Help!!!

HELP! I think my little guy is dying

He was a rescued budgie (was slotted to be killed because he only has one leg) and I have had him for about 9 months now. Friday I saw he was hanging out on the floor of his cage which he sometimes does (he hops around - always has done that) but allot more than usual.

Yesterday I noticed he was on the floor almost all the time, but moved up the sides and to his favorite spot when I changed food and water etc.

Today he is barely moving, all fluffed up and sitting in his food bowl (he has shallow bowls on the floor of the cage as it is easier for him to eat and drink that way and he cant drown by falling into his water bowl).

Needless to say I have been keeping a closer eye on him since Friday, but other than being at the bottom and now fluffed up he seems normal as in nothing like a broken wing etc but he is breathing deeper than normal.

Do you think he is dying and if so is there anything I can do to comfort him and make his passing easier? From what I have read previously, his behaviour is that of a dying bird. Although losing him would be a very very sad thing, he lived allot longer than he would have had I not brought him home.

Any advice or recommendations would be great. I will also be calling my avian vet, if there is anyone there right now (being that it is the Sunday of a long weekend here and all).

I would take him to the vet ASAP.

They are not open until Tuesday

I went to check on him again and he was sitting on his ladder, which is allot more than he was doing all morning. I petted him a little and he was allot calmer than usual, but he's moved around.

I'm so sorry keep us posted

Are there any emergency vets in your area? That might be something to look for. Its hard when there is much time to wait before you can do anything. It sounds like he is a pretty sick little guy.

No there really are not any emerg vets.

Ive been keeping my eye on him and he is hopping around so i think i will continue to keep my eye on him. Also, I really cannot afford the emerg vet costs ... I know money shoujld not be an issue, but it is sometimes.

Im going to go check on him again. My other birds are looking at him ... when he was in the food bowl they were eye balling him and "talking" softly to him ... it was SO cute. I will let you know how he is.

keep him warm and quiet so he doesn't stress - that is all I know let us know how he is doing

I personally would separate him from the other birds ... isolated in a hospital cage, wash your hands after handling him (wouldn't want to pass something to your other birdies) ... keep him quite, keep him from stressing out, get him to consume as much food and water, especially water, as possible ... and we will keep the good thoughts going on around here ...

If he won't eat or drink on his own....try holding him, and offering water thru an eyedropper.....you can also mix some babyfood cereal with water, to make it thin enough to flow thru the eyedropper to try and get some food into him.

Pam

Great advise from every one here, and yeah you need to get this guy to the vets asap, just to be on the safe side. Get as much food and water in him as possible, if he gets stressed using an eyedropper try giving him water from your fingers. Make some of his fav foods and mashed up if needed.

If money is an issue, see if you can make some kind of arrangement with the vet, In an ideal world, yeah money shouldn't be a factor, but as we all know, we don't live in an ideal world. Good Luck to you and please let us know how you are both getting on.

Good luck with this little guy...

How is the little guy doing today.

Update -

Today at around 8pm PST pogo passed away while I held him. He had seemed to come around, but apparently his time was up.

I think I will share with you all his little, and short, story:

I got pogo about 9 months ago. I was the livestocck manager (I just HATE the word livestock) at one of the chain pet stores here and was checking on some new arrivals in the quarantine room. I was making sure everyone had food and water and seemed happy. I checked some guinea pigs and mice and a few new finches. I got to the budgie cage and right off I saw a small blue budgie sitting on a perch.

There were about three other blue budgies in that cage (all were blue), but the little blue one stood out. He was noticably smaller than the others, and was sitting on one leg, singing with his little faint voice at the top of his lungs.

Everything seemed alright so I went about the other things I had to do. The little blue budgie though stuck out in my mind, and I asked one of the girls in my department if she had seen him. She said "what, the little one?" (for some reason i remember that) and i said yes. She commented on how adorable he looked sitting there with one little leg tucked up.

I thought that was odd that he always seemed to have one leg tucked up under him, and always the same one. I went back and took a closer look at him (picked him up) and looked to see maybe there was a cut on his tucked up foot or something. There I found his little perfectly healed over stump. I looked and examined it very closely, and kissed his head (he didnt bite or anything), then put him back in the cage. Such a good little patient he was!

I went and found one of the other managers and asked her to come see something. She was usually at the front of the store, but really loved going to the back rooms (to see the new critters in the quarantine room as well as in the sick room).

I brought her in and asked her to look at the new budgies and tell me if she saw anything odd. She said the one was small, but other than that they seemed fine. I opened the cage and took him out and showed her the stump.

