Parakeet Health Questions?
I used to own two parakeets, Brenda and Marley. One guy and one girl. Both two years old.
Recently Marley died(for no reason) and I found Brenda on the bottom of the cage trying to nudge him awake(heartbroken.)
She’s getting over it and cheering up but I have found tail feathers in and around the cage. She seems to be mourning.
Should I get a new friend for her? And what things can I do to prevent this from happening again?
And what should I have in my cage to keep my birds happier and healthier? What can I use to keep their claws trimmed. Brenda is missing a claw on one foot and I attribute this to being too long.
Also, Brenda’s cere has been brown and crusty lately. Should I be concerned? Is this treatable?
- aries2110
You should get a new friend for her. She is probably very sad. I don’t know much about parakeets but when i had 2 parakeets when 1 died the other one was so sad, so i bought another and they were both happy again. and it’s better for parakeets to be in pairs
I had a parakeet for 6 years…when they loose feathers it’s usually due to stress, If it were me I wouldn’t get another bird right away. But I would pay lots of attention to her so she wouldn’t get lonely. Also for her claws they have files that you can slip over their perches. And I would get lots of mirrors for her cage..my bird loved them.
she may be depressed, so she pulls her feathers… get her a new friend and try to keep it in the same colour as the one that died… she should then start feeling better…… for this not to happen again i suggest u go to supper pet and buy a bird care book, they are very helpful… also u need alot of care with ur bird, u have to spend time with them and do stuff like change there water everyday, feed them fruits and vegies,….in ur cage u should have plenty of toys because budgies get bored very easily… alternate with toys every other week… also give them treats in there cage for only a couple hours, and of course once a month take the birds out of the cage and wash the entire cage making sure its clean and clean the areas around ur cage(house walls)… to keep there nails clipped u can take them to super pet and they charge u five dollars a bird to cut them(dont do it urself) also u can buy them cement or rope perches which trim there claws but u will still have to take them to get there nails cut…her cere may be crusty because she might have been ready to give birth but ur male budgie died….it also might be a diease the has things to do with the beak and cere, i recommend taking her to a bird vet(vetrinarian) and they will have a treatment if it is a disease or virus… also if it turns out to be nothing harmful u should still take ur bird(s) to the vet every 6 months and get there wings and nails clipped every six months… i hope this helps good lick with ur bird(s)
You should defenitaly get a new friend for her ,preferably male(blue cere) as she will fight with another female.You should have lots and lots of toys if you do not plan on breeding the too,also a mineral block and a cuttlebone would be great.You can use concreter perches so her nails wont get so long.For the cere this is normal for a female who is ready to breed if you plan on breeding her ,get her a male and a nestbox and put them in a cage together.Brown and crusty means she is in breeding condition, white with a tint of blue means not in breeding condition.
Sorry to hear that you lost Marley. You could buy a new bird to keep Brenda company or buy her a mirror. She will talk to the bird in the mirror (they don’t realise its them) and as long as she gets attention from you, has some noise (i.e music) and a window to look out (not in the sun) she will be happy on her own. If you decide to buy a new bird, put it in a cage on its own beside Brenda’s cage so they can get to know each other without Brenda feeling threatened. Once they seem to be friendly you could put the new bird in her cage, just watch them, they may take awhile to work out who’s boss.
Brenda losing tail feathers may just mean she’s moulting, or it could be stress related. The brown crusty cere sounds to me like she is just a healthy mature female in good breeding condition.
Make sure any metal toys/bells are stainless steel ( other metals can poison birds). Buy sandpaper sleeves for her perches, these will help keep her claws at a good length.
Feed her a good quality seed/pellets. Give her some fruit and veggies a few times a week. i.e; a slice of apple,pear, corn kernels, peas, green beans, a small leaf of spinach, broccoli fleurette’s( no avocado, poison to birds). Keep her cage clean, use only hot water and a mild detergent. Strong cleansers like bleach or disinfectants can kill birds. I hope I have been helpful, good luck with Brenda. I’m sure you did the best you could for Marley, sometimes birds just die, unfortunately.