Why is my Budgie sleeping and not eating?

[Bro]

Hey guys. I have 2 budgies, a Blue Male and a Green Female. Both are very playful and they play all day, The Green Female was fine until 4 PM but after that she became lethargy and is sleeping since then, she also not eating. Its 9:30 PM now

What could be wrong with her? Please help me

 

[birbsRcool]

I recommend taking her to a vet. She might be just taking a nap, so check on her once she wakes up and look for signs of sickness. Welcome to the forums!

 

[noodles123]

That is a long time to sleep if her cage is uncovered and if it wouldn't normally be her bedtime (they do need 10-12 hours sleep nightly though...) Is this a new behavior?

...you need to take them both to an avian vet (not a dog and cat vet--but an avian certified vet)...If you cannot find an avian certified vet, you can try an exotics vet if they frequently see parrots, but a physical exam is likely not going to be enough to tell if something more is going on.

How long have you had them and how old are they?

Does her abdomen or butt (vent) look swollen at all?
Any tail-bobbing when she breathes?

 

[Bro]

I recommend taking her to a vet. She might be just taking a nap, so check on her once she wakes up and look for signs of sickness. Welcome to the forums!

Till now, no other signs are present rather than Sleepiness. I will continue looking though. Thanks for reply

 

[Bro]

That is a long time to sleep if her cage is uncovered and if it wouldn't normally be her bedtime (they do need 10-12 hours sleep nightly though...) Is this a new behavior?

...you need to take them both to an avian vet (not a dog and cat vet--but an avian certified vet)...If you cannot find an avian certified vet, you can try an exotics vet if they frequently see parrots, but a physical exam is likely not going to be enough to tell if something more is going on.

How long have you had them and how old are they?

Does her abdomen or butt (vent) look swollen at all?
Any tail-bobbing when she breathes?

Yes the cage is uncovered and that was not her normal bedtime. This is totally new behaviour.

I have them for 4 months and they are like 1 to 1.5 years old.

Her abdomen and butt is looking fine and she is breathing normally.

 

[noodles123]

Well, just remember that they hide illness, so it is better to be overly cautious than under cautious...if symptoms show up, it is often because they have already been sick for a period of time. See how she continues to act, but that's odd for it to happen out of the blue when it has never happened in 4 months. That seems really strange....and does she normally eat during that time? I mean, how often does she eat and what does she eat?

They are both sexually mature, so she could possibly be having an issue with an egg....look up egg-binding so that you are aware of the symptoms.

It could be so many things: bacteria, a virus, something in the air, something internal, a blockage, an egg, a nutritional issue, yest/fungus, parasite....I mean, the list of possibilities is huge without a vet (if there is something wrong).

If she is sick, DO NOT assume that your boy bird is healthy, as birds can be carriers of viruses etc without showing any symptoms. SO, if you find out what is wrong with her (if there is an issue) don't just assume that he is fine because he is acting healthy.

 

[Bro]

Well, just remember that they hide illness, so it is better to be overly cautious than under cautious...if symptoms show up, it is often because they have already been sick for a period of time. See how she continues to act, but that's odd for it to happen out of the blue when it has never happened in 4 months. That seems really strange....and does she normally eat during that time? I mean, how often does she eat and what does she eat?

They are both sexually mature, so she could possibly be having an issue with an egg....look up egg-binding so that you are aware of the symptoms.

It could be so many things: bacteria, a virus, something in the air, something internal, a blockage, an egg, a nutritional issue, yest/fungus, parasite....I mean, the list of possibilities is huge without a vet (if there is something wrong).

If she is sick, DO NOT assume that your boy bird is healthy, as birds can be carriers of viruses etc without showing any symptoms. SO, if you find out what is wrong with her (if there is an issue) don't just assume that he is fine because he is acting healthy.

Yes they both just randomly eat and play in their cage and i feed them budgie food that is mix of seeds.
I will post an update after visiting to vet.

 

[Bro]

Thank you so much for the support and helpful replies guys. I took her to the Vet and he diagnosed her with fever and diarrhea. He gave medicine and told to pour it in her water bowl. After 2 days she is fine and is back to her normal behavior.

 

[noodles123]

Glad she's doing better- I agree that your bird was sick but it me nervous that your vet to put meds in the water-- this is a terribly inaccurate way of dosing, as you cannot know how much she is getting , plus it can change the flavor of the water so they do not drink it and become dehydrated, and it can promoted bacterial growth in the water due to additives in the medicine.

I would look for an avian vet...one that specializes in birds

Is he medicating both birds? I am guessing they have the same water...
Did he run any tests???

"Fever and diarrhea" is really vague...Normally they will tell you that they have a specific infection..Did he take his temperature or something with regard to the fever? I may be crazy, but I have never seen my avian vet take my bird's temperature.

 

[Bro]

Glad she's doing better- I agree that your bird was sick but it me nervous that your vet to put meds in the water-- this is a terribly inaccurate way of dosing, as you cannot know how much she is getting , plus it can change the flavor of the water so they do not drink it and become dehydrated, and it can promoted bacterial growth in the water due to additives in the medicine.

I would look for an avian vet...one that specializes in birds

Is he medicating both birds? I am guessing they have the same water...
Did he run any tests???

"Fever and diarrhea" is really vague...Normally they will tell you that they have a specific infection..Did he take his temperature or something with regard to the fever? I may be crazy, but I have never seen my avian vet take my bird's temperature.

This vet was the only one near my area that treats bird. So i had no choice but visiting to this vet.
Yes he is medicating both birds and told that other budgie might have caught the infection too. He checked the temperature with a thermometer in budgie's butt.
We really lack avian vets in India. This vet seemed a noob to me

 

[noodles123]

Glad she's doing better- I agree that your bird was sick but it me nervous that your vet to put meds in the water-- this is a terribly inaccurate way of dosing, as you cannot know how much she is getting , plus it can change the flavor of the water so they do not drink it and become dehydrated, and it can promoted bacterial growth in the water due to additives in the medicine.

I would look for an avian vet...one that specializes in birds

Is he medicating both birds? I am guessing they have the same water...
Did he run any tests???

"Fever and diarrhea" is really vague...Normally they will tell you that they have a specific infection..Did he take his temperature or something with regard to the fever? I may be crazy, but I have never seen my avian vet take my bird's temperature.

This vet was the only one near my area that treats bird. So i had no choice but visiting to this vet.
Yes he is medicating both birds and told that other budgie might have caught the infection too. He checked the temperature with a thermometer in budgie's butt.
We really lack avian vets in India. This vet seemed a noob to me

Ah- gotcha. They can be hard to come by, for sure. Just wanted to make sure you didn't have other options that you were overlooking (it sucks that there are not more avian vets in general). Are you anywhere near West Bengal? I ask out of sheer curiosity because I spent a lot of time there--not because I know of any avian vets there lol.

He is right to say both birds could have caught it.
I am glad he actually took his temperature-- I have never seen that, so I wondered if he was just guessing lol! Glad he wasn't.

I wonder if he would be able to do a gram-stain if needed one for either bird in the future (it is a very common test of taking poop, putting it on a slide and adding dye so that you can see what types of bacteria/yeast etc are in there (gram negative vs gram positive))....You might just inquire and see if he knows what it is or would be able to do one in the event that your bird starts acting odd again (the bird doesn't have to be there to get this test done--but it could be very helpful one of these days if he has the ability). I think any vet could do one if they were familiar with the procedure (although many say that can't)...He may already know how, but if he doesn't I imagine he could figure it out easily...the equipment needed is pretty much dye and a microscope...