Vonn

Hi Elly Yes, I did start putting the Harrisons in the freezer - it was the last packed I bought - and this was the meal, not the pellets. I decided to get that when you said you crushed your pellets. I mixed a little in his seed but then he wouldn't eat his seed! I dipped part of his veg in a little of the meal but he left that part! The vet suggested putting the Harrisons on a mirror so that Luke will think that another bird is going to eat his food. Luke was not fooled by this trick - the other bird was welcome to it, as far as he was concerned! He seems quite determined not to try it. I eventually got so frustrated that I gave up. I had thrown away so many packets of the pellets in the past. I kept the meal in the freezer for quite a few weeks but then discarded it. How long do you keep yours in the freezer? I don't want him on an all pellet diet as I really feel it is not natural? I have also read about birds getting health problems from being on an all pellet diet - I forget what they were now. I would be happy to give him pellets and equal quantities of seed & veg. so that the pellets are not the main part of his diet, but the vet would like him mainly on a pellet diet, not just part of the diet. Do yoiu think I am making a mistake or giving up too soon? He has not been eating much veg of late, although he has had a little ruby chard - chard is his most favourite veg. I have stopped all veg now due to the diarrhoea. He had a very runny lime green poo (sorry to be so graphic!!) this morning and his vent is very dirty so I will have to clean it. I hate doing this as it stresses him so much. He is still fluffed up and quiet but does still call to me. I wish I had the antibiotic now but it will arrive tomorrow. I told the vet that I am going to take him to the emergency clinic today, if I think he is any worse and cannot wait till Monday. The vet is a long drive away which is why the antibiotics were posted to us as I am not feeling well. I am wondering if I have been infected by the psittacosis. I have some of the symptoms and have had for quite a few weeks. I have just ignored it and thought is was just a virus that would go away on it's own. Now I am concerned as I am feeling very unwell today. I have a weak immune system due to lots of chemotherapy in the past. If I don't feel a lot better in a couple of days, I will ask the doctor for a blood test for psittacosis just in case. It is all such a worry, Elly. Would you take Lukie to the emergency clinic today and not wait till tomorrow for the antibiotics? Is there a chance he will suddenly die! I am going to get him some vitamins next week - I am hoping someone can tell me more about Daily Essentials 1. I hear that the Queen uses their products for her budgies! Thanks for taking the time to reply and for all your helpful advice. I really do appreciate it.

Hi everyone Lukie is ill again. He has the same symptoms as the other times, starts off with being puffed up for a few days, then has a vomiting attack and then the diarrhoea starts, He is like this for between 7 to 10 days and is well again for another month or so. Then it is back to these symptoms again! It started in April this year and he has 4 episodes of the same illness. I phoned the avian vet and he asked me a lot of questions about Lukie. He said it was really quite a puzzle as the diseases he would suspect - psittacosis and macrorhabdus (megabacteria, I think!) - he has tested Lukie for, and the results have been negative. He does say that sometimes a negative result doesn't always mean that your bird does not have the disease, as they can be difficult to culture. So he has decided to treat Lukie for psittacosis first, as he seemed to respond to antibiotic treatment. He will keep him on the antibiotics for six weeks! He won't have any good bacteria left in his tummy after all that medication! I have been keeping him on probiotics for quite a few weeks now and they have made a huge difference to him. Now it is going to be undone by all the antibiotics, but there is no other way. I have been giving him vitamins, but he did not like them in his water so I finally gave up. I want to try another vitamin supplement and I saw on the Birdcare website that they make Daily Essentials 1 for budgies and I wondered if anyone has used this? I am hoping that it may be more palatable to Lukie. They also have an egg product called Feast which is flavoured with aniseed for budgies. Has anyone used this product? Do budgies like aniseed flavour?! Lukie does not like egg no matter how you serve it. Gosh he can really be stubborn! The vet is anxious for me to get Lukie on a pellet diet but I am not all that keen. It is not a natural diet, is it. Lukie HATES pellets, anyway, and believe me I have tried to get him to eat them. I think I must have tried every trick in the book to get him to eat them. I had to throw away packets of very expensive Harrisons pellets (they can only be kept for a few weeks) during my quest to get him to eat them. I tried the powdered version on his seeds to get him used to the taste, but he wouldn't eat his seeds! "I DON'T LIKE THAT, MUM! I WON'T EAT IT ANY WAY YOU SERVE IT" He is such a darling little bird and I couldn't bear to lose him. I can only hope that the vet can find the problem. Lukie eats a lot of seed and he eats it like it is his last meal! He is a frantic eater - just shovels the seed in!! At the moment, even though he is ill, he can't wait for me to refill his seed bowl and starts dancing about when he sees me come into the room with it, and is eating it within a second of me putting it down! I don't see any powder at the bottom of the seed dish, but he is a very lean bird, so I thought it would be more likely to be the megabacteria? But then again, he wouldn't get better on antibiotics, would he? It really is a puzzle. I don't see any seed in his poos, so he must be digesting the seed. When he is ill, he likes me to sit with him all the time. I can't, of course, but every time I pass the door I hear this plaintive little tweet and then kissing sounds, to try and get me to come in and sit with him. He is so happy if I go in and greets me with lots of affectionate noises. It breaks your heart! I am spending as much time as I can with him, without starting the squawking problem up again. I would carry him around with me, if he was tame. When I am sitting in the living room with him he looks so content, even though he is puffed up and feeling awful, and will either settle down and doze or just look at me and make the odd affectionate noise, the little darling. This is why it is so hard to leave him alone. I have been looking about on the internet for avian health sites to try and see if there is something that ties in with his symptoms. Can anyone recommend a good site? Thanks for listening to all my woes about Lukie, again. I just hope you don't all get tired of hearing about them - it is so helpful to share my worries with you all. Luv Vonn

