I need help too please (and my budgie)

[Melissapiedy]

I grew up with pet budgies and, living away from home, decided to get one. She's young, and I've only had her for a couple days, but I've noticed that she's been very quiet. I have heard her chirp, but only several times. She hasn't been terribly active, either, mostly sitting rather listlessly. I've noticed that she often opens and closes her beak slightly, making a sort of clicking sound. This is a much colder and drier region than where I'm from, but my room is usually pretty warm. Please help, I don't know what's going on.

[jonesy zoo]

Budgerigars as Pets
Budgerigar Health Programme | Lice, Mite & Worm Protection

Budgerigar
Melopstiiacus undulatus
Size: 19cm in length
Pet Status: Excellent
Talking Ability: Excellent
Noise Level: Low
Lifespan: Up to 15 years
Breeding Ability: Excellent
Number of Eggs: 4-5 eggs
Incubation: 18 days
Compatibility with other species: Compatible with most other birds including larger parrots.
Feeding: Seed and Fruit eaters
Health Programmes: Follow the Budgerigar Health Programme.
Sexing: Male has blue cere and female whitish brown cere. Not all varieties can be distinguished using this method.
The budgerigar originates from the arid centre of Australia and has become one of the most popular pet birds kept throughout the world. These small, hardy birds make excellent pets for anyone over the age of 6. They can be fantastic talkers and have a tremendous mimicking ability. When choosing a pet budgerigar it is best to select:




A young weaned male budgie.
The most intelligent budgie in the cage. These are the most lively and inquisitive ones.
The bird with the best feathers. The young budgie must have a full tail and wings.

It is best to select a young weaned budgie as your pet because they tame more quickly to human kindness. You can tell a young budgie by the black horizontal bars which extend from the forehead to the beak. These bars are absent in the older budgerigar. Male budgies make the best pets but it is sometimes difficult to guarantee the sex of the very young budgie, especially if it is a lutino, albino or pied variety. Experienced bird shop staff should be able to pick a male for you. Select the most inquisitive budgie as these are the most intelligent and will respond best to training. Female budgerigars are prone to egg-laying problems, hernias and fat tumours. In order to avoid these problems it is recommended to select a male budgerigar.



It is best not to select large exhibition type budgerigars with "buffy" feathers as pets as these birds may sometimes have immune system problems that predispose them to sickness throughout their life.

Budgerigars are hardy birds and usually remain very healthy. In order to keep your pet budgerigar in the best physical condition it is recommended that you follow the Budgerigar Health Programme.





Ongoing Health Programme for Pet Budgies

The Ongoing Health Programme provides your pet bird with all of the vitamins and minerals necessary for top health.
Day of Week In Water On Feed Additional Instructions
Friday Water Cleanser1 Turbobooster, Energy supplement, F-vite3 Clean the cage and utensils once a week with a water cleanser.

. Eucalypt branches as boredom relievers are recommended once a week.

.





Lice, Mite and Worm Protection for Pet Budgies

Lice and Mite Protection
Lice and mites are an underestimated cause of ill health in budgerigars. They cause intense irritation preventing the birds from the rest they require to remain healthy. Red mite is another serious and deadly disease that must be controlled during summer.

The monthly administration of ivermectin into the drinking water for one day each three months concurrently with the application of Avian Liquidator Spray to the bird will help prevent lice and mite infestation.

Worm Protection
Internal parasites are a common cause of poor development and illness in juveniles and adult birds. Roundworms are particularly dangerous for budgerigars. Medicines that kill roundworms should be given each month during summer and autumn and every three months for the remainder of the year.

This combined treatment is by far the best approach for controlling lice, mite and worms.

this information comes from a great web site called www.birdhealth.com.au

[jonesy zoo]

I do not want to cause you any concern, but it could be a case of air-sac mites and I will post information about this in a minute...but my best bet is to take your budgie to a good vet, ring around and find one who knows how to treat birds as there are many vets who don't specialize in birds..

