Strange/worrying Behaviour During The Night.

[Maddie 0]

Hi all. I need some help here. I have had Maddie my lovely budgie since rescueing her from crows on Australia Day this year.

She seems healthy & happy. The only thing that I have found so far is that she has one solid black eye & the other eye is black with a grey colour on the outer rim, so I do hope that she isn't blind in one of her eyes due to possible injuries from the crows that I rescued her from.

The other thing that is worrying me more is that twice now I have been woken up by her distressed noises during the night, & when I go to investigate she is at the bottom of the cage & seems stressed or exhausted. It seems like she may have fallen off her perch & can't seem to find her way back up to the top of the cage. This really worries me as I don't like to see her like this. I am wondering if anyone else has this problem with their budgie.

Also can anyone give me details on the best way to take Maddie in my car? ie - best to leave her in her small cage & hope that she stays balanced, or would it be safer to put her in a shoe box (with plenty of air holes)?

[Dean_NZ 0]

Eyes - is she a pied? Not really concerning either way, just curious.

 

Crashing at night - night fright. Cover the cage, make sure it is not accessible to rodents, bugs, moths etc and if that fails consider a night light.

 

Transport - a small cage with a single perch, covered (in a cool ventilated car) is fine. Box is generally more stressful i find and harder to get in and out of, no?

[maesie 0]

Can you leave a light on for her at night. It does sound like a 'night fright' and a soft light/lamp would help. Trasport wise, I usually take mine in a small cage with one perch close to the bottom. I also cover the cage.

[Guest K&M Breeding]

Budgies really aren't known to have night freights But If you can get a night light and put it near the cage it may help her

 

she may be damaged from the crows - Could be they hurt her internally and you just can't see it.

 

does she react at all if any thing is put in front of the one eye you think she may not be able to see out of? like if you put your hand or a finger or a toy or anything and move it around does she realize its there?

 

as for transporting - For us it depends on the weather is its summer and really nice just their travel cage which is actually a Air lined approved travel cage I don't use perches when traveling

 

if its chilly, windy(not summer time) or cold I use the same cage only cover it with a fleece blanket (I use a throw my kids have out grown )

 

and of course when its cold out I do heat the vehicle up first

[Dean_NZ 0]

Budgies really aren't known to have night freights But If you can get a night light and put it near the cage it may help her

 

Seriously? We talking about the same bird here? This is gonna sound critical no matter how nicely I put it, so take it with a grain of salt as im not out to attack or criticize. But budgies are BIG TIME night fright prone. Be hard pressed to find someone on any budgie forum who hasnt either experienced it with their birds, been scared being woken by it or witnessing it and not being able to calm them (all you can do is turn lights on and wait), or by losing much loved or prized breeding/showing birds with broken necks and other injuries from a night fright crash.

[splat 0]

I was thinking the same thing Dean, K&M you must have very quite budgies because everyone I know have had their budgies smashing into walls at night one time or another, it only takes the smallest thing to set them off. As Dean said more than likely you loose you best birds from broken necks etc.

Maddy I don't know about where you live but we are having a huge mice problem here and maybe a mouse might of scared the **** out of her.

With my birds they only need a shadow to set them off at night.

Last year I had a cat visit my aviaries and my birds went stupid some of my best birds broke their wing including my shield winning violet. But at least he is still alive and he has sired heaps of young, so at least he can still do the job.lol.

[nubbly5 0]

Not having night frights - kidding right?????? I'm with Dean and Splat. You obviously never heard an aviary full of birds going burserk in the dark after having a "night fright". My birds are reasonably robust but they do go off on the odd occasion (usually owls or me trying to sneak in without disturbing them) and occasionally kill themselves in the process (not likely with a bird in a small cage though).

 

As already suggested a night light or covering the cage might be a good plan.

 

If it's not night fright you bird MAY be having seizures but this is way more likely when you handle/stress the bird so I'd definitely investigate the night time birdie sleeping arrangement.

[splat 0]

Mine were going crazy in the early hours of this morning, I have totally moused proof the aviaries and have not seen any evidence of any in there for 4 or 5 days now, well since I finished, I would say they are still running over the wire and on the roof and that is what probably scared them. Luckily no one was hurt this morning. Last night I put 6 talon blocks under the bit of wood where they are coming from next door and this morning all eating , the whole couldn't believe it. They ate 3 the night before.

Mine actually go silly when it is a full moon, which is about now.

[amanda 0]

maybe night fright?

 

Without seeing a picture this is going to be hard to get right if it was my call i would say she was damaged from the crows you rescued her from but i am not the budgie expert so just probably take notice of all the other comments that have been posted

[Hezz 0]

I go along with Dean, Splat, Nubbly etc, and suggest night-fright. Even a couple of budgies in a cage have the odd night-fright experience, just, luckly, not with the dire consequences of a lot of birds going off at once in an avairy. Do birds have nightmares?? Maybe she is re-living her bad experience? I agree with the night light idea. Ha Ha, a night light to ward off a night-fright.

 

As for transporting, mine actually sit up in a small cage on the front passenger seat, and watch what is going on!!! Doesn't seem to faze them at all, but not to say all would take to travelling like this and it is never for more than 15-20 minutes either way.

 

Good luck, Maddie