I’m unsure if I should re-home my budgie

[Hatzegopteryx4578]

The sibling of my budgie has recently been put down and I’m unsure whether to give him up or not. Although I’m on easter break I’ll be in school for the majority of the time after that. I also lack the room for bird quarantine if I do want to get another bird. Along with that he has a possible strand of AGY which although is asymptomatic I’m worried that it is incurable and could pass onto other birds. I’m also haunted with the thought of him being re-homed several times after that if I do re-home him.
Overall this situation has been extremely stressful for me where I am stuck and jammed between keeping him or sending him to a new owner.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

The sibling of my budgie has recently been put down and I’m unsure whether to give him up or not. Although I’m on easter break I’ll be in school for the majority of the time after that. I also lack the room for bird quarantine if I do want to get another bird. Along with that he has a possible strand of AGY which although is asymptomatic I’m worried that it is incurable and could pass onto other birds. I’m also haunted with the thought of him being re-homed several times after that if I do re-home him.
Overall this situation has been extremely stressful for me where I am stuck and jammed between keeping him or sending him to a new owner.

What is AGY?

 

[Terry57]

The sibling of my budgie has recently been put down and I’m unsure whether to give him up or not. Although I’m on easter break I’ll be in school for the majority of the time after that. I also lack the room for bird quarantine if I do want to get another bird. Along with that he has a possible strand of AGY which although is asymptomatic I’m worried that it is incurable and could pass onto other birds. I’m also haunted with the thought of him being re-homed several times after that if I do re-home him.
Overall this situation has been extremely stressful for me where I am stuck and jammed between keeping him or sending him to a new owner.

I'm so sorry that you're going through this, and for the loss of your other budgie.
How old is the budgie you have now?

AGY can be treated with antibiotics, from my understanding.

 

[Hatzegopteryx4578]

What is AGY?

Avian gastric yeast. I’m going to assume you already know what it is but it’s a fungal which festers in the digestive track. It was previous call megabacteria because it was thought to have been a large bacterial organism but that’s now changed.

 

[Hatzegopteryx4578]

I'm so sorry that you're going through this, and for the loss of your other budgie.
How old is the budgie you have now?

AGY can be treated with antibiotics, from my understanding.

2 years, born in Nov 4th 2020 (same date and year as the budgie I’ve lost). I went to the vets and they sent him home without any intervention, the other was put down on the same day. I’ve insisted to my mom to do a double check up on him to see if he’d test positive for AGY as he was a cagemate with her. My mom unfortunately denied otherwise because the vets said ‘it was individual’ and ‘because of her mutation’. These past two days since she had been put down have been stressful for me and my budgie because he’s is alone and I’m distressed because he potentially has AGY and I can’t bring him a cagemate. Even if I did I wouldn’t know if he’d even like them; plus we don’t know if he has AGY. Even though he looks and acts clinically healthy I’m still rightfully concerned.

 

[Terry57]

2 years, born in Nov 4th 2020 (same date and year as the budgie I’ve lost). I went to the vets and they sent him home without any intervention, the other was put down on the same day. I’ve insisted to my mom to do a double check up on him to see if he’d test positive for AGY as he was a cagemate with her. My mom unfortunately denied otherwise because the vets said ‘it was individual’ and ‘because of her mutation’. These past two days since she had been put down have been stressful for me and my budgie because he’s is alone and I’m distressed because he potentially has AGY and I can’t bring him a cagemate. Even if I did I wouldn’t know if he’d even like them; plus we don’t know if he has AGY. Even though he looks and acts clinically healthy I’m still rightfully concerned.

Was this an Avian vet you went to see? I'm shocked that they wouldn't test your remaining budgie for it as it's highly contagious. It can also be treated with antibiotics, according to Google it's a month long treatment.

You are right to not add another budgie, and if you aren't able to get this one treated it may be best to find her a home, and make them aware of what he has so they can take him to be treated.
I'm so sorry, I can imagine how hard this is for you.

 

[Hatzegopteryx4578]

Was this an Avian vet you went to see? I'm shocked that they wouldn't test your remaining budgie for it as it's highly contagious. It can also be treated with antibiotics, according to Google it's a month long treatment.

You are right to not add another budgie, and if you aren't able to get this one treated it may be best to find her a home, and make them aware of what he has so they can take him to be treated.
I'm so sorry, I can imagine how hard this is for you.

