Need Advice - Off Balance

[Vilatus]

Hi there everyone,

So my budgie is having some sort of health problem. I already took him to emergency yesterday to have him evaluated because I was terrified that he was dying. He's extremely off balance and very lethargic. However- he is eating and drinking normally. He is sleeping most of the day but when he isn't he tries to fly to sit with me, or forage on the bottom of the cage. The emergency vet recommended we see our normal vet and have bloodwork done, (and that Stanley is stable for now) because it is a bit risky of a procedure with such a small bird. I have an appointment on the 11th to see the vet, and am on a cancellation list.

In the meantime though, would it be beneficial to move him into a smaller cage? He seems to have a good grip but when he moves around it scares me that he'll fall and hit himself on the sides of the cage or worse. I have a small cage that he's used to (outside cage/first cage) that I could use until we see the vet. I'm not sure if this would be too stressful though, and I don't want to make things worse.

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[LaManuka]

I'm so sorry to hear that Stanley seems to be unwell. I would definitely advocate an avian vet visit for him whenever you possibly can, as loss of balance and lethargy are not good signs in and of themselves. I certainly do understand your concerns as Stanley is so little - my tiny Lilly had to undergo a radiograph and a few other procedures under general anaesthetic yesterday, as well as blood work earlier in the week. She is even smaller than your average budgie and I can tell you my heart was in my mouth the whole time, but she is doing very well today Even though they are tiny they can still be pretty resilient, and although nobody can guarantee a successful outcome 100% of the time, in my personal opinion I think it's better to have him examined by an avian vet than not.

In the meantime it would probably be advantageous to have him in a smaller cage if he will tolerate it. Otherwise you could perhaps line the bottom of his big cage with something soft in case he does fall, and perhaps cover any fabric with paper towel for ease of cleaning and to ensure he doesn't get a claw caught in whatever fabric that you might use. Keep him a little warmer than usual too as little birds use a lot of energy fighting illness so keeping things a bit warmer means he is not using his own energy reserves to do that too.

Wishing you and Stanley the best of luck and please do let us know how you get on at the vet, my prayers will be with you both

 

[Littleredbeak]

What I did for a bird who could not stay perched was placing a changing table pad on the bottom of the cage.. I folded the changing table pad in half and the putting a pee pad then paper towels on top of the pad.. This provided a soft landing in case she fell. A chair cushion would work too. Make a soft landing but the area is firm enough so they can get up and keep their balance.

Keeping them warm, air quality up and giving them lots of calories is really important. Ferns are really great about cleaning the air and making oxygen.

@Laurasea has some great posts on how to care for sick birds. This one of her threads on taking care of her taking care of multiple birds. https://www.parrotforums.com/thread...ack-making-a-thread.88309/page-19#post-909855

Wishing you and your bird well!

 

[Laurasea]

Hi
Definitely keep in the small Cage for about 4 days. They usually recover quickly from this if rested, or if not after a week will likely not recover completely but can learn to compensation, and still have happy life. This sounds like it could be head trauma. Abd not letting them fly, and limited movement us best. Even if this is because he is sick a smaller hospital cage us best.

Recently I had a sick budgie, I put him in a large food dish when he couldn't perch, with radiant heat, you can get a k&h cage warmer.
I will link that thread

Sick budgie

so yesterday morning, I found Blue Boy in a fluffed puddle down on his stomach . Loose stool around him. Pretty much un responsive ..I was able to walk over and pick him up. He is not tame , and normally would fly away. I set up a hospital Cage for him, put my sweeter heater radiant heat panel...

www.parrotforums.com

 

[Vilatus]

I'm so sorry to hear that Stanley seems to be unwell. I would definitely advocate an avian vet visit for him whenever you possibly can, as loss of balance and lethargy are not good signs in and of themselves. I certainly do understand your concerns as Stanley is so little - my tiny Lilly had to undergo a radiograph and a few other procedures under general anaesthetic yesterday, as well as blood work earlier in the week. She is even smaller than your average budgie and I can tell you my heart was in my mouth the whole time, but she is doing very well today Even though they are tiny they can still be pretty resilient, and although nobody can guarantee a successful outcome 100% of the time, in my personal opinion I think it's better to have him examined by an avian vet than not.

