Hello everyone, I wasn't expecting to make another post, but here I am!
Just like before, I've recently acquired a new budgie through an acquaintance and have now had her for about a month now. I've suspected that my new budgie, Tori (approximately 1year-1year & 6 months), may have something going on with her and I took her to the vet this past Monday. Unfortunately, they were unable to find anything conclusive visually, and upon asking for a stool sample test they were also unable to find anything due to her droppings mainly being composed of urea. We were sent home with anti inflammatory meds for Tori to take for an entire week orally (the vet came to this conclusion by assuming that she may have an injury somewhere on her chest, causing her behavior). I did not opt to do an xray test due to my optimism that maybe this may have been the issue, but unfortunately I'm not really seeing improvement, but instead new behavior spring up.
Just to give a timeline for the photos, Tori started to act a bit differently by first having a hunched over back last week, which then progressed and became much worse until I brought her to the vet. She was so hunched over to the point she was almost completely horizontal! She has thankfully stopped that behavior, but she's still not at her best yet.
Tori, after our Monday visit to the vet is now instead very puffed up when ever she is not eating, drinking, playing or even preening. She has now been sneezing much more recently after/during she is preening herself. Usually she sleeps with one leg tucked.
And for the last image, she has been sleeping curled up more. I've read that this is still a common budgie sleep habit, but could also be a sign that she is still under the weather. And ever since taking her medication, she has now been sleeping much more than usual (both curled and uncurled).
And for those who are curious about her cage and diet, here are the following:
Cage Dimensions: 18L x 18W x 41H (inches) [I am planning on buying her a much bigger cage, I personally don't think she has enough horizontal space to stretch her wings properly. Her cage is also cleaned out at least once a day, if not every other day.]
Food: Blend of "Sweet Harvest: Parakeet Vitamin Enriched Food" and "ZuPreem FruitBlend Flavor: Bird Food for Very Small Birds". (I am actively trying to get her over to pellets instead of seeds, but she has not shown any interest, and even actively digs in her food dispenser to get to her beloved seeds. She also refuses to eat any fruits/veggies/ or meats. All of her water and foods are replenished/refreshed every day.) [I have also been dusting her food with REVIVE, a powder that is 100% Pau D'Arco Bark Powder which aims to support immune, circulatory and lymphatic systems in birds]
Placement: Tori's cage sits besides me at all times, we do not use any Teflon cooking ware nor candles. She is located in my room which is usually 78-80F.
Pets: I do have one dog named Faith who roams the house, but she actively ignores Tori besides occasionally sniffing her cage. Tori has also grown used to watching Faith walk around and does not "slim up" when she (Faith) is near.
Besides that she has a few toys in her cage to nibble and mess around with, she's taken a specific liking to a shreddable kebab toy that I've placed near her food dish. She also usually doesn't move too much, which she has done ever since she has come into my care. But after four weeks, she still only perches on the branch near her food and hops back to her hanging rope toy which she sleeps in every night, and usually no where else. She very rarely sits on the rope that extends from the bottom to the top of her cage.
I do plan on taking her back to the vet within the next upcoming days. Her hunched over behavior was originally my biggest concern, but now that she's exhibiting new, worrisome behaviors, I'm confused as to what it is that is ailing her. She's still very alert at all times when something loud or sudden happens and straightens up, but whenever things die down and I speak softly to her she slowly goes back to her puffed up state and gently closes her eyes. I've also noted that she's now not eating as much, where before she would constantly make a mess of seed husks and pellets on the bottom of her cage, while now there is very little. Another thing as well, this afternoon she began opening her mouth and stretching her neck out constantly for a good 4-5 minutes, before finally dying down. I did not see any seeds come up, so maybe she was adjusting her crop (fourth photo)?
Does anyone have a similar experience with their budgie? I'd just like to get an idea as to what it is that is making her sick, just so that I could potentially discuss with the vet some new ideas if there are more inconclusive results by our next appointment.