I do have background noise on during the day, Riebie, but when it comes to his nap time, he gets very upset if there is any noise!! (Laughing out loud) He is a very demanding little budgie. He doesn't nap for more than about half and hour so it's not too bad. I find it hysterical. Luv Vonn

Thanks for the replies. Yes, Lukie also loves the vacuum cleaner. He loves to out-sing the birds on the birdsong CD I play for him. He also enjoys television. He squawks if there is a fight scene on TV - really tells them off for their bad behaviour! SO cute. But when he wants his afternoon nap SILENCE must reign! Luv Vonn

Lukie has put holes in our curtains, too. I will have to try these suggestions, as well. Budgies certainly can tell colours. Lukie has a whiffle ball in yellow and red in his cage. He also has a carousel with smaller whiffle balls of different colours and he always plays with the one that is the exact same colouring as his whiffle ball in his cage! We were amazed when we first realised it. Luv Vonn xx

Lukie has a nap every afternoon and he demands total silence during this nap. If you DARE to whisper too loudly you get told off with a muffled squawk (he doesn't lift his head out of his feathers to admonish us!). When he is getting ready to settle down for his nap and sees someone pick up the remote control for the TV, he tells them off in no uncertain terms by squawking " This is my NAP time, put that remote control down" It's hilarious! Does anyone else have a budgie this demanding or one with other little quirks? Luv Vonn xx

Lukie likes to sleep on his swing as it has a mirror. He cuddles up to his 'friend' in the mirror and they go to sleep 'together'. I wrapped some cotton rope around the perch part of the plastic swing, as I also feel it is a very uncomfortable perch and not thick enough. Just to be awkward, Lukie started to cling to the side plastic bars of the swing, which look just as uncomfortable! I thought that maybe I made the perch too thick so I redid it and now he seems to be happy with it. He likes thing perfect does our little chap! (Laughing out loud) Luv Vonn

Hi armchairangel Sorry to hear your birds do not approve of your new living room layout!! Seriously, I think all budgies hate change and react according to their particular characters. My little chap gets very upset if anything is changed! He likes the security of having his stuff in the same place! Is there no way, in your new arrangement, that you could put them between the windows again or will this spoil the look of the room? If they have to stay where they are now, they will get used to it eventually. Perhaps you could put them a little higher to make them feel safer from your dog and just safer all round? That's the first thing I would try as if they feel safer, I assume that they will accept their new position more quickly. Oh, I am forgetting about the air conditioning unit, which you said they are right under! Is there another position in the room where they could be a little higher and not spoil the look of your new living room? I probably haven't been much help but it is all I can think of at the moment. I am sure plenty of people here will give you some more suggestions and advice. Luv Vonn

