Helping Pepper

[StormyPica]

My budgie, Pepper seems to have mild spatial orientation issues as well as anxiety, for example, if one of my budgies moves near him he will freak out and fly away. As for the spatial issues, he has a hard time judging the distance between things, when I'm doing recall with him, he will often land on other birds or over/undershoot my hand. He also falls off things fairly frequently, maybe once or twice a week, and has a hard time staying balanced on perches that aren't super wide. I have, however, noticed that his feet are slightly smaller than an average budgie's, which makes it harder to balance, but it may have something to do with his recessive pied mutation.

How do I help his anxiety (which seems moderate), as well as his mild spatial awareness issues?

 

[StormyPica]

Ok, so I weighed them today, and Pepper is about 29-30 grams, and Stormy (with the same build/body type) is 38 grams.

From my research, budgies should be at least 35 grams. Pepper does, however have anxiety surrounding eating. Not enough to be anorexic but enough to make a small impact.

 

[StormyPica]

@LaManuka maybe you can help?​

 

[StormyPica]

Or anyone...

 

[Zoruace]

Or anyone...

be patient so one well appear!
maybe @Emeral can help?

 

[LaManuka]

@LaManuka maybe you can help?​

Gee Stormy, I'm flattered that you asked and wish I could help you! This one is a little bit above my pay grade I'm afraid, I'd just be popping down to my (most excellent) avian vet to have Pepper assessed if he was mine. I certainly wish you all the very best of luck with him though!

 

[StormyPica]

This one is a little bit above my pay grade

Why do love this.....

 

[StormyPica]

Ok, just for clarification, I can't bring him to the vet because my parents have this...thing about mental disorders, idk why

Ima go to sleep, I've annoyed y'all enough for one night!

 

[PrimorandMoxi]

Almost impossible to annoy any of the kind folks on this forum.

 

[StormyPica]

Almost impossible to annoy any of the kind folks on this forum.

So true

 

[Zoruace]

So true

if u want to annoy
feel free to ask me

 

[StormyPica]

Update:
Pepper is doing a little better mentally, and I am working on desensitization for him. I will also be rearranging their cage and putting in wider perches for him, as well as adding a food bowl to encourage him to eat more and hopefully reduce some of that anxiety surrounding food.

His current empty weight is 26 grams (I posted his full weight before). He genuinely isn't sick, he's just really anxious about food and eating, and over-exerts himself from panic and flying around. He's even scared to eat millet.

Sigh......

 

[Zoruace]

Update:
Pepper is doing a little better mentally, and I am working on desensitization for him. I will also be rearranging their cage and putting in wider perches for him, as well as adding a food bowl to encourage him to eat more and hopefully reduce some of that anxiety surrounding food.

His current empty weight is 26 grams (I posted his full weight before). He genuinely isn't sick, he's just really anxious about food and eating, and over-exerts himself from panic and flying around. He's even scared to eat millet.

Sigh......
View attachment 33501

do you think cutting the millet a bit might help?
this might sound stupid but some birds see it as
SUPER DUPER SCARY SNAKE

 

[StormyPica]

do you think cutting the millet a bit might help?
this might sound stupid but some birds see it as
SUPER DUPER SCARY SNAKE

Oh no!
Jk lol he loves the millet once he gets over the fact that it might eat him. It's like he has to relearn everything each day!

 

[Zoruace]

Oh no!
Jk lol he loves the millet once he gets over the fact that it might eat him. It's like he has to relearn everything each day!

sound fimiliar to some surtin bird that wont spin no matter howmany times i teach her (LOOKING AT YOU TIKI)

 

[StormyPica]

sound fimiliar to some surtin bird that wont spin no matter howmany times i teach her (LOOKING AT YOU TIKI)

Sounds like Pepper, I tried to teach him to spin but he kept hopping on my hand (or forgetting that the scary millet snake won't eat him ) !

 

[StormyPica]

New update:
I made Pepper a hanging swing thingy for his new, seperate-from-the-other-bird's (sleeping) cage because he finds balancing on a perch in the night difficult. He is 30 grams today which is much better! I am also giving him chamomile tea to help with his anxiety, as well as his own food bowl, which helps with his food related anxiety. I also made a small tabletop training perch out of scrap wood, which Stormy loves to sit on!

 

[StormyPica]

It's 2022!!!

 

[StormyPica]

Pepper update:
Pepper is being extra afraid and anxious today. He didn't even want to come for millet. He is even scared to preen today. His weight is 28-30 grams today, he didn't hold still long enough for me to tell.