Vet Q&A

Hello what do i do when my budgie is lying low with his eyes closed and weak body?

Hi and thank you for your question, This is not normal and may be serious. I recommend that you take Green to the vet ASAP. At home all you can do is keep her in a warm place, offer a bit of sugar-water to the beak and hope she gets better. Regards

What can I give to my parrot when he is suffering from diarrhea for instant energy.

Offer half a grape. It will provide quick energy and a bit of hydration. Follow with some unflavored PediaLyte to maintain hydration. To get him to eat, offer soft foods, warm foods, treats, etc. Scrambled egg, pasta or cooked rice are popular choices. It is critical to diagnose and treat the cause of the diarrhea. This may require an exam with your veterinarian or an experienced avian vet. Submit a stool sample to diagnose intestinal parasites or bacterial overgrowth.

Why has my budgie suddenly started breathing with his mouth open and bobbing his tail and making creaky sounds when breathing?

Respiratory distress can be caused by a number of things including stress, overheating, or even an underlying illness. If something stressed Romeo out, moving him to a quiet room where he can calm down is a good first step. Making sure he isn't too hot or too cold and the room is well-ventilated, along with providing a bath can also help if he is too warm or overheating. If he continues to be in distress with open-mouthed breathing and doesn't settle down, or you see other signs of illness, seeking veterinary care ASAP is best.

Hello so my two parakeets (budgies) are sitting at the corner of the cage huddled together with their head tucked into their backs and whenever they are active they just climb up the sides of the cage or try to fly on a perch but drop to the bottom.

Thanks for reaching out about your parakeets. It appears as if they are either weak or scared and hiding. With both being ill at the same time, any possibility of inhaled toxins, smoke, perfumes, near the kitchen? If scared, can they be moved to a quieter area, removed from other pets (dogs, cats). If ill, a veterinary visit is recommended. Good luck.

What happens when my budgy has feces stuck to his bum?

Budgies hide ill-health well, and a dirty vent might be your bird's only symptom. Sometimes diarrhea only lasts a day or two, but longer-lasting problems indicate a more serious condition, requiring a visit to the vet. Dangers of diarrhea include waste build-up due to clogged vents, and intestinal damage from blocked ducts. Diarrhea makes him at risk from dehydration, weakness, lack of appetite and weight loss. Extreme cases lead to fits and starvation. Checking your bird's poop when he has a dirty vent can give useful information. Normal droppings are soft, olive-green to brown and coiled or cylindrical. Poop that's very dark, very pale, liquid, lumpy, dry, sticky or bubbly mean illness and need vet attention. Green-stained vents often mean poor quality feed and usually appear within 24 hours of eating new food. Providing healthier food should make symptoms disappear. One check of feed quality is biting. Grains should split cleanly and be hard to bite. Intestinal inflammation causes most diarrhea in budgies, due to bacterial or fungal infections. Vets can test for infections and treat with antibiotics. Worms, gut changes due to abnormal growths, viruses, liver disease and problems with egg production can also cause diarrhea. Less obvious causes of upset tummies are stress from a change in environment and over-use of antibiotics, causing an imbalance in normal gut bacteria. Vets can use probiotics and prebiotics to re-introduce healthy bacteria. Sick budgies need to be kept warm to conserve energy, and clean water is important in preventing dehydration. When he's lost his appetite, tempt your bird with his favorite treats, or offer specially-designed, easily digested feeds. Some budgies love soaked millet sprays. Cold, sweet black tea provides fluids and energy from sugar, and tannin in tea coats his intestines. Intensive nursing can often help in cases without a specific cause.

Hi there! My cockatiel accidentally flew into a blanket while out of the cage for the first time and he got caught inside it. I quickly got him out and checked to see if he was alright.. he has blood coming from his wings and a loss of balance. I'm not sure what to do but it's late and I won't be able to get to a vet till morning. He also keeps picking at the feather (possibly a blood feather), causing it to bleed more. I'm not sure what to do, please help. Thank you.

Hi there. From what I can tell this is a broken or dislodged blood feather and probably needs to be pulled out to decrease the chances of further bleeding. If you're not comfortable doing it (which can be rather tricky and if you are inexperienced I discourage you from trying) I would see if you can see an ER vet. If that's not an option possibly keeping him covered to keep him as calm as possible till morning. I hope this helps you!

My cockatiel bird has a feather bleeding from its tail and it looks long and bleedly I'm really scared and afraid because I've been reading about blood feathers and how dangerous it can be , it's currently 11:42pm in California we're I live and I'm really scared there's not vets at this hours , my cockatiel it's screaming she seems fine but my dog pulled her tail feather I'm really Afaid

Ouch poor birdie! It looks like she may have lost more than a few feathers, and yanking out healthy feathers can definitely cause bleeding and is very painful to your bird. If you have it on hand, styptic powder can be used to stop the bleeding on the skin. If you don't have that, corn or potato starch can be used as a substitute. Keep the area cleaned and dry, and if the bleeding continues, the area looks infected or badly wounded, or if Canela is in a lot of pain, seek veterinary care as soon as you can.

My birds have beak disease..how can it be cured

I'm sorry to hear that, but the picture is blurry and overall very bad, there are many types of beak diseases and i would need a much better picture to try and find out which one it may be. please take a new picture and upload it under a new question.

One of my baby budgies cannot fly. He/she never left the breeding box and the mother wanted it to leave, so I brought it inside to look after. It can eat on it's own and used to not be able to perch (now it can). It keeps losing flight feathers and there are no other birds that could be plucking them. It doesn't seem like french moult and none of its relatives have had it. What could be causing the loss of flight feathers? Will it ever fly? The budgie is close to 2 months old. Can I help it?

Thanks for reaching out about Bog and including photos. French molt should still be considered and tested, hopefully negative. Intestinal malabsorption diseases and poor protein can lead to weak feathers and loss. Provide heat support. Good luck.