I just got home from school and I noticed something atypical on one of my budgies, Yin’s beak. He/she (don’t know the gender yet) doesn’t appear to be sick, I’ve only just gotten the both of them yesterday. I need advice on what to do because I can’t call the vet because my mom says they’re fine and I don’t want them to die. Does anyone know what this is (if the picture even loads). Is it a parasite or something?:15:
Something on my budgie’s cere
IndySE
Active member
Ohhh that does look strange, but it's hard to say what it is without a better image. My HUNCH is that somehow he/she got some poop on their nose? because that's what it looks like... have you tried handling the bird and gently dabbing it with warm water to see if it comes off? Be very careful in case it is an injury (ie watch for bleeding or something reddish-brown when you dab... if it looks like an active injury, do not touch further and bring to the vet for treatment).
But as a general rule of thumb, it's good to bring any new animals to an avian vet for a wellness check. They will have better knowledge and expertise on their health. Even if "they're fine", it is 100% standard practice to do so with new animals.
But as a general rule of thumb, it's good to bring any new animals to an avian vet for a wellness check. They will have better knowledge and expertise on their health. Even if "they're fine", it is 100% standard practice to do so with new animals.
EllenD
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- Aug 20, 2016
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Can you please post a picture straight on showing the front of his cere? It looks like whatever those things are that they are actually plugging his nostrils or coming out of them??? I can't really tell from that side photo...
What you have to worry about with Budgies, especially if you just brought them home from a pet shop, is a mite infestation. There is a specific mite called "Scaly Face Mites" that Budgies are prone to getting infested with, and that only attach around their beaks, ceres, and eyes. They actually burrow into their beaks and cere and in the skin around their beaks and ceres and start to deform them and eventually will take-over their entire beak, cere, eyes, and eventually their entire face and head without treatment...The ONLY treatment that will kill Scaly Face Mites and most other mites that can cause this, if that's what it is, is a poison called Ivermectin. And when it comes to Budgies and similarly size parrots/birds, you cannot EVER apply Ivermectin topically or give it to them orally, because they are so small that it will kill them, and quickly. If you apply any type of topical poison or give it by mouth, it will continually be absorbed into their body and result in their death...For that reason, with Budgies who have an infestation with most types of mites, especially Scaly Face Mites, the only way to treat them is by taking them to an Avian Vet and having them give them a pre-measured, exact dosage injection (shot) of Ivermectin, and the dose they inject is based on their exact weight at the time of the appointment. That's the only safe way to do it...It's only a one-injection thing, with a possible follow-up injection necessary a month later, but a lot of the time it only takes one injection of Ivermectin to get rid of them...
Without more photos of his entire beak, cere, and face we can't really tell you much more. *******If anything is blocking or plugging his nostrils then it's an emergent situation, because it will not only cause him breathing problems, but that also means that whatever it is could be sucked back into his respiratory system, including right into his lungs, and if it's a parasite or even a bad Fungal/Yeast or Bacterial infection, that would mean that it's probably throughout his sinuses and his upper respiratory system...So treatment is going to be urgent.
***I don't know if you're aware of this, but ALL birds possess a natural, innate survival instinct that causes them to hide any and all outward signs and symptoms of illness for as long as they possibly can, as if they appear weak in the wild it makes them and their entire flock targets for predators. So this means that usually by the time we as people first notice any signs or symptoms of illness or pain, such as a loss of appetite, being sleepy or lethargic all the time and not moving around much, being fluffed-up all the time, staying on the bottom of their cage, vomiting, crying, etc., they have usually been sick for weeks and weeks, usually it's more like months and months. For this reason it's often too late to help our birds by the time we first see that they are sick...
So when you stated that "He's not acting sick", that doesn't mean anything at all, he may be very sick...The other issue here is that if this Budgie has a mite or other parasitic infestation, or some kind of infection or disease, that also means that the other Budgie has it too because they've been housed together. If you just got them today, you may want to speak to the pet shop or the breeder about what their health-guarantee is, because it's usually only 3 days to a week, so you need to get it on the record with them ASAP that something might be wrong with him, such as a mite infestation or an infection of some sort, and ask them what their process is for this. I'd do this immediately so that you get it on the record with the pet shop/breeder within 24 hours of you bringing them home, that way their health guarantee should cover the vet visit and any tests or medications he needs, and that they both need...Make sure you tell them that you bought 2 Budgies and that they are going to both need to be checked-out and treated for whatever it is.