Mhm, an avian vet with a 4.9 star view on google. Specifically avian veterinary services at CW9 7TN. The place was showered with 5 star reviews from every person that went there. I’m also terrified that because he is stressed, his immune system may end up impaired which means that the AGY can also attack him while it’s compromised.

 

[Terry57]

Mhm, an avian vet with a 4.9 star view on google. Specifically avian veterinary services at CW9 7TN. The place was showered with 5 star reviews from every person that went there. I’m also terrified that because he is stressed, his immune system may end up impaired which means that the AGY can also attack him while it’s compromised.

Wow, I'm really surprised, but I'm definitely not an expert on it.
He will be stressed for awhile grieving over his lost mate, but if you can make time to give him extra attention it should help him relieve some of his stress. I believe that he will also know that you are grieving, my birds always have, and that forms a special bond.

 

[Hatzegopteryx4578]

Wow, I'm really surprised, but I'm definitely not an expert on it.
He will be stressed for awhile grieving over his lost mate, but if you can make time to give him extra attention it should help him relieve some of his stress. I believe that he will also know that you are grieving, my birds always have, and that forms a special bond.

I’m definitely trying by giving him the extra time of revising our ‘step up’ thingy. The other concern that I’m also having though his excessive preening after I showed him the dead body of his sister and everybody knows that this may end up to plucking. I’m not very sure what to do other than revising our training because he has kinda abandoned the toys which he absolutely loved to shred before his sib left this world.

 

[Terry57]

I’m definitely trying by giving him the extra time of revising our ‘step up’ thingy. The other concern that I’m also having though his excessive preening after I showed him the dead body of his sister and everybody knows that this may end up to plucking. I’m not very sure what to do other than revising our training because he has kinda abandoned the toys which he absolutely loved to shred before his sib left this world.

Could you make him some different toys? My budgies loved anything with cardboard and cupcake holders and they're easy to make

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Avian gastric yeast. I’m going to assume you already know what it is but it’s a fungal which festers in the digestive track. It was previous call megabacteria because it was thought to have been a large bacterial organism but that’s now changed.

I've never heard of it. I'm always trying to learn new things especially as they relate to my birds and their health. Do they do a culture to diagnose it? If so, how do they get a sample to culture? By inserting a tube in the crop? It would seem as though this gastrointestinal yeast infection can be effectively treated by a CAV with antifungal medications but we all know how stressful it can be to administer medications to a bird even when they're tame. Unless the medication if given as directed without missing doses it would be ineffective in addition to being very stressful. And after you're finished giving the antifungal I would think they would need to do another culture to make sure the treatment was effective.
That all said, why did this budgie's sister need to be put down?

 

[Hatzegopteryx4578]

Was this an Avian vet you went to see? I'm shocked that they wouldn't test your remaining budgie for it as it's highly contagious. It can also be treated with antibiotics, according to Google it's a month long treatment.

You are right to not add another budgie, and if you aren't able to get this one treated it may be best to find her a home, and make them aware of what he has so they can take him to be treated.
I'm so sorry, I can imagine how hard this is for you.

I've never heard of it. I'm always trying to learn new things especially as they relate to my birds and their health. Do they do a culture to diagnose it? If so, how do they get a sample to culture? By inserting a tube in the crop? It would seem as though this gastrointestinal yeast infection can be effectively treated by a CAV with antifungal medications but we all know how stressful it can be to administer medications to a bird even when they're tame. Unless the medication if given as directed without missing doses it would be ineffective in addition to being very stressful. And after you're finished giving the antifungal I would think they would need to do another culture to make sure the treatment was effective.
That all said, why did this budgie's sister need to be put down?

They take several samples of their fecal matter and they examine it.
My marshmellow had to be put down because she was barely hanging onto life. She had lost nearly all her body fat and she was sitting still most of the time to preserve what little energy she had. The vets also said we could go through the process of stomach tubing (and something else which I can’t exactly remember). However, there was high chance that it would come back. Because of all these factors they gave us the choice to either euthanise her or go through the treatment which would have most likely been ineffective.
She spent her last moments with me and her brother as she fell into deep sleep.
Please do anything to prevent this thing into your flock because once the signs are critical it can be terrible for your bird and your whole flock in general.
Sorry I couldn’t write this paragraph neatly lol, just extremely sad

 

[DonnaBudgie]

