Vet Q&A-Bird

My cockatoo laid an egg . Should I remove it from her cage. There is no male bird in her cage.

You can remove it or leave it in there for a few days. Some birds may be broody at first and she may not want you to take the egg. It won’t hurt her to lay in it for a couple days. All female birds will lay eggs even if there is not a male present. These eggs are not fertilized so throwing them away is fine. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

My budgie has blood on both wings in the same exact place as it is on the other

Thanks for reaching out about Buddy and including photos. This is evident of trauma, could this bird be getting scared in the cage and flying/hitting the cage bars? Decreasing stress will hopefully allow to calm down. If suspect injury or appears painful, a veterinary visit is recommended. Good luck.

My bird (cockatiel) keeps hitting his head/beak of the table or the ground. Is he okay?

A bird may do this out of curiosity or for attention. If he is behaving normally otherwise, there is likely no cause for concern. Allow for more playtime in and out of the cage to see if that makes a difference.

My parakeet is laying on its stomach. What does that mean?

It depends on where your parakeet is laying. If he's in a nest or a flat perch he is likely just getting comfortable. However, if he's sitting on the bottom of the cage, listless, or not moving, it may indicate he is in pain or is feeling ill which should be checked out by a vet ASAP.

Is it possible that all budgie eggs can hatch? My budgie laid 6 eggs. 4 have already hatched and I noticed some cracks on 2. Will be my budgie be able to take care of all 6 properly?

Budgies have on average a clutch of about 4-5 eggs, so 6 eggs is an awful lot if all the babies survive. Offering extra food for mom and dad to feed themselves and babies with, and having some baby bird formula on hand is best in case you need to step in and help out with supplemental feedings. You can find appropriate sized syringes and baby bird food with feeding instructions at most pet stores.

SIster's dog got into the bird food and ate a large amount of hard, feeder corn (no cobs). She pooped a TON of it out this morning. Should I take her to a vet?

It's good that Em didn't eat any cobs, and more than likely this feeder corn will pass without problem. I wouldn't rush her into a vet right away, and I would monitor her for now. If she stops eating, start vomiting, has diarrhea, becomes very lethargic, or becomes constipated then Em will need to see a vet right away.

My budgie keeps running back and forth. Wether it be on his perch or the bottom of his cage. He often screeches or chirps while he does so. At first I thought it was to get attention from my dogs or me and now I'm not sure. Is this normal?

It might be that John is just very excited/happy in that moment and is wanting to let everyone know. If he's otherwise acting healthy and normal I wouldn't be too worried. You can try offering a treat or placing a new toy in his cage to see if it helps keep him happy and interested in something to play with.

Can I use little honey to make my budgie's food more visible to him? To make it look like a treat but it'll be a stick of his gourmet food held together by honey.

Hello there! A little bit of honey isn't harmful for budgies, however I don't recommend using it as an everyday trick for getting him to eat his regular food. Honey is high in sugars (fructose and glucose), which is not good for birds in large amounts. If your budgie isn't interested in his regular food, there are many different brands that make all sorts of shapes, colors, and flavors to entice Zachary to eat (I recommend higher-quality brands like Zupreem, Harrison's, and Lafeber's). I would, of course, involved an avian vet if he doesn't seem hungry at all, as this could indicate an underlying medical issue. Making sure Zachary has access to fresh fruits and veggies is also a good idea. Good luck, and I hope that Zachary decides that pellets are yummy!

My love birds and parrots are not eating carrots , this is the first time i offer them carrots what should I do?

Carrots are a great source of nutrition for these parrots, but they may not be appealing for a couple of different reasons: 1) They don't recognize it as food. 2) They are not interested in eating carrots, because they have tastier food available or are full. You can possibly get them interested in eating the carrots by eating some in front of them. Often, they get interested in the food you're eating and want some. If these birds have seeds or other high-fat food available, then they will eat this rather than the vegetables. Just like people would prefer a bag of crisps rather than a bag of carrots; these birds prefer to eat fruits and seeds rather than vegetables. Try offering the carrots at a time when they haven't had food available for a couple of hours. Take a bite and pretend it's really tasty. This might get them to eat the carrots, but I wouldn't expect them to eat that much.