Don't wait on doing this, the longer you wait the worse it will get, and any health guarantee you have will be expired...Also, if it is a mite infestation, such as Scaly Face Mites, there is no option, it must be treated ASAP or it will totally take-over and deform his beak, cere, and face, and can also cause blindness and eventually death. So make sure you call the pet shop or breeder at the first chance you can and let them know that something is wrong...
What you have to worry about with Budgies, especially if you just brought them home from a pet shop, is a mite infestation. There is a specific mite called "Scaly Face Mites" that Budgies are prone to getting infested with, and that only attach around their beaks, ceres, and eyes. They actually burrow into their beaks and cere and in the skin around their beaks and ceres and start to deform them and eventually will take-over their entire beak, cere, eyes, and eventually their entire face and head without treatment...The ONLY treatment that will kill Scaly Face Mites and most other mites that can cause this, if that's what it is, is a poison called Ivermectin. And when it comes to Budgies and similarly size parrots/birds, you cannot EVER apply Ivermectin topically or give it to them orally, because they are so small that it will kill them, and quickly. If you apply any type of topical poison or give it by mouth, it will continually be absorbed into their body and result in their death...For that reason, with Budgies who have an infestation with most types of mites, especially Scaly Face Mites, the only way to treat them is by taking them to an Avian Vet and having them give them a pre-measured, exact dosage injection (shot) of Ivermectin, and the dose they inject is based on their exact weight at the time of the appointment. That's the only safe way to do it...It's only a one-injection thing, with a possible follow-up injection necessary a month later, but a lot of the time it only takes one injection of Ivermectin to get rid of them...
Without more photos of his entire beak, cere, and face we can't really tell you much more. *******If anything is blocking or plugging his nostrils then it's an emergent situation, because it will not only cause him breathing problems, but that also means that whatever it is could be sucked back into his respiratory system, including right into his lungs, and if it's a parasite or even a bad Fungal/Yeast or Bacterial infection, that would mean that it's probably throughout his sinuses and his upper respiratory system...So treatment is going to be urgent.
***I don't know if you're aware of this, but ALL birds possess a natural, innate survival instinct that causes them to hide any and all outward signs and symptoms of illness for as long as they possibly can, as if they appear weak in the wild it makes them and their entire flock targets for predators. So this means that usually by the time we as people first notice any signs or symptoms of illness or pain, such as a loss of appetite, being sleepy or lethargic all the time and not moving around much, being fluffed-up all the time, staying on the bottom of their cage, vomiting, crying, etc., they have usually been sick for weeks and weeks, usually it's more like months and months. For this reason it's often too late to help our birds by the time we first see that they are sick...
So when you stated that "He's not acting sick", that doesn't mean anything at all, he may be very sick...The other issue here is that if this Budgie has a mite or other parasitic infestation, or some kind of infection or disease, that also means that the other Budgie has it too because they've been housed together. If you just got them today, you may want to speak to the pet shop or the breeder about what their health-guarantee is, because it's usually only 3 days to a week, so you need to get it on the record with them ASAP that something might be wrong with him, such as a mite infestation or an infection of some sort, and ask them what their process is for this. I'd do this immediately so that you get it on the record with the pet shop/breeder within 24 hours of you bringing them home, that way their health guarantee should cover the vet visit and any tests or medications he needs, and that they both need...Make sure you tell them that you bought 2 Budgies and that they are going to both need to be checked-out and treated for whatever it is.
Don't wait on doing this, the longer you wait the worse it will get, and any health guarantee you have will be expired...Also, if it is a mite infestation, such as Scaly Face Mites, there is no option, it must be treated ASAP or it will totally take-over and deform his beak, cere, and face, and can also cause blindness and eventually death. So make sure you call the pet shop or breeder at the first chance you can and let them know that something is wrong...
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