They take several samples of their fecal matter and they examine it.
My marshmellow had to be put down because she was barely hanging onto life. She had lost nearly all her body fat and she was sitting still most of the time to preserve what little energy she had. The vets also said we could go through the process of stomach tubing (and something else which I can’t exactly remember). However, there was high chance that it would come back. Because of all these factors they gave us the choice to either euthanise her or go through the treatment which would have most likely been ineffective.
She spent her last moments with me and her brother as she fell into deep sleep.
Please do anything to prevent this thing into your flock because once the signs are critical it can be terrible for your bird and your whole flock in general.
Sorry I couldn’t write this paragraph neatly lol, just extremely sad

So very sad for you and for her brother! As hard as it can be sometimes it's more humane to end an animal's suffering than to try to treat the cause. You unselfishly did the right thing. As for her brother, are you planning to treat him in hopes of getting rid of the infection so he can live in a household with other birds? In the meantime, give him lots of the love and attention he needs.

 

[Terry57]

They take several samples of their fecal matter and they examine it.
My marshmellow had to be put down because she was barely hanging onto life. She had lost nearly all her body fat and she was sitting still most of the time to preserve what little energy she had. The vets also said we could go through the process of stomach tubing (and something else which I can’t exactly remember). However, there was high chance that it would come back. Because of all these factors they gave us the choice to either euthanise her or go through the treatment which would have most likely been ineffective.
She spent her last moments with me and her brother as she fell into deep sleep.
Please do anything to prevent this thing into your flock because once the signs are critical it can be terrible for your bird and your whole flock in general.
Sorry I couldn’t write this paragraph neatly lol, just extremely sad

I'm so incredibly sorry about Marshmellow, but I'm so glad that you and your boy got to comfort her and feel your love as she crossed the Rainbow Bridge.
Having the courage to say goodbye when you know your beloved bird is suffering is the final gift we can give our babies.

I honestly think he should stay with you, your love shows in every word you type. You and he have an incredible bond, and your busyness won't last forever. I think he'd be better off with the person he loves, even if the situation has to change for awhile.
We recently had to change everything about our birds when I was ill, and I'm still not able to take over the feeding, etc. Their time outs are shorter as well.
Life happens to us all, and he will learn to deal with the changes until everything goes back to normal for you both.



What's your boy's name?

 

[Hatzegopteryx4578]

So very sad for you and for her brother! As hard as it can be sometimes it's more humane to end an animal's suffering than to try to treat the cause. You unselfishly did the right thing. As for her brother, are you planning to treat him in hopes of getting rid of the infection so he can live in a household with other birds? In the meantime, give him lots of the love and attention he needs.

I want to but I’m not sure if my mom would allow me because of what the vets said. I’ll try but if nothing happens I might have to considering re-homing him to an owner that can take care of him without any restrictive means. The only thing that haunts me is if I do opt for this last he ends up in the unruly run of cycling through several houses throughout his lifetime. Thinking of the neglect that could go through if I do just pains and aches me.

 

[Hatzegopteryx4578]

I'm so incredibly sorry about Marshmellow, but I'm so glad that you and your boy got to comfort her and feel your love as she crossed the Rainbow Bridge.
Having the courage to say goodbye when you know your beloved bird is suffering is the final gift we can give our babies.

I honestly think he should stay with you, your love shows in every word you type. You and he have an incredible bond, and your busyness won't last forever. I think he'd be better off with the person he loves, even if the situation has to change for awhile.
We recently had to change everything about our birds when I was ill, and I'm still not able to take over the feeding, etc. Their time outs are shorter as well.
Life happens to us all, and he will learn to deal with the changes until everything goes back to normal for you both.



What's your boy's name?

My female actually wasn’t calle Marshmellow and it was just a metaphor for how she was.
Her name was actually Mayumi meaning ‘tender’ in filipino.
She had always been a quiet bird. She’d never really ever been that vocal but she was curious and destructive, never afraid to try get her tongue around anything that was in her sight.
My boy was called Makisig meaning ‘sweet’ in filipino.
He was usually the skittish one and he’d always tailgate behind Mayumi, they were practically inseparable. Even though he was the skittish one he was the first one to come over to step up onto me, Mayumi decided to try later.
They were siblings, both through blood and friendship.
Even though Mayumi’s time on Earth was so short compared her lifespan at least ever one of those moments were cherished with me and her sibling.
I can’t weep about what couldn’t be done as she’d succumb to it anyways. Instead I should cherish the funny and cheerful moment she had with me and Makisig because even though she hadn’t lived her entire life to the fullest she had lived it to the best.
As for the situation if I can’t change anything he’d probably have to go with a new owner. Saying this is just sad but if I can’t be with him all the time and get effective treatment then he’d probably have to go to an owner which could treat his needs.
Here are an images of them before they were even one. I’ve changed the cage but it was just joyous seeing one of their happy moments.