Sorry for the long post, I'm just trying to be thorough.
Just like before, I've recently acquired a new budgie through an acquaintance and have now had her for about a month now. I've suspected that my new budgie, Tori (approximately 1year-1year & 6 months), may have something going on with her and I took her to the vet this past Monday. Unfortunately, they were unable to find anything conclusive visually, and upon asking for a stool sample test they were also unable to find anything due to her droppings mainly being composed of urea. We were sent home with anti inflammatory meds for Tori to take for an entire week orally (the vet came to this conclusion by assuming that she may have an injury somewhere on her chest, causing her behavior). I did not opt to do an xray test due to my optimism that maybe this may have been the issue, but unfortunately I'm not really seeing improvement, but instead new behavior spring up.
Just to give a timeline for the photos, Tori started to act a bit differently by first having a hunched over back last week, which then progressed and became much worse until I brought her to the vet. She was so hunched over to the point she was almost completely horizontal! She has thankfully stopped that behavior, but she's still not at her best yet.
Tori, after our Monday visit to the vet is now instead very puffed up when ever she is not eating, drinking, playing or even preening. She has now been sneezing much more recently after/during she is preening herself. Usually she sleeps with one leg tucked.
And for the last image, she has been sleeping curled up more. I've read that this is still a common budgie sleep habit, but could also be a sign that she is still under the weather. And ever since taking her medication, she has now been sleeping much more than usual (both curled and uncurled).
And for those who are curious about her cage and diet, here are the following:
Cage Dimensions: 18L x 18W x 41H (inches) [I am planning on buying her a much bigger cage, I personally don't think she has enough horizontal space to stretch her wings properly. Her cage is also cleaned out at least once a day, if not every other day.]
Food: Blend of "Sweet Harvest: Parakeet Vitamin Enriched Food" and "ZuPreem FruitBlend Flavor: Bird Food for Very Small Birds". (I am actively trying to get her over to pellets instead of seeds, but she has not shown any interest, and even actively digs in her food dispenser to get to her beloved seeds. She also refuses to eat any fruits/veggies/ or meats. All of her water and foods are replenished/refreshed every day.) [I have also been dusting her food with REVIVE, a powder that is 100% Pau D'Arco Bark Powder which aims to support immune, circulatory and lymphatic systems in birds]
Placement: Tori's cage sits besides me at all times, we do not use any Teflon cooking ware nor candles. She is located in my room which is usually 78-80F.
Pets: I do have one dog named Faith who roams the house, but she actively ignores Tori besides occasionally sniffing her cage. Tori has also grown used to watching Faith walk around and does not "slim up" when she (Faith) is near.
Besides that she has a few toys in her cage to nibble and mess around with, she's taken a specific liking to a shreddable kebab toy that I've placed near her food dish. She also usually doesn't move too much, which she has done ever since she has come into my care. But after four weeks, she still only perches on the branch near her food and hops back to her hanging rope toy which she sleeps in every night, and usually no where else. She very rarely sits on the rope that extends from the bottom to the top of her cage.
I do plan on taking her back to the vet within the next upcoming days. Her hunched over behavior was originally my biggest concern, but now that she's exhibiting new, worrisome behaviors, I'm confused as to what it is that is ailing her. She's still very alert at all times when something loud or sudden happens and straightens up, but whenever things die down and I speak softly to her she slowly goes back to her puffed up state and gently closes her eyes. I've also noted that she's now not eating as much, where before she would constantly make a mess of seed husks and pellets on the bottom of her cage, while now there is very little. Another thing as well, this afternoon she began opening her mouth and stretching her neck out constantly for a good 4-5 minutes, before finally dying down. I did not see any seeds come up, so maybe she was adjusting her crop (fourth photo)?
Does anyone have a similar experience with their budgie? I'd just like to get an idea as to what it is that is making her sick, just so that I could potentially discuss with the vet some new ideas if there are more inconclusive results by our next appointment.
Sorry for the long post, I'm just trying to be thorough.
