What's wrong with Chipper? Please help

[ct92404]

My parakeet, Chipper, is having some serious birdie problems right now.

He had been sneezing earlier, and last weekend I noticed that one of his nostrils was stuffed up. I was afraid that he was getting sick...I really can't go through this again. He was still eating okay and playing with his toys. But I called a vet and made an appointment as soon as possible. I took him on Thursday, and they weighed him and the doctor checked him very thoroughly. He hasn't lost any weight since the first time I took him for a checkup, about a month ago. In fact, he's gained a little bit of weight. He weighs 36 grams now. The doctor checked everything on him, and even opened his beak and checked his mouth. After she put him back in his cage, she watched him for a few minutes. She said his breathing looked good, and otherwise he seemed to be in good condition. But I asked her to test him, and so she took a culture from his mouth. She also prescribed an antibiotic for him, just in case. They should have the results from the culture in a few more days.

Now here's the problem. I have to give him the antibiotic by mouth. The doctor gave him the first dose on Thursday. I tried to do it yesterday, but he would NOT let me do it. Every time I put the syringe by his mouth, he just kept moving his head away. And then he flew away from me and ran across the room. I picked back up, and he still wouldn't let me do it. So then I tried to restrain him in a shirt. He kept slipping out. Then he actually got really mad at me. The last time I cornered him, he started biting me. Every time I moved my hand by him, he would lunge at me and bite me. I talked to him and gave him a minute to calm down. Then I had to bribe him with a piece of spray millet to get him to let me pet him. He ate it from my hand, and I was finally able to pick him up. I got him calmed down and I was able to hold and pet him. But I realized there is no way I could ever try to give him that medicine again. If I tried anymore, I was going to lose his trust permanently. I'm going to have to take him back to the vet and have them do it.

But now I have a REALLY big problem. Ever since Chipper got mad at me, he gets really mean when he's in his cage. He won't let me pet him. If I try to move my hand close to him to pet him, he bites me HARD. It's not a warning nip, it's a real bite. It hurts pretty bad, but he can't break my skin and hasn't drawn any blood. I take him out of his cage anyway, and once I get him out of the cage, he's very gentle and will let me pet him and hold him.

I really don't understand this...it's like he has two different personalities now. He's very calm and gentle outside of the cage, but once he's in the cage it's like he's a different bird. He turns mean and is a little biting demon. Is he getting territorial or something? I don't know what to do. I feel so frustrated and confused now. I'm not afraid of Chipper, I don't jerk my hand away when he bites me, and I don't yell at him or anything. I just say "No bite" firmly. And I pet him and take him out of the cage whether he likes it or not. I'm not going to let him become cage bound. I'm not mad at him either. I know it's not his fault...he's just a little bird and doesn't understand what he's doing. I'm just really sad and frustrated.

Physically, he seems to be doing okay. He hasn't been sneezing anymore, and he's eating and playing with his toys. His energy seems good, and he has been climbing around his cage a lot. But I'm still going to see if I can take him back to the vet and have them give him the medicine.

What should I do? Should I just keep trying to pet him in his cage whether he likes it or not? Should I leave him alone for a while? Does anyone have any idea what is causing him to be like this? Please help.

 

[ConureCrazy]

(((Hugs)))!!!

Have you tried injecting the medicine into an absorbant treat? Cheerios, a cracker, maybe a teeny tiny piece of plain toast? (Maybe even a Fruit Loop or a Frosty Flake, if it goes that far) That works for a lot of people. When i gave my GCC oral meds, i had the help of my sister, I couldn't have done it alone. So, maybe, that'll work.

 

[SandyBee]

yes put the medicine on food he will eat, birds do hold grudges I would give him a little time and bribe him out of the cage instead of forcing the issue.

 

[WannaBeAParrot]

I've had to give Pritti oral meds recently and in the past. He would never stand for a syringe in his mouth - I'd lose a finger first. I put it in a little mixing cup they gave me along with whatever I think will get him to eat it. At first it was just a tiny bit of natural blueberry juice. Then he stopped taking it. So I put in a dash of peanut butter - the aroma and fat in peanut butter easily overpowers the meds. I don't like feeding him peanut butter because it's fatty, but the meds have to get in him, and I just give him a pinch. Mix it, dab it up on to a little pice of whole grain bread -- he gobbles it up.