In the meantime it would probably be advantageous to have him in a smaller cage if he will tolerate it. Otherwise you could perhaps line the bottom of his big cage with something soft in case he does fall, and perhaps cover any fabric with paper towel for ease of cleaning and to ensure he doesn't get a claw caught in whatever fabric that you might use. Keep him a little warmer than usual too as little birds use a lot of energy fighting illness so keeping things a bit warmer means he is not using his own energy reserves to do that too.

Wishing you and Stanley the best of luck and please do let us know how you get on at the vet, my prayers will be with you both

Thank you, and yes of course. I'm hoping maybe the cancellation list will squeeze him in this weekend. The lethargy is ongoing sort of, he was in last month because he stopped eating and it turned out to be yeast. So he's still on medicine for that, and he's molting. So the lethargy isn't too unexpected right now. Its very scary, I'm sorry that your baby had to go through that too, but happy that she's doing well now!! Again, for sure- just waiting to be able to get in...

Ok. You don't think it would be too stressful on him right now? He doesn't mind the smaller cage but I hate to just grab him and say this is your home for the next few days, lol. He does have paper towel at the bottom of the cage but I suppose I could probably sacrifice a towel even as that would be even softer. He does have a K&H cuddle heater available and I am trying to just keep his room in general warm.

Thank you so much, I'm a mess right now lol. I will keep you all updated!

 

[Vilatus]

What I did for a bird who could not stay perched was placing a changing table pad on the bottom of the cage.. I folded the changing table pad in half and the putting a pee pad then paper towels on top of the pad.. This provided a soft landing in case she fell. A chair cushion would work too. Make a soft landing but the area is firm enough so they can get up and keep their balance.

Keeping them warm, air quality up and giving them lots of calories is really important. Ferns are really great about cleaning the air and making oxygen.

@Laurasea has some great posts on how to care for sick birds. This one of her threads on taking care of her taking care of multiple birds. https://www.parrotforums.com/thread...ack-making-a-thread.88309/page-19#post-909855

Wishing you and your bird well!

Great idea! I'll see what I can do as far as making the area softer. He is able to perch though thankfully, he just concerns me when he decides to move around to different ones...

The room is probably almost 75F right now and he has a cuddle heater to use, so that's covered.

Thank you so much for the resources and well wishes.

 

[Vilatus]

Hi
Definitely keep in the small Cage for about 4 days. They usually recover quickly from this if rested, or if not after a week will likely not recover completely but can learn to compensation, and still have happy life. This sounds like it could be head trauma. Abd not letting them fly, and limited movement us best. Even if this is because he is sick a smaller hospital cage us best.

Recently I had a sick budgie, I put him in a large food dish when he couldn't perch, with radiant heat, you can get a k&h cage warmer.
I will link that thread

Sick budgie

so yesterday morning, I found Blue Boy in a fluffed puddle down on his stomach . Loose stool around him. Pretty much un responsive ..I was able to walk over and pick him up. He is not tame , and normally would fly away. I set up a hospital Cage for him, put my sweeter heater radiant heat panel...

www.parrotforums.com

I'm going to try and get his smaller cage ready for him tonight I think. I don't think its head trauma- unless he somehow hit something in his cage without me knowing? He's never unsupervised outside of it. Its weird because it makes me think of the times I've heard of birds having a stroke, but the emergency vet seems to think it isn't neurological and is rather potentially a liver issue. (Stanley has an enlarged liver, its a known issue for him.) I'm trying my best to not provoke him to fly, but unfortunately a couple times a day he just wants to sit on me. Ok, I'll get to work. Thank you so much for the advice.

 

[LaManuka]

Thank you, and yes of course. I'm hoping maybe the cancellation list will squeeze him in this weekend. The lethargy is ongoing sort of, he was in last month because he stopped eating and it turned out to be yeast. So he's still on medicine for that, and he's molting. So the lethargy isn't too unexpected right now. Its very scary, I'm sorry that your baby had to go through that too, but happy that she's doing well now!! Again, for sure- just waiting to be able to get in...