 

[Terry57]

My female actually wasn’t calle Marshmellow and it was just a metaphor for how she was.
Her name was actually Mayumi meaning ‘tender’ in filipino.
She had always been a quiet bird. She’d never really ever been that vocal but she was curious and destructive, never afraid to try get her tongue around anything that was in her sight.
My boy was called Makisig meaning ‘sweet’ in filipino.
He was usually the skittish one and he’d always tailgate behind Mayumi, they were practically inseparable. Even though he was the skittish one he was the first one to come over to step up onto me, Mayumi decided to try later.
They were siblings, both through blood and friendship.
Even though Mayumi’s time on Earth was so short compared her lifespan at least ever one of those moments were cherished with me and her sibling.
I can’t weep about what couldn’t be done as she’d succumb to it anyways. Instead I should cherish the funny and cheerful moment she had with me and Makisig because even though she hadn’t lived her entire life to the fullest she had lived it to the best.
As for the situation if I can’t change anything he’d probably have to go with a new owner. Saying this is just sad but if I can’t be with him all the time and get effective treatment then he’d probably have to go to an owner which could treat his needs.
Here are an images of them before they were even one. I’ve changed the cage but it was just joyous seeing one of their happy moments.

Her name is beautiful, and so was Mayumi. Makisig is also a gorgeous boy. That picture speaks volumes to their happiness.
What a beautiful post this is, my heart aches for you. I do agree that if you can't get the treatment for him it's best to find someone who will. Are there any rescues in your area? I know ours would take him in and get his treatment before finding him a good home.

I'm so glad you have the strength to do what's best for him. In my last post I wasn't even thinking about the AGY, only about your love for him. I apologize for that.
It shows deep love when you put someone else's needs above your own, and I admire you for being willing to do that.

We have a Bereavement forum if you'd like to write about your beautiful girl there as well:

Bereavement

 

[Hatzegopteryx4578]

Her name is beautiful, and so was Mayumi. Makisig is also a gorgeous boy. That picture speaks volumes to their happiness.
What a beautiful post this is, my heart aches for you. I do agree that if you can't get the treatment for him it's best to find someone who will. Are there any rescues in your area? I know ours would take him in and get his treatment before finding him a good home.

I'm so glad you have the strength to do what's best for him. In my last post I wasn't even thinking about the AGY, only about your love for him. I apologize for that.
It shows deep love when you put someone else's needs above your own, and I admire you for being willing to do that.

We have a Bereavement forum if you'd like to write about your beautiful girl there as well:

Bereavement

Honestly I probably have to consider it as my family disregards my birds as ‘things’ to satisfy me along with the fact they don’t care about them.
The only thing I’m worried about is Makisig being constantly re-homed throughout his lifetime. I know how many parrots suffer to this cycle and it concerns me as I don’t want him being apart of it. If I do though I hope I’d be able to visit him and maybe have him buried along side Mayumi in the same backyard and I know they meant so much to each other. If he does end up having a forever home I wouldn’t take him back as I’ll most likely never end up having the proper care for him. Even then his heart would belong to the owner and the other budgies he may meet (if they do have some) just as much to me and Mayumi.

 

[Terry57]

Do you know anyone who could take him? Or perhaps someone else knows of someone who could bring him into their heart.
Are there any rescues near you?

 

[Hatzegopteryx4578]

Do you know anyone who could take him? Or perhaps someone else knows of someone who could bring him into their heart.
Are there any rescues near you?

No, not that I know of. I know there is a rescue near me but I don’t know if he’d end up through said cycle if I did.
I’d personally want somebody who isn’t a first time owner but rather somebody who has a longtime experience with birds. But I don’t know if I could find somebody like that and people obviously lie to get their way. It is just a painful experience as I don’t know what would happen to him. I want him to have more of a quality life but I don’t know how I can because once I give him to somebody I’d never get them back.
I had asked my mom again if we could double-check but she is not buying it.
I’m just extremely lost and confused now.