As for the behavior, just like SandyBee says - they hold grudges, so give it time. Let him feel safe in his cage. Things will turn around because instead of you giving him this syringe and holding him -- you'll now be giving him a treat of medicine. Be gentle, don't forget, he's also not feeling well and the meds could make him feel not so well, so all that can lead to more grumpiness.

Keep us posted.

 

[henpecked]

I would assume your giving him Batril, nasty tasting stuff.You can get your vet to favor it,chicken or cherry favor will sometimes work. Next time at the vet have them show you how to hold a bird. It takes a bit of practice and sometimes a third hand. When giving the meds quickly follow up with something they like to remove the bad taste.

 

[MonicaMc]

Is his nostrils cleared up now?

How have you been trying to pet him? Or rather, where on his body have you been trying to pet him?


I think you need to give him time and try just feeding him millet and treats for now. Will he at least come out of the cage on his own if you leave the door open?

 

[ct92404]

Ok, some good news. I think I know why Chipper is so cranky and biting me. He's molting. I cleaned his cage, and I noticed a lot of little white fluffy down feathers on the bottom. And I do remember seeing a down feather earlier too. Chipper did bite me a few days ago, but at the time I just thought it was because I startled him or something. When Buddy started molting, he got really cranky and started biting me too. Well, except that he would give me little warning nips. Chipper bites pretty hard. I'm sure he was mad at me when I tried to give him the medicine, but he probably forgave me for that once I got him calmed down. Now he's just cranky and moody because he's molting, and also not feeling 100 percent because he might be sick.

His nostrils have cleared up, and he doesn't seem to be having any trouble breathing. Also, he was in a better mood today. I was able to pet him while he was in his cage, and he even climbed up on my hand on his own. I took him out of the cage and held him and petted him for a while. I pet him on his back and his chest. He was very calm and gentle. I put him on his play gym and he watched tv with me for a while. And whenever I put my hand out, he would calmly step on my hand on his own.

I still haven't been able to give him the medicine yet though. I'm going to try to put it on a piece of spray millet and see if he will eat it. He usually does take millet from my hand, so maybe that will work. I'm going to call the vet tomorrow though, and maybe I can take him back there and they can tell me what to do.

 

[MonicaMc]

Most parrots typically don't enjoy being petted like you would a cat or dog... touching them on their back and/or tail can be a sign of them being under attack or it could be a sexual thing.... so if Chipper ever decides he doesn't like being petted on the back, please don't take it personally.


Glad to hear he's feeling better now, though!

 

[ct92404]

I called the vet today and explained that Chipper would NOT let me give him the medicine and got really mad at me. So they said that I could bring him down there, and they would give it to him and wouldn't charge me. So I made appointments through the rest of the week.

Also, the lady I talked with on the phone said that some preliminary results came back from the culture. He DOES have an infection. He tested positive for "Pasteurella" something. I wasn't sure of the second part. I looked up that bacteria, and apparently the medicine that the doctor prescribed will kill it. She had given him an antibiotic called Cibroflaxin. I'll find out more when I take Chipper down there tomorrow.

Has anyone ever heard of an infection from this? I wonder how Chipper got it? After I talk to the vet, I'm going to call the bird farm where I got him and let them know, just in case he might have picked it up somehow while he was there.

Right now, Chipper is climbing around in his cage, and he was playing with his toys earlier. So I guess he isn't feeling too bad. But I'm so glad that I had them do a culture, and now I know what's going on. I think I caught it early, and maybe once he starts getting the antibiotic he'll be doing okay

 

[MonicaMc]

Unfortunately, it's not always easy to figure out how a bird got an infection. It could be through the water if you are giving tap water, it could be from the pet store, might be from the food you feed them, or even something you tracked in while you were out of the house.

I lost a budgie due to a farm disease, and the only symptoms given in pet birds is "death"... which isn't helpful at all. At the time, I believe I had around 12 birds, give or take, and he was the only one who got the disease, which is odd, considering he had lived with 4 female budgies and even fed one of the hens, but not even she got sick.



Just try your best to keep his cage clean, give him clean food and water and do the best you can!



Being that he's acting mostly normal and moving about are all good signs!