Ok. You don't think it would be too stressful on him right now? He doesn't mind the smaller cage but I hate to just grab him and say this is your home for the next few days, lol. He does have paper towel at the bottom of the cage but I suppose I could probably sacrifice a towel even as that would be even softer. He does have a K&H cuddle heater available and I am trying to just keep his room in general warm.

Thank you so much, I'm a mess right now lol. I will keep you all updated!

Difficult to say whether Stanley would be stressed by the smaller cage or not. My budgie Val is a complete perch potato who hardly uses any of the space available to him in his MASSIVE cage and just sits there most of the day even when the door is wide open and he can come and go, but if I pop him in the smaller cage before a vet visit he goes nuts! You know Stanley best so if you think he will stress out it may not be worth the move, particularly if you can make his usual cage a bit safer if he does take a tumble.

Thank you for your well wishes for my Lilly - honestly to look at her you wouldn't think she had anything wrong with her, so the blood tests and x-rays she had done were absolutely invaluable in helping reach diagnosis and decide on management. I hope your upcoming vet visit is as helpful for Stanley as it has been for my little Princess

 

[Littleredbeak]

My lovebird has suspected fatty liver disease that makes his beak grow quickly. What I do is sprout his seeds and to help him detox I give him milkthise, dandelion greens and powder and lafaber senior nutriberries(has milkthisle and glutathione). These extra supplements and sprouting his seeds helps alot. When he does eat unsprputed seeds his beak grows significantly faster (next day have to file h I s beak down )

 

[Vilatus]

Here we are in our hospital cage this morning folks (still trying to climb all over

) thank you all for the recommendations so far.

 

[Vilatus]

Difficult to say whether Stanley would be stressed by the smaller cage or not. My budgie Val is a complete perch potato who hardly uses any of the space available to him in his MASSIVE cage and just sits there most of the day even when the door is wide open and he can come and go, but if I pop him in the smaller cage before a vet visit he goes nuts! You know Stanley best so if you think he will stress out it may not be worth the move, particularly if you can make his usual cage a bit safer if he does take a tumble.

Thank you for your well wishes for my Lilly - honestly to look at her you wouldn't think she had anything wrong with her, so the blood tests and x-rays she had done were absolutely invaluable in helping reach diagnosis and decide on management. I hope your upcoming vet visit is as helpful for Stanley as it has been for my little Princess

He seems fine so far. Stanley is also a complete perch potato 90% of the time, and barely uses any of the flight cage or comes out when allowed, just like yours lol. I'm honestly just too scared to leave him in the big one right now as its so tall, so he's going to be staying in his smaller one. When I first got him and knew less this was his first cage anyway, so he's used to this one.

Of course! Unfortunately its often like that, especially with these babies. I'm really glad that yours has done so well with the vet visit. I appreciate your well wishes as well, just crossing my fingers I can get in before the 11th...

 

[Birds lover from Hawaii]

He seems fine so far. Stanley is also a complete perch potato 90% of the time, and barely uses any of the flight cage or comes out when allowed, just like yours lol. I'm honestly just too scared to leave him in the big one right now as its so tall, so he's going to be staying in his smaller one. When I first got him and knew less this was his first cage anyway, so he's used to this one.

Of course! Unfortunately its often like that, especially with these babies. I'm really glad that yours has done so well with the vet visit. I appreciate your well wishes as well, just crossing my fingers I can get in before the 11th...

I think wait for over a week is much too long even he seems fine so far. If it were me, I would call them every single day to check until they get so sick of me calling and get me in sooner. Never assume a busy vet office will keep you in mind at all times. It has worked wonder for me every time as soon as I started to beg and told them I am really really worry about my baby as they all know birds hide their illness and time is real critical.

 

[Vilatus]

I think wait for over a week is much too long even he seems fine so far. If it were me, I would call them every single day to check until they get so sick of me calling and get me in sooner. Never assume a busy vet office will keep you in mind at all times. It has worked wonder for me every time as soon as I started to beg and told them I am really really worry about my baby as they all know birds hide their illness and time is real critical.

