In Sickness and in Health
The Budgerigar in Sickness and in
Health.
Disclaimer - please take note;
I am not a veterinarian and I have never examined your birds
You should be aware that any recommendations offered are not intended to take the place or supersede the advice of dedicated avian veterinary professionals.
If you choose to use any suggestions and recommendations I offer and your bird does not respond or becomes sicker, you must then seek the advice of an avian veterinarian.
Your birds are your responsibility
BUT
I would rather offer to help you than let your bird die
Before you can tell if your budgie is ill you must be able to recognise a healthy budgie and once you are familiar with the signs of a healthy bird anything unusual will be spotted at once. The healthy bird’s eyes will be bright and round, the plumage will be blooming the feathers will be held tight to its body and its tail will be straight and in line with its body. A healthy budgie will tuck its head into its wing and fall asleep while perching on one leg.A budgerigar sleeping on two legs may be ill.
A healthy bright eyed budgerigar
A budgie showing the bloom of good health,complete in feather and holding her tail inline with the body.
The first sign that our budgie is ill is usually a loss of appetite and diarrhoea.
The most common problems of illness are bacteria infections , fungi, yeast viruses, or infestations by worms mites or lice.
A drooping tail tells us something is wrong, the budgie may be sick, unhappy or stressed. You have just spotted another crucial sign and because it was spotted early means we can treat our sick bird before it becomes critical. We then notice our bird is looking lethargic, walking and climbing instead of flying, the eyes droop and become dull and take on a lemon/oval shape. Now we have a sick budgie whose temperature will now start to rise, the feathers then open up to let the air in to its body so that it can cool off.
The oval/lemon shaped eye tells us our bird is not well.
Be Prepared
Purchase a seed propagator from a garden centre or a large DIY store. With the top vents open I can keep a sick bird at a constant temperature of 82 degrees Fahrenheit.
Line the inside with a thin layer of clean wood shavings, fix two perches just up off the floor and provide seed and clean water.
Always have a shallow dish of clean water in the propagator; this will help create the humidity needed for the bird
Now we have some important things to consider
Heat; A bird’s body temperature needs a large amount of energy to keep it at normal. We must help our sick bird to maintain its normal body temperature without reducing its energy levels. In only a few days a budgie can lose half of its normal body weight.
The ideal initial temperature should be 90 degrees Fahrenheit. This will make the bird pant so once you see the bird panting reduce the temperature slowly until you reach 85 degrees and the panting will stop. As the bird recovers lower your heater temperature by 5 degrees a day until you reach room temperature.
Do not reduce the temperature quickly
Quiet; you must keep a sick bird quiet and away from any noisy part of the house. Remove the birds toys and lower the perches to almost the bottom of the cage, darken the cage with a cover and this will encourage your sick bird to sleep.
Humidity; heavy breathing, wheezing, clicking noises during breathing, bobbing tail and discharge from the nostrils are all signs of respiratory problems. We must clear those air passages and a vaporiser would be ideal. In the absence of a vaporiser we can use the bath/shower room. Let the hot taps run until you have created steam. Now let your bird spend short spells in this environment.
Fluids; A sick bird is very easily dehydrated so fluids are very important. A bird with diarrhoea will lose large quantities of water in its droppings and needs immediate help. Your sick bird may not drink much on its own and its temperature will rise, therefore you must help your bird by giving fluids using a spoon or a syringe. A sick bird can die from lack of fluids and energy so I supply “Guardian Angel” in the water. This will replace the energy and mineral salts the bird has lost.
Nutrition; our sick bird needs food high in carbohydrates and something that will be easy to digest. I soak millet sprays in a dilution of “Guardian Angel” and I find they eat this before anything else. If your bird refuses to eat, it must be hand fed even if it needs a little gentle persuasion. Use hand rearing food such as “Exact” hand feeding formula, baby food or chicken pellets. These must be ground up. If you can buy pin head oatmeal keep a little on stock in a sealed container. I soak this, grind it up in egg food and feed it off a bent spoon. A sick bird without any food will be dead in 24 hours.
Feed small amounts often
Do note the bent spoon which is the ideal tool for feeding a sick, injured or orphan bird. Just hold the bird with head erect and tap the spoon on its beak - it will now swallow.
This article is intended to help you recognise a sick bird and the immediate action you need to take until you can arrange a visit to a Avian Vet
Disclaimer - please take note;
I am not a veterinarian and I have never examined your birds
You should be aware that any recommendations offered are not intended to take the place or supersede the advice of dedicated avian veterinary professionals.
If you choose to use any suggestions and recommendations I offer and your bird does not respond or becomes sicker, you must then seek the advice of an avian veterinarian.
