My bird is suddenly petrified of me! I woke up one morning, hoping to take him out of his cage, but he flew of my finger and started flying around the room.When i finally manae to convince him to get on my finger, he flies off as soon as i attempt to move him to another finger. He has been like this for a few days now. Is there anything I am doing wrong? You Also his ceres is getting crusty and im unsure why. Is this a sickness or is it common in all birds?
My budgie's suddenly petrified of me !!😪
- Thread starter Setarehh
- Start date
Lamb
Member
- Apr 14, 2019
- 32
- 0
- Parrots
- American Budgies: Puppy, Birdie, Rainbow, Blu, Avalanche.
Lovebird: Mango, Orchid, Wolfie, Opal
English Budgies: Jasper, Anna, Ginji, Aoi, Ōdanna, Rocky.
GCC: Gracie
Cockatiel: Sol
IRN: Blue, Tik
Hello!
First, what color is the cere? It is spring in the US so it’s mating/breeding season. How old is your budgie? The crusty cere sounds like your budgie is in prime breeding condition but a picture would help a ton! I have 2 in breeding condition. I’ve attached a picture. The blue cere (my yf II Rainbow) is a male and the full body grey wing blue with the brown cere is the female.
First, what color is the cere? It is spring in the US so it’s mating/breeding season. How old is your budgie? The crusty cere sounds like your budgie is in prime breeding condition but a picture would help a ton! I have 2 in breeding condition. I’ve attached a picture. The blue cere (my yf II Rainbow) is a male and the full body grey wing blue with the brown cere is the female.
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noodles123
Well-known member
- Jul 11, 2018
- 8,145
- 475
- Parrots
- Umbrella Cockatoo- 15? years old..I think?
Change in behavior is often due to illness or hormones.
Have you had your bird DNA sexed to verify that he is male?
What you are describing sounds like it could be a variety of things, including possible knemidocopatiasis (a special type of mite infestation --likely Knemidokoptes pilae or Scaly-Face Mites).
https://wagwalking.com/bird/condition/knemidokoptes-mange
http://veterinarymedicine.dvm360.com/knemidocoptiasis-birds
You should get your bird to a Certified Avian vet promptly. It may not be mites, but only a vet will be able to give you a definitive answer.
Some cere changes can be hormonal , but when estrogen-related (in females), it is my understanding that there is less of a crusty appearance and more of a flaky /brownish/tan appearance.. not white/crusty. Male birds can develop testicular tumors that can also cause cere changes (similar to those seen in females) due to production of female hormones. Hypertrophy and/or hyperkeratosis can be caused by other issues as well--- it isn't always just due to hormones (it can also be due to underlying health issues).
If it is hormonal and your bird is a female, the condition is generally harmless. You will just want to limit hormonal triggers (shadowy places, mushy foods, love interests lol, and cuddles). Also, pay attention to light-cycles (too much or too little sun can mess with hormones and consistent sleep is also important--solid 10-14 hours nightly). Even if hormonal, hypertrophy and/or hyperkeratosis can sometimes cause the nares can become blocked and, in such cases, they will need to be unblocked.
The aforementioned suggestions for minimizing hormonal behavior apply to sexually mature birds in general (regardless of gender)--it is always best to avoid hormonal triggers (such a as shadowy places, petting down the body, too much or too little light, too much or too little sleep etc) because excessive hormonal behavior can lead to increased screaming, aggression, feather plucking and, in females, egg-laying (and potential egg-binding).
Again, I am not a vet, but if your bird has mites, your vet may treat your bird with Ivermectin (quite possibly an injection-depending on the severity). Do not try to treat mites with over-the-counter mite stuff (unless specifically told to do so by a CAV) ---these products can do more harm than good). You will want to definitely consult a vet if that is an option because treating a bird for mites when the bird doesn't actually have mites should be avoided (except when one bird in a home gets mites--then other birds are usually treated as well (even if they don't have symptoms) in order to prevent re-infection etc).
If you have any other birds, they will also need to be treated if this turns out to be mites, as they are highly contagious and can actually cause beaks to fall off etc if left untreated for too long. Again- consult with your vet, but most recommend treating all birds within the home.
Some fungal infections can also impact the cere and may look very similar to scaly-face mites in presentation.
You will need to figure out whether these cere changes are hormonal, mite-related, or something else and then proceed from there (which is why the vet is your best option at this point).
Have you had your bird DNA sexed to verify that he is male?
What you are describing sounds like it could be a variety of things, including possible knemidocopatiasis (a special type of mite infestation --likely Knemidokoptes pilae or Scaly-Face Mites).
https://wagwalking.com/bird/condition/knemidokoptes-mange
http://veterinarymedicine.dvm360.com/knemidocoptiasis-birds
You should get your bird to a Certified Avian vet promptly. It may not be mites, but only a vet will be able to give you a definitive answer.