I am calling every day and being a general annoyance, rest assured. As of today, he actually seems to be doing decently well (all things considered). I've been basically bringing his food and water to him so he doesn't have to hobble around too much, but he had enough energy to fly across the room to try and get into his normal cage. He seems very alert and bright today. I'm at the top of the cancellation list I think, and I'll be calling first thing in the morning again. I called seven places today and none had availability or expertise for birds...

 

[Vilatus]

Well, folks, I got him in today and it's not good news. Stanley has cancer and I'll be performing hospice care for now. I truly appreciate everyone's helpfulness though.

 

[LaManuka]

Oh no, poor baby! I'm so sorry Ziel! But budgies are amazingly tough you know. One of my budgies from many years ago, Pete, contracted testicular cancer which is apparently quite common. Between his fighting spirit and regular treatment by the vet he lived a very good quality of life after diagnosis, probably at least another 18 months or so. I hope your dear little Stanley stays with you for at least as long if not more - I know he will fight this all the way because that's what budgies do! Sending hugs and prayers and strength to you both, my heart goes out to you

 

[Birds lover from Hawaii]

Well, folks, I got him in today and it's not good news. Stanley has cancer and I'll be performing hospice care for now. I truly appreciate everyone's helpfulness though.

I am so so sad to hear about the bad news. Poor baby! Please be strong and stay positive as your baby needs you to continue the fight. As LaManuka has said with lots of love and care, he will be with you much much longer than you or your vet anticipated. Miracle does happen!

 

[Vilatus]

Oh no, poor baby! I'm so sorry Ziel! But budgies are amazingly tough you know. One of my budgies from many years ago, Pete, contracted testicular cancer which is apparently quite common. Between his fighting spirit and regular treatment by the vet he lived a very good quality of life after diagnosis, probably at least another 18 months or so. I hope your dear little Stanley stays with you for at least as long if not more - I know he will fight this all the way because that's what budgies do! Sending hugs and prayers and strength to you both, my heart goes out to you

I appreciate it. They really are, despite everything Stanley is eating like a champ and still commanding me around. Aww, I'm not glad to hear about your baby, but I am glad in the sense that he did so well! I don't think Stanley is going to get as lucky as this tumor popped up and became large very quickly- but we will see, and hope. Stanley is being spoiled and getting everything he wants and needs so hopefully we can extend things a while longer, until he isn't comfortable.

 

[Vilatus]

I am so so sad to hear about the bad news. Poor baby! Please be strong and stay positive as your baby needs you to continue the fight. As LaManuka has said with lots of love and care, he will be with you much much longer than you or your vet anticipated. Miracle does happen!

Unfortunately it is what it is... My vet has prepared me for this possibility for a few years now, and with all the drama over the past few days with him acting so poorly I've already done a lot of my crying, ugh. I'm sure I'll do a lot more when the time comes but for now we're just cuddling and he's getting lots of treats. I'll be trying my best, rest assured... he is definitely my baby. I'm going to let him continue to try as long as he wants to. He'll let me know when its time.

 

[LaManuka]

Unfortunately it is what it is... My vet has prepared me for this possibility for a few years now, and with all the drama over the past few days with him acting so poorly I've already done a lot of my crying, ugh. I'm sure I'll do a lot more when the time comes but for now we're just cuddling and he's getting lots of treats. I'll be trying my best, rest assured... he is definitely my baby. I'm going to let him continue to try as long as he wants to. He'll let me know when its time.

Oh it's a real emotional roller coaster alright. Sadly cancer is all too common with budgies it seems. Our little Petie-poo did SO well with quarter-yearly treatment at the vet and daily pain meds, but yes, he definitely let us know when it was time too. I'm so sorry you and Stanley are going through this, it's so very hard on both of you but I don't think he could possibly have better care than he is getting with you - he is one little birdie who knows how much he is loved and cherished. Sending more love and hugs your way, Ziel, and please give your little man a big kiss from me, won't you?

 

[Laurasea]

Oh man I'm so sorry to read this heart breaking news. Its so much to take in. I'm so glad he has you, you are doing a wonderful and caring job. You are such a great parront. Huge hugs to you