Please help! Question about parakeet’s health?
I’ve owned this parakeet for a few years (so he’s not a baby anymore) and all of a sudden he seems to be very sick, and I have no idea what’s wrong. He’s has some stress issues before, so I don’t know if this is the same type of thing. And they always clear up in like 2 days…..I don’t know if I should take him to the vet or not….we don’t really have a bird vet around here and I don’t want to spend a zillion dollers on something that is no big deal. I’m very worried about him though. He has fresh water, food, nice cage etc. (there is also another bird with him and it’s fine….so it’s not loneliness or a virus, cause the other one would have it I think)
Here’s what he’s doing: He’s just sitting at the bottem of the cage and being quiet (which he never is). He seems to have a bad loss of balence. He stubbles around at the bottom of the cage when he does walk. (ps. the birds never sit at the bottem of the cage)
What should I do? What do you think is wrong?
- ivory
You need to see an avian vet.
Birds hide illnesses until the very end. If you want to save him, you need a qualified avian vet.
Definately a serious problem for the vet to check out. You’re right, birds don’t sit at the bottom of the cage. Normally a bird with a serious problem will cover it up until he is too far gone! Get the bird to the vet QUICKLY before you loose him! i have a 40 year old parrot and have done research on this stuff.
What you illustrate are signs of serious illness in your bird. All birds are masters of hiding ailments, and it’s usually not until the bird can no longer function properly that we notice anything wrong.
If the cage was made in China, there may be lead and zinc in the paint. Heavy metal poisoning is very serious, and if he’s chewed on the bars then he may have that. Budgies are particularly prone to may diseases such as polyoma and avian chlamydia, being bred as they typically are. Some bird’s immune systems react differently; some seem completely immune from a virus and others will die from the same strain.
Veterinarians will generally try to work with you to help an animal. I can understand not wanting to spend a lot of money, but you probably won’t be throwing more than $50 away for an office visit. Some vets offer care credit that will allow you to make payments on treatment/office visits. Please call your vet.
Your bird sounds VERY ill and I do think you should remove him from the cage. If he is just sitting at the bottom and stumbling around when he does try to walk it sounds like he is either very weak or has some neurological damage.
You really should try to get him to a vet if at all possible but I’m afraid it sounds like it may be too late for that. I’ve very sorry.
You can make him a bit more comfortable though if you remove him from the cage and put him in a smaller cage or clear plastic container of some sort. Put some food and water on the floor of the container and maybe a few layers of paper towel for softness. You can also set the cage or container on top of a heating pad set at medium heat. Sit only half of the cage on top of the heating pad so that the bird can choose to move away from the heat source if its too warm.
Good luck.
sounds like severe poisoning to me.
see a vet, my best guess a fit caused by long term deficiency in diet, parrots can be fussy and only eat one type of food even if offered a variety, while waiting for vet liquid vitamins and calcium/ D3 mix in his water may help restore balance. I am only guessing without seeing the bird and how it’s kept. their are quite a few specialist avian vets about but they don’t come cheap (excuse the pun) and often by the time a bird looks ill it’s too late, prevention is better than cure a weekly dose of a good liquid vitamin and liquid calcium/D3 mix they come seperate as the calcium doesn’t do the vits any good if stored together
now of what you said is good. You need to find a vet and like now. Birds can hide an illness til its to late.
Any bird that sits at the bottom of the cage isnt eating and has loss of balance is sick. Its best you remove the other bird but it might be to late. Take him to a vet but at this stage birds only show illness when they can no longer hide it kinda like the survival of the fittest type thing.