Some cere changes can be hormonal , but when estrogen-related (in females), it is my understanding that there is less of a crusty appearance and more of a flaky /brownish/tan appearance.. not white/crusty. Male birds can develop testicular tumors that can also cause cere changes (similar to those seen in females) due to production of female hormones. Hypertrophy and/or hyperkeratosis can be caused by other issues as well--- it isn't always just due to hormones (it can also be due to underlying health issues).
If it is hormonal and your bird is a female, the condition is generally harmless. You will just want to limit hormonal triggers (shadowy places, mushy foods, love interests lol, and cuddles). Also, pay attention to light-cycles (too much or too little sun can mess with hormones and consistent sleep is also important--solid 10-14 hours nightly). Even if hormonal, hypertrophy and/or hyperkeratosis can sometimes cause the nares can become blocked and, in such cases, they will need to be unblocked.
The aforementioned suggestions for minimizing hormonal behavior apply to sexually mature birds in general (regardless of gender)--it is always best to avoid hormonal triggers (such a as shadowy places, petting down the body, too much or too little light, too much or too little sleep etc) because excessive hormonal behavior can lead to increased screaming, aggression, feather plucking and, in females, egg-laying (and potential egg-binding).
Again, I am not a vet, but if your bird has mites, your vet may treat your bird with Ivermectin (quite possibly an injection-depending on the severity). Do not try to treat mites with over-the-counter mite stuff (unless specifically told to do so by a CAV) ---these products can do more harm than good). You will want to definitely consult a vet if that is an option because treating a bird for mites when the bird doesn't actually have mites should be avoided (except when one bird in a home gets mites--then other birds are usually treated as well (even if they don't have symptoms) in order to prevent re-infection etc).
If you have any other birds, they will also need to be treated if this turns out to be mites, as they are highly contagious and can actually cause beaks to fall off etc if left untreated for too long. Again- consult with your vet, but most recommend treating all birds within the home.
Some fungal infections can also impact the cere and may look very similar to scaly-face mites in presentation.
You will need to figure out whether these cere changes are hormonal, mite-related, or something else and then proceed from there (which is why the vet is your best option at this point).
Last edited:
- May 23, 2018
- 3,559
- 158
- Parrots
- Sunny a female B&G macaw;
Japie (m) & Appie (f), both are congo african grey;
All are rescues- had to leave their previous homes for 'reasons', are still in contact with them :)
My thoughts exactly: probably hormones
They all start behaving like they are grumpy or mistrustfull (of fullblown horny-as-hell).
Asking your vet (and verify there is nothing wrong / mites are always an option) is always a good idea.
They all start behaving like they are grumpy or mistrustfull (of fullblown horny-as-hell).
Asking your vet (and verify there is nothing wrong / mites are always an option) is always a good idea.
bug_n_flock
Well-known member
- Jan 2, 2018
- 1,373
- 209
- Parrots
- B&G Macaw, Galah, 5 cockatiels, 50 billion and a half budgies. We breed and do rescue. Too many to list each individual's name and age etc, but they are each individuals and loved dearly.
How old is your budger? I also vote hormones/puberty. When they first hit puberty they can seem to go from sweet cuddly perfect angels to flying hellbats overnight. Fatty(RIP), when he went thru puberty, didn't fly off... oh, no. That brat would sit on my finger smiling a huuuuge budgie smile, and then bend over, CHOMP down and sit there CHEWING on my finger. Yeooowch. They may only have tiny beaks, but booooy can they use them when they want to.
Lamb
Member
- Apr 14, 2019
- 32
- 0
- Parrots
- American Budgies: Puppy, Birdie, Rainbow, Blu, Avalanche.
Lovebird: Mango, Orchid, Wolfie, Opal
English Budgies: Jasper, Anna, Ginji, Aoi, Ōdanna, Rocky.
GCC: Gracie
Cockatiel: Sol
IRN: Blue, Tik
Oh goodness! Lol. My lovebird Mango I handfed myself and he was so sweet with me. Then a month ago was terrified and a little terror. Well he laid an egg and is now she. But back to her normal self. Hormones will change a birds behavior but it’s likely not permanent.
If OP is still concerned, checking the dropping of their budgie would be good and see if he/she is poofed out sick. If everything seems normal, I’d blame it on hormones!
If OP is still concerned, checking the dropping of their budgie would be good and see if he/she is poofed out sick. If everything seems normal, I’d blame it on hormones!
noodles123
Well-known member
- Jul 11, 2018
- 8,145
- 475
- Parrots
- Umbrella Cockatoo- 15? years old..I think?
A gram-stain (droppings) won't detect scaly-faced mites or anything other than bacterial issues impacting the gut. A bird can have a gram-stain without any issues, while showing harmful bacteria via oral swab tests etc on the same day. My bird just recently had a bacterial illness that didn't show in her poop but did show when her mouth was swabbed. Gram stains can be a great starting point, but if this isn't hormonal, the possible causes are all well beyond the scope of a gram-stain/fecal analysis. Skin scrapings and/or blood work would be the next step. To test for mites, a skin scraping is evaluated under a microscope.
Last edited:
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