Vet Q&A-Bird

Hi, My bird (Cockatiel) seems to be recently inactive and has been relating to symptoms of sickness or disease. He sleeps way more than usual and eats a lot more than before. What can I do, or get for my bird, should I take him to an avian or just wait for him to get better. Also just to get you to know it’s currently in the summer and his wings were trimmed when he very young. He was born 22/6/2017.

Poko is probably ill, but i couldn't tell you what is wrong based on these very general symptoms, you will need to take him to an avian vet where a blood test and faecal exam will be done to determine what is the cause of the disease before it can be treated. i recommend having it done ASAP.

1 pair of my finches have laid two eggs 2weeks ago.They do not sit on them or care.Should i throw the eggs?? The nest is covered with cotton.

In general, if the incubation does not begin within a week, the chances of the eggs hatching decreases significantly. It make be that the finches' parental instincts have not matured yet or possibly the eggs were not fertilized. You can dispose of the eggs and see if the finches have better luck on the next clutch. Best of luck!

my budgie has stopped eating his usual birdseed' and the only thing he will eat is millet. He is no longer inclined to fly out of his cage. He was sitting fluffed up for about 2 days but has improved somewhat, He is two and a half years old.

Just like people- birds can become picky eaters. We love to eat potato chips over our veggies, and many birds will enjoy millet over their regular diet! You may need to remove all the 'extras' to see if it will encourage Pepper to start eating his diet again, or mix a little millet in to his regular food (however some birds will pick out their favorites). If he's acting ill in addition to not wanting to eat his regular food, and isn't still improving as you mentioned, or he absolutely refuses even if all millet is removed, seeking vet care is always a good idea to rule out an illness or something such as GI upset that could be causing his preferences to be changed. Until you can get to the vet, keeping him warm, in a separated hospital cage, and with easy access to food and water can help.

My bird has developed a bump on the top of one of her eyelids. There is no discharge coming from it or around her nostrils. It the same color as her eyelid (grey). She seemed to close this eye more the first day, but is able to open it a little more now. What can this be?

It may be local infection, inflammation or a mass (benign or malignant). If It is not bothering Princess, you can choose to monitor it for rapid change or growth. You should see your veterinarian or an experienced avian veterinarian if the bump causes discomfort or obstructs vision. A physical exam and biopsy may provide a diagnosis.

Can I give a bath of boiled neem leaves in water and then cooled to normal temperature to my budgies? I read somewhere that it helps itchy birds.

Yes, neem leaf tea is safe to use for budgies as a bath or mist. You should have Nobita examined by your veterinarian to rule out or diagnose mites or skin infection, then clean and sanitize the cage, bowls, toys and perches. Discard anything that cannot be sanitized.

My bird is sitting on bottom of cage and her head is bobbing

This is usually indicative a serious sickness and distress. Unfortunately there are several different causes that can cause distress in birds. I would recommend to have your vet do an exam on her as soon as possible. I hope she starts to feel better.

I accidentally overdosed my parrot on metacam. Dose should have been .13ml and I gave her 1.5ml. last night. She has a good appetite but her droppings are soft, no increase in urine levels. She was at the vet yesterday, we are going back on Tuesday. Just wanted to know how serious the impacts of this mistake can be and what to look for?

A Metacam overdose may cause damage to the kidneys. Monitor for loose droppings or a change in the amount and color of the urates (the white part of the droppings). Ideally, Sierra should be examined by your veterinarian or at the nearest veterinary ER. Decontamination such as activated charcoal administration, which may decrease absorption, and subcultures fluids may be indicated.

My female budgie laid 6 egg. After incubating for 19 days, I noticed 2 cracks on 1 egg. It been 24 hrs since i saw the cracks and the egg still hasn't hatch. What does this mean? Please help asap. Thanks.

The eggs will only hatch if they have chicks in them, ie were fertile. This would only be possible if your female was with a male. Usually the eggs should hatch after 18 full days of incubation. You should inspect the egg with the crack. The chick may be too weak to open the shell and you may have to help by opening the crack a bit. and see if the chick is still alive. If so you can open the egg more if the chick is not able to open it by itself.

Can you please give me a guidline of how much it will aproximatly cost to fix a broken dove's wing. Just so that i can decide if i want to take him to the vet. I apreciate

You should check to see if there are any wild life rehabilitation services or animal control services in your area. You can drop the dove off with them and they normally don't charge you. If you do not have one near you, the best thing would be to take him to a veterinarian. Some veterinarians treat wild life at no cost or discounted cost. You should call around to different veterinary clinics to see what they would charge you. The veterinarian would start off by doing an exam and possible xray of the wing. Normal cost for this would range from $75-$150. Best of luck to you. Thank you for using pet coach.