Joey the budgie not feeling well

[DonnaBudgie]

My female budgie Joey is 11 months old. I hand raised her last year and we are incredibly bonded. She's also overly hormonal and must be kept away from males- not even visual sight of them. She laid 4 eggs last April after males courted her through the cage bars when she hit puberty at 6 months old.

She's a very high energy budgie. Always wants to fly and be on me. Yesterday she postured to me, arching her back, raising her tail and pinning her eyes. She went i. Her cage and kicked all the food out of a food dish and settled into the bottom of the dish like she was nesting. Last night she wouldn't come out of her cage which is odd but I figured she was tired. This morning she still wouldn't come out and is acting "tired". She's not acting like herself today. She's not flying around like usual. She's eating but looks sluggish. She rarely naps and she's tucking her head back.

I'm worried that she's going to lay eggs again but I'm more worried she is in early stages of getting egg bound. Should I bring her to the vet right away?

 

[Corkscr.ew]

I would definitely take her to a vet. That sounds like a very drastic behavioral change.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I got a 2pm appt. Excellent avian vets with full hospital facilities.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Let's all pray for Joey to be okay. She's my baby.

 

[onamom]

I'm glad you got an appointment for today. I hope it goes well!

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I just left the vet with Joey. Xray showed no egg! She's fine. Just very hormonal. He said being this hormonal can make them tired. She's in excellent condition. Flies well and a very sweet budgie. I'm so relieved!

 

[onamom]

I just left the vet with Joey. Xray showed no egg! She's fine. Just very hormonal. He said being this hormonal can make them tired. She's in excellent condition. Flies well and a very sweet budgie. I'm so relieved!

That's so great to hear! I wonder if you've ever considered the monthly hormone injection for her - Lupron?

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I didn't ask him about it. Last time I asked a different vet years ago somewhere else he said it would cost about $600 per shot and he didn't do it. I would have to go to Boston. If she lays eggs again I will ask this vet. What's funny is that this vet's name is Joey!

 

[rheashard2]

Glad to hear Joey is ok. Did vet comment on same name?

 

[kme3388]

I’m glad to hear Joey is okay. We the parrot community need to find some resolution to parrot hormones. I myself have never dealt with egg binding issues. I just get crabby parrots who are possessed temporarily.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Oh yes! I told him Joey was named for riding around in my bathrobe pouch when she was a baby so I called her my Joey. He told me his name was Joe and went by Joey! He thought Joey was a super sweet budgie. Very calm and human friendly. And easy to examine because she does not bite.

This vet office has three avian vets and this one was tye newest addition. The other two are father and son. I feel very fortunate to have access to good avian vets here in Southern Maine. So many people don't. They just opened a new state of the art facility that rivsls any human medical building. The bulk of their business is dogs and cats of course.

 

[onamom]

I didn't ask him about it. Last time I asked a different vet years ago somewhere else he said it would cost about $600 per shot and he didn't do it. I would have to go to Boston. If she lays eggs again I will ask this vet. What's funny is that this vet's name is Joey!

I paid around $60!

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I'd do it if it was less than $100. Who got a lupron shot?

 

[onamom]

I'd do it if it was less than $100. Who got a lupron shot?

Ona did, just once, a year ago when she was plucking.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Did she stop plucking?

 

[onamom]

Did she stop plucking?

Yes! Not from the Lupron though. The plucking was due to zinc toxicity.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Despite keeping Joey away from all male birds for the past 6 months, she laid an egg on the floor of her cage yesterday. I just don't know what to do with her. I don't touch her back and her cage has no nesty areas. She flies in my room for several hours a day and is always searching for dark places to squeeze into. The folds and pockets of my bathrobes and clothing. Anywhere she can squeeze her tiny self into. Her life would be so much better if I could integrate her into my little flock but I can't with her bring so constantly hormonal. She's not normal in any way. She's very high energy and high maintenance but very sweet and affectionate. I think she's overbonded to us because if she had her way she would crawl into my clothes and live there, coming out for food and to socialize with us. I don't know why she's like this. I handraised two budgies before her and they turned out to be normal happy birds. I guess it's like having kids. You can treat them all the same and one just turns out wrong.

 

[kme3388]

It’s really frustrating when parrots are hormonal. Especially since it can happen year round with captive parrots. On the positive side of this at least she isn’t trying to eat you.

I’m sorry she’s laying eggs I’ve always dreaded that with my female conure.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Joey has laid two eggs in the past couple weeks despite keeping her separated from all other budgies in a separate room. Her cagemate, Cora, moved out over a week ago. I was in the bathroom when Cora hopped down the five steps to the bedroom where she lived with Joey. It's funny because she paused when she got down the steps and looked right at me in the bathroom before she ran across the floor to where the cages are kept and hop-flew up to the cages and has lived with the other birds ever since. I guess she didn't like being crazy Joey's roommate even though they had an enormous cage with lots of toys.

Anyway, I talked to the vet today about Joey's hormonal problems and I'm going to start her on Lupron shots next month. She will need three shots two weeks apart then one shot every four months. I plan to do this starting in a month or two. I suppose this will cost me a small fortune but I'm willing to do this to give Joey a better, healthier quality of life. "People" would say she just a parakeet, but I know that my friends here on Parrot Forums will understand. The vet said the shots would stop egg laying and the hormonal behavior that goes along with it.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

This evening Joey was playing around on the bedside lamp table as I was reading on my phone. I had a large glass half full of sugar free lemonade on the table. When I wasn't looking Joey jumped up onto the rim of the glass, leaned over into the glass to try to drink some and FELL IN! I heard her squawk and she was struggling in the liquid so I reached in and pulled her out, soaked in lemonade and very distressed. She appeared terrified and was sneezing out lemonade. I held her with both hands around her body and carried her into the bathroom where I turned on the faucet and rinsed her briefly under the tap. Fortunately she loves bathing so she wasnt as scared as she could have been by the rinsing. I held her close to my body as I dried her off a bit with my sweatshirt. I wasn't sure she was going to recover because she looked dazed as I tried to keep her warm and dried off her face. She stayed close to me nuzzling against my neck as she sat on my shoulder. She appears okay now a couple hours later but a few moments longer and Joey would have drowned. I glad it was sugar free so she doesn't get all sticky when she's dry.