Your birds are your responsibility
BUT
I would rather offer to help you than let your bird die
Before you can tell if your budgie is ill you must be able to recognise a healthy budgie and once you are familiar with the signs of a healthy bird anything unusual will be spotted at once. The healthy bird’s eyes will be bright and round, the plumage will be blooming the feathers will be held tight to its body and its tail will be straight and in line with its body. A healthy budgie will tuck its head into its wing and fall asleep while perching on one leg.A budgerigar sleeping on two legs may be ill.
A healthy bright eyed budgerigar
A budgie showing the bloom of good health,complete in feather and holding her tail inline with the body.
The first sign that our budgie is ill is usually a loss of appetite and diarrhoea.
The most common problems of illness are bacteria infections , fungi, yeast viruses, or infestations by worms mites or lice.
A drooping tail tells us something is wrong, the budgie may be sick, unhappy or stressed. You have just spotted another crucial sign and because it was spotted early means we can treat our sick bird before it becomes critical. We then notice our bird is looking lethargic, walking and climbing instead of flying, the eyes droop and become dull and take on a lemon/oval shape. Now we have a sick budgie whose temperature will now start to rise, the feathers then open up to let the air in to its body so that it can cool off.
The oval/lemon shaped eye tells us our bird is not well.
The raised feathers tell us we have a bird with a high temperature.
We may now see a wet face and treatment is required immediately. Heat and isolation are the first stages of treatment. Cover the bird’s cage on three sides with a towel and point the cage at a hot radiator.
We may now see a wet face and treatment is required immediately. Heat and isolation are the first stages of treatment. Cover the bird’s cage on three sides with a towel and point the cage at a hot radiator.
Be Prepared
Purchase a seed propagator from a garden centre or a large DIY store. With the top vents open I can keep a sick bird at a constant temperature of 82 degrees Fahrenheit.
Line the inside with a thin layer of clean wood shavings, fix two perches just up off the floor and provide seed and clean water.
Always have a shallow dish of clean water in the propagator; this will help create the humidity needed for the bird
Now we have some important things to consider
Heat; A bird’s body temperature needs a large amount of energy to keep it at normal. We must help our sick bird to maintain its normal body temperature without reducing its energy levels. In only a few days a budgie can lose half of its normal body weight.
The ideal initial temperature should be 90 degrees Fahrenheit. This will make the bird pant so once you see the bird panting reduce the temperature slowly until you reach 85 degrees and the panting will stop. As the bird recovers lower your heater temperature by 5 degrees a day until you reach room temperature.
Do not reduce the temperature quickly
Quiet; you must keep a sick bird quiet and away from any noisy part of the house. Remove the birds toys and lower the perches to almost the bottom of the cage, darken the cage with a cover and this will encourage your sick bird to sleep.
Humidity; heavy breathing, wheezing, clicking noises during breathing, bobbing tail and discharge from the nostrils are all signs of respiratory problems. We must clear those air passages and a vaporiser would be ideal. In the absence of a vaporiser we can use the bath/shower room. Let the hot taps run until you have created steam. Now let your bird spend short spells in this environment.
Fluids; A sick bird is very easily dehydrated so fluids are very important. A bird with diarrhoea will lose large quantities of water in its droppings and needs immediate help. Your sick bird may not drink much on its own and its temperature will rise, therefore you must help your bird by giving fluids using a spoon or a syringe. A sick bird can die from lack of fluids and energy so I supply “Guardian Angel” in the water. This will replace the energy and mineral salts the bird has lost.
Nutrition; our sick bird needs food high in carbohydrates and something that will be easy to digest. I soak millet sprays in a dilution of “Guardian Angel” and I find they eat this before anything else. If your bird refuses to eat, it must be hand fed even if it needs a little gentle persuasion. Use hand rearing food such as “Exact” hand feeding formula, baby food or chicken pellets. These must be ground up. If you can buy pin head oatmeal keep a little on stock in a sealed container. I soak this, grind it up in egg food and feed it off a bent spoon. A sick bird without any food will be dead in 24 hours.
Feed small amounts often
Do note the bent spoon which is the ideal tool for feeding a sick, injured or orphan bird. Just hold the bird with head erect and tap the spoon on its beak - it will now swallow.
Haphazard doctoring by the breeder with Pencillin, Terramycin, Aureomyacin or other antibiotics is harmful. Certain concentration of these agents have to be kept up in the blood stream for a certain length of time. Antibiotics may injure the action of beneficial bacteria in the intestinal tract causing ill health.
This article is intended to help you recognise a sick bird and the immediate action you need to take until you can arrange a visit to a Avian Vet