powder (form Harrisons) to sprinkle on her vegetables, which will be easier for her to digest, and will give her some extra calories.

 

[Inko-ai]

Sprite seems to be doing better today! She's more lively, and she even took a bath!

 

[Inko-ai]

Just wanted to give another quick update. The results of Sprite's fecal test came back negative, which means that she has the thing that causes the liver to enlarge. But, I already figured that based on her reaction to the antibiotics.
So, starting Wednesday, I'm going to have to give her antibiotics orally twice a day for 35 days.

 

[foxgloveparrot]

Just wanted to give another quick update. The results of Sprite's fecal test came back negative, which means that she has the thing that causes the liver to enlarge. But, I already figured that based on her reaction to the antibiotics.
So, starting Wednesday, I'm going to have to give her antibiotics orally twice a day for 35 days.

Aw, poor Sprite Birds hate getting medicine

Sprite seems to be doing better today! She's more lively, and she even took a bath!

Good to know that Sprite is doing a bit better! Hope she makes a complete recovery soon

 

[Inko-ai]

Aw, poor Sprite Birds hate getting medicine

Yeah, she's definitely not going to like it. Apparently, the medicine is going to be strawberry flavored though, and she likes strawberries, so maybe that will make it a little better.

Good to know that Sprite is doing a bit better! Hope she makes a complete recovery soon

Me too!