Thanks for that feathers. Good idea putting some of the probiotics onto the veg. Luv Vonn I have solved the mystery of why Lukie was flying at my face! I was putting some makeup on at the time and had a mirror in my hand. He must have thought I was interacting with another budgie in the mirror and did not like that at all!! He chats to 'the budgie' in his mirror so assumed I was looking at a budgie, too. We worked it out tonight as I had just picked up my mirror to touch up my blusher and he did the same thing. My husband then said he thought it was about me looking in the mirror. So he took the mirror and pretended to look into it and Lukie flew at him too, making his little 'I don't like this' tweet. Then we realised what it was all about! So, he doesn't like the idea of us looking at 'another budgie' instead of him. What a little character! Luv Vonn Not sure why the last reply was added on to the previous one?! Must have pushed a wrong button. Vonn ????

I had never considered a food intolerance, Kathy, thanks for bringing that to my attention - I will keep an eye on how he reacts to each food. It might be the problem. I didn't realise I could give him yogurt, Elly. I could try a little and see if he likes it. He is having the probiotics in his water and seems to be happy to drink the water with this added. He seems back to normal today. He is still trying out the squawking now and then, but soon stops when he gets ignored. Thanks again, guys. Luv Vonn

Oh good, I will speak to the vet about adding them to the water. I think it would do him a lot of good especially as he is a little run down now. I wonder when I could start adding back the veg.? I haven't given him any fruit or veg. as I thought it best to wait until his tummy was okay. He has had normal poops all day and he has not had another vomiting attack, so I think it should be safe? I wonder which veg/fruit is the most easily digested, just to start with? Although he has got very picky of late and only wants red chard and/or kiwi fruit. Do you thing these two would be okay to start with? Luv Vonn

Thanks for those replies, guys. I will try and get him into his cage - he won't like it one bit, though. If it stresses him too much, I will keep the room very quiet and not give him any stimulation. He is eating and drinking his probiotics and sleeping quite a bit. He hasn't been flying today. He is still puffed up. I'll just have to wait and see how he does. His poos are fine now and there is no vomiting. He must be feeling run down after all this. I want to give him some vitamins but perhaps I should wait a while before adding anything else to his water? You are probably right Kathy - he was probably weak and couldn't fly too far. Thanks again for you help. Luv Vonn

You won't believe this, but Lukie started vomiting again at about 12.15am ! The poor little chap just heaved and heaved and heaved for a good few minutes. I was really concerned as he hasn't heaved for that long before. He was spraying it everywhere. I tried to get him to sip a little water but he refused. Eventually he went to sleep looking really unwell. This morning he wouldn't eat or drink, so I phoned the vet and he suggested that I stop the antibiotic just in case he has become sensitive to it. He tells me that he has had the odd bird vomit on this antibiotic. He says that all the tests he has done on Lukie show no signs of any problem, so next time he will have to do blood tests and Xrays. I fear the cost as the last two visits came to over a hundred pounds!! I will find the cash if I have to though. He told me to start the probiotic and see how he goes. I mixed up the probiotic in some Evian water and encouraged Lukie to drink it. Eventually, to please me, he had quite a good long drink of it. He ate his seed this evening and is looking better for it. I had to coax him to eat, but once he started he was fine. I think he liked me bringing the food to him and holding the feeder for him while he ate/drank as he is feeling weak. He has been puffy today and I have kept the room very warm. The strange thing he did today was fly at my face. He did it over and over - not in an aggressive way at all. He was quite weak and had difficulty keeping it up but nevertheless he still continued. Normally he flies just above our heads and then does a few laps of the room. He loves that, but this is the first time he actually just flew at my face and then back to his playgym, which is close to where I sit. It really puzzled me. Does anyone have any idea as to why he did that - he didn't do it to anyone else in the family. Luv Vonn

Thanks for the advice about spraying, Rainbow. I will definitely try it that way. He hasn't been pecking at his feathers much over the past couple of days, though, so I will wait and see if he really needs it. I really have been given good advice, Phoebe. The members here are SO helpful. Thanks so much for all your advice, Elly. By the way I wasn't thinking of spraying him for punishment! I spray him with aloe vera water to soothe his skin when he is moulting. It works very well. He is not keