Sick Budgie(?)

[Friendly Feathered Friend]

My 2 year old male budgie Sparky is having some kind of health problem. He woke up this morning wheezing and struggling to fly. When he does fly, he always crashes into something, when he is usually an amazing flyer. He also makes a sound when he flies that makes it seem like he’s having trouble breathing. I got some Pedialyte into him in case he’s dehydrated, but he didn’t really like it. I cleaned his dishes and got him fresh pellets and water with a few ml of Pedialyte. He doesn’t seem to want to eat anything except millet, when he usually has an incredible appetite. He’s also a little puffed up, which tells me he may be cold. I’m definitely going to call the vet tomorrow, but in the meantime, what can I do for him? I’m afraid to let him out of the cage because he flies a lot, and I don’t want him to crash again. Here’s what he does every time he flies. Excuse my messy room, I will be cleaning it very soon. You can also hear that he makes a clicking sound when flying.

 

[Jcas]

Definitely a vet visit if possible. Sounds like a possible respiratory infection which would likely need medication to clear it up. Keep him quiet and let him eat what he wants for now; anything is better than nothing. Praying he recovers quickly. Let us know how your little guy is doing !

 

[Corkscr.ew]

Keep the heat around 85F, make sure he's drinking water, and try to make things as un-stressful as possible. Otherwise, there's not much you can do (besides taking him to the vet). Hope he feels better soon.

 

[Friendly Feathered Friend]

I got him a vet appointment for tomorrow after I get home from school. He’s still not doing great today. He’s not any better, but he’s also not worse. I have set up a bowl of hot water by his cage, so he inhales the steam and can breathe a little better. I change it every few hours, so it stays hot.

 

[Friendly Feathered Friend]

His vet appointment is in about a half hour. I’m really nervous and hope it’s something treatable that I caught early.

 

[Friendly Feathered Friend]

Ok so he’s back from the vet. He’s not sick, he’s just fat… Ok well actually he has fatty liver disease. The vet did do some bloodwork, and he didn’t see any kind of illnesses, just signs of fatty liver disease. He is on oral medication for 30 days, then goes back for a recheck to make sure it worked. His food is also cut down to 1tsp twice a day, and he gets much more time to fly. He will be ok, but I feel very irresponsible for not noticing anything and letting it get to this point.

 

[Jcas]

Please don’t be too hard on yourself; fatty liver is very common in budgies. Our little guys sure like to eat! I don’t know if you feed your bird fresh veggies, but that is a healthy snack for him that might help him not eat so much of his seeds. I’m glad you seem to have caught this early and I hope your little guy feels better quickly

 

[Friendly Feathered Friend]

He hates all vegetables. I mix Harrison’s high potency mash into his pellets each time I feed him, which also has vitamins in it. Unfortunately he just won’t eat vegetables, and there’s nothing anyone can do to help him with that. We’ve tried everything, including chop.

 

[Jcas]

He hates all vegetables. I mix Harrison’s high potency mash into his pellets each time I feed him, which also has vitamins in it. Unfortunately he just won’t eat vegetables, and there’s nothing anyone can do to help him with that. We’ve tried everything, including chop.

Birds can be so stubborn about their food, can’t they? My Quaker seems to have gotten a taste for junk food in his previous home and still has a very limited palate for veggies, but over time I have gotten him to eat some. All of my budgies have taken a little time to get used to veggies. I would consistently offer them every day and over the course of a few weeks, the bird would finally decide to try some. Lettuce, spinach, peas, and corn have always been favorites for all my budgies. My recent budgie, Fay, was pretty hesitant about veggies but after I grew a pot of lettuce and left it on my dresser, she found out how much fun it is to tear up and destroy the lettuce! In the process, she developed a taste for it and now she likes lettuce. I would encourage you to keep offering veggies, maybe just one kind at a time, to see if he might eventually try something.

 

[GaleriaGila]

My hero! Good for YOU! You took it seriously and followed through!

Here are my two cents on diet...


They need veggies, legumes, grains... pellets are a good staple. Seeds are only a treat in my house. Here's what I've used for 40 years with the same bird.

HARRISON’S BIRD FOODS – CERTIFIED ORGANIC BIRD FOOD

See what's new at Harrison's Bird Foods: Certified organic, non-GMO diets for birds. Nutritionally complete for all life stages.

www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com

I feed Harrison's, supplemented by fresh healthy treats. My first, and later, my current avian vet recommended it. My bird loves the pellets now, but to get him converted, my avian vet suggested putting pellets out all day, and putting seeds (his old diet) out for two 15-minute periods a day. That would sustain him but leave him hungry enough to try new stuff. I presume the same technique could be used to get him to eat other healthy stuff, like fruits and vegetables! My guy was eating pellets in a couple of days, and now I can feed a good variety of other stuff, knowing he has the pellets as a basic. Pellets are out all day... fresh treats a few times a day. I also like Harrison's via mail because I never have to worry about out-of-date products.
Another couple of ideas...
My ol' man is an athlete and health nut. He actually EATS all the good stuff, so it's always around. I find that tossing various stuff into the food bowls at random is good... the variations and differences seem to stimulate curiosity and attention.
The other idea... if you can stand it (lol) EAT the stuff in front of the birds, yes. That encourages them. I have also found that if my ol' man eats stuff in front of the bird, the bird WANTS it for himself. Kinda a rivalry thing!
Since you're a new parront, I'll just drop a note about avoiding teflon pans, which can be lethal to birds if overheated.
I'm glad you're here. Lots to learn and share and enjoy!