There is one mite that you cannot easily see. The air sac mite (especially actually live in the respiratory tract of these birds. The mites can be visualized by shining a small, bright focused light across the windpipe (trachea). The mites will appear as grains of pepper (possibly moving) inside the trachea. The mites are also found in the lungs and airsacs. A small number of mites may cause no obvious signs, but if a bird suffers from a serious infestation, it may open-mouth breathe, tail-bob or have difficulty breathing. Transmission is thought to occur from the bird coughing the mites up into the mouth, or by the mites crawling into the mouth, where they are wiped from the beak by a bird during feeding or rubbing the beak along perches, where they may be transferred to another bird. A parent bird may pass mites to its offspring through feeding. If a mite or egg is swallowed, the specimen may be observed in a fecal test by microscopic examination. Often, air sac mites are diagnosed at necropsy. Treatment by an avian veterinarian may be attempted using invermectin, dosed precisely. However, if a large number of mites all die at one time, this may cause a fatal reaction in the infested bird. Older treatment consisted of making a light cloud of 5% carbaryl, and allowing the bird to briefly inhale it. All birds in a cage with a bird diagnosed with air sac mites should be treated at 10 day intervals for at least three doses. A cage containing infested birds should be thoroughly disinfected. establish a routine examination and treatment schedule with your avian vet to control these elusive bugs

[Melissapiedy]

Thanks so much for responding. I'm afraid I am scared, though. I think you may be right about mites - I was doing some more thinking and I don't think she slept very well last night. I heard her rustling and there wasn't the usual poo pile. I don't think there is an avian vet in my area, and much will be closed tommorow, possibly for the next three days. She's such a sweetheart, and I'm not sure what extent of danger mites pose. Hopefully she can't die from it. I can get my mum to contact the avian vet back at home, but they'll likely be closed tommorow as well as it's Rememberance Day. My friend was a zokeeper for ten years so maybe I should call her. The two chirps emitted over the past few hours have been very feeble. I have the heat on and was boiling some water to increase humidity in case it was that sort of respiratory problem, but------ her tail has been bobbing and she has been breathing with her mouth open, so I guess I'm glad to know what could be behind it, but it' still very scary, especially as I am in so helpless a position, with no vehicle or vet or medication. sniff.

[jonesy zoo]

I will give you a way of setting up your own little hospital room...

You will need a container place newspaper or whatever you use as her floor covering into it, wet a towel that is large enough to cover the container place her food and water into it and get a desk lamp with about 60-75 watts in it place your bird in the container cover the container with wet not drippy towel.. and place the lamp over the towel close enough so it provides the humidy but not close enough to burn the place down...I prefer to use a fish tank or a clear container so you can watch our baby...hope this helps Donna

[Von L]

I hope your baby pulls through! {{{{{{hugs}}}}}}

Yvonne

[Melissapiedy]

thanks, I really appreciate it. I did some more research into air-sac mites and found some great sites. I think she slept ok last night, but she's still pretty lethargic and my main concern is that she's just so silent. Hopefully today will go by quickly and uneventfully and then I can call my far-away vet and the local one and the pet store etc.
http://www.vetafarm.com.au/manage/documents/Air%20Sac%20Mite.pdf
http://www.ladygouldianfinch.com/features_airsacmites.mgi
http://www.geocities.com/canarytales_lindahogan/research.htm

[Melissapiedy]

On a happier note, I may have overreacted. I should probably still look into air-sac mites, but she may have been just moping due to a new home and being awaay from other birds. I was talking with my mum on the phone and when she heard the other bird in the background, she really perked up. I found some bird sounds and these are very exciting and are generating some vocalization. Hopefully she'll be ok. I'm also going to try fresh veggies.

[SweetPea]

yes...sometimes new birds takes a bit to warm up...all my birds were really quiet when they first came home...but...boy...do i wish for those days back! lol

however, as with all new pet, it is best to get a wellness exam initially, as many illnesses can go on without notice.