 

[ct92404]

Well, Chipper was actually sneezing when I first got him. But I had been using the heater in the house, so I thought maybe it was just dust in the air. I decided that I would just watch him, and I would take him to a vet if he started sneezing anymore or had any other problems. But he stopped sneezing after the 1st day and he seemed fine. Then I took him to an avian vet for a checkup, and she checked everything on him and said he was doing good. Then he started sneezing again recently, and it seemed like he wasn't eating quite as much. So I took him back to the vet and this time I asked her to test him for an infection.

I was reading more about that bacteria, and apparently it is zoonotic. :11:
Yikes. But I haven't haven't had any symptoms at all and I feel perfectly fine. (Even after the little feather butt has sneezed on me and bit me). From what I've read, it's not a particularly dangerous bacteria though, and can be killed by many different antibiotics.

Once Chipper is over it, I should probably clean his cage extra well. What do you think I should use to sanitize it? I clean his water and food bowls every day by rinsing them with hot water. Is there anything else I should do?

 

[MikeyTN]

Unfortunately when they get stressed in a new environment they're susceptible to sickness...When you keep your birds in top shape, usually they can fight it off pretty easily depending on what it is. It's been so long ago that I've forgotten what virus my birds contracted that was so deadly and they die within 48hrs of showing symptoms....I had to medicate all my birds by mouth too but my vet flavored the meds to the point my birds actually enjoy being fed the meds. They just sit there begging for it and it was adorable. I hope you get it resolved!

 

[MonicaMc]

Soap and hot water.

If you want to be more thorough, you can soak the dishes in either diluted bleach or diluted vinegar (but *NOT* together), then rinse/clean well. If soaked in bleach, I'd recommend rinsing well and then soap and hot water since bleach can leave a residue. If using vinegar (white or apple cider vinegar), you don't need to rinse afterwards.


It's possible for one bird to be sick and not others. Likewise, just because a bird is sick doesn't mean you'll get sick. Unless you have a poor immune system, it's more likely that you'll get your bird sick, rather than the other way around.

 

[sailchoc]

I had the same problem giving antibiotics to my Amazon not only turning his head but he was angry enough he wanted to bit me. I tried putting the antibiotic in his food and treats but no go. After doing some research I decided I would give sovereign silver add to his water. He gets a natural antibiotic that does not kill the healthy bacteria in his system.

 

[ct92404]

Well, the good news is that tomorrow is Chipper's last day on the antibiotics.

I've been taking him down to the vet everyday and they've been giving him the medicine. Everything went well, and he's doing much better now. His nose is completely clear now and hasn't been runny at all anymore, and hasn't been stuffed up.

Also, he's been wanting to come out of his cage on his own lately. He'll go up to the door or climb around on the bars at the front of the cage. I open it, and then he flies out. He runs to one corner of the room, and when I go over there, he comes up to me and he lets me pick him up.

I have him right now. He climbed up on my neck and he's chewing on my hair!

 

[MikeyTN]

I had the same problem giving antibiotics to my Amazon not only turning his head but he was angry enough he wanted to bit me. I tried putting the antibiotic in his food and treats but no go. After doing some research I decided I would give sovereign silver add to his water. He gets a natural antibiotic that does not kill the healthy bacteria in his system.

I believe it one day when it is proven. I actually did a lot of reading on it and it's full of junk and they're getting rich to sell to people at a high price that takes them pennies to make....

 

[Birdlover11]

hope he gets better ! if you go to mysafebirdstore or a local pet store they have bird safe disenfectants.

 

[Parro]

Poor chippet, he reminds me about my escaped parakeet (that is exactly like chipper but she is s girls and her atittude is different and her colour is different.) now for the answer, not all birds like taking medicines and they can start perceiving their owner as a predator. Mixing the medicine with treats or food is often a good idea. Its good to hear Chipper has been cured and doing well before you gave him the wrong medicine though.

 

[henpecked]

I had the same problem giving antibiotics to my Amazon not only turning his head but he was angry enough he wanted to bit me. I tried putting the antibiotic in his food and treats but no go. After doing some research I decided I would give sovereign silver add to his water. He gets a natural antibiotic that does not kill the healthy bacteria in his system.

What antibiotics are you giving? Batril? What form ? You can get it flavored. Need help?