Her face went white and she said that he would be sent back and killed because he was "unsellable". I replied saying "like he!! I will send this little guy to death!" and we plotted for a moment or two about what we could do.

We decided that one of us would have to bring him home at the end of the day. Seeing as she had nothing to put him in (no cage) and no idea how to take care of a bird, that left me. I already had two budgies and a lovebird and really was not planning on another bird. But, I took him home and before I got home was absolutely smitten with him.

He fit in instantly (but was kept in his own little quarantine at my house) and when he got to meet the others he was just thrilled, as were they. I ended up naming him Pogo (one leg hehe) and that was it. He eventually moved in with the other two budgies, and they all got along well. About a week later my lovebird Pix came my way (he was a rescue).

They got along well that is until my female budgie decided to go on a killing spree. One day she was being very aggressive to the boys, nipping their feet, trying to bite them etc. Because of this I was getting together a cage for the boys to be in and the female (Bonnie) took Clyde (the male) and flung him to the floor of the cage and he died almost instantly from a broken neck. I saw this happen and got very upset. He turned over and looked at me and died. It was very very fast. Bonnie then went towards Pogo and I reached in and grabbed him, right as Bonnie just about had her beek on him.

I held Pogo (who held on for dear life with his beak and foot) and put him in the "vet cage", a small white travel cage that is way too small for any bird to LIVE in. I got one of my other "spare" cages and set it up for him, and he loved his 'house'. He roosted around like it was a palace, and just did so so well! He got a little bigger, ate better and just loved life.

He made friends with the lovebirds and they would tease and sing to him all the time. He, in his little but proud "voice", would sing back as loud as he could, and fluff up and dance around with Pix (who is a real entertainer).

Everything was fine (although sad since Clyde died) and they were happy and their normal birdy selves.

Then, this past Friday I noticed Pogo was behaving oddly. I posted on here for the first time a couple days later. He seemed to come back around (I thought maybe he was just hanging out or something I dont know) and seemed to be abck to his normal Pogo self. Singing, dancing with Pix everything.

It was a nice warm day today and the sun was beaming into the room so I opened the window for some fresh air and they love singing to the outside birds.

I went along doing what I had to do, going from time to time to see them and visit them and chat to them and all that. The last time, at around 8PM, I went to visit them I noticed Pogo on the bottom again, but this time his wings were slightly open, and he was REALLY fluffy. I touched him and he barely moved. This is when the tears started.

I picked him up and held him close to my chest in my hand and he mved a llittle, looked up, tilted his head, closed his eyes and passed. The lovebirds stopped singing and with Bonnie looked over and were perfectly quiet.

Pix and Serentiy (p/f lovebirds) scrambled over to the corner of their cage and eye-balled him and were doing single little tweets, the ones they did to see if he was wanting to play around. I told them "he doesnt hear you anymore. He is sleeping now" and they seemed to get it. Bonnie was not really interested (shes not really into other birds).

I held him and just talked softly to him stroking his feathers and crying.

Then, when I was finished saying my buh byes, I got a small milk carton, some green tissue paper, made a little paper nest and put him in the carton. He is buried beside Clyde under a big old tree in the back. I think I will plant some wild flowers there.

So my little Pogo is gone, and my heart is broken, but I really am thankful to have had as much time with him as I did. He had a really hard start in life, and I hope I did the best for him while he was mine to do for.

Wow, that brought some tears to my eyes, and thats not easy to do.

Pogo sounded like a good fid and had a loving home, I am sorry to hear of your loss.

~Chi

I am so very sorry, (still crying her eyes out from reading his story) I was really hoping this little one would make it.

he really faught to stay. when i came in and found him in his cage last nighthe was sitting there with his wings a little open, i thought he was passed then. then he moved his wings and thats when i picked him up. it was heartbreaking. but, he lived a good life, and he was the happiest little guy i have ever seen. i will miss him terribly, but i know he lived better and longer than many others, and he really willl always have a spot in allot of peoples hearts.

Im really sorrey for your loss indigo. Will you be getting anymore birds in the future?

I probably will, but for right now my lovies and one remaining budgie is it for me. I want at least one of the big guys (a TAG or possibly a 'too), but I am facing a big (international) move and all that goes along with that so right now the little guys are it for me. I also have some furries (2 cats and a dog) so I have my hands full.

Also, I just want to thank everyone for their kind words, and all your advise and input.

I am procrastinating cleaning out Pogo's cage, its on my back porch still more or less how it was when he was living there.

Wish you well with your move, and when the time comes you will find another companion to love, as for the cage, you will know when the time is right for you to clean it. Good luck to you. Let us know how you get on, and we'd love to see pics of your cats and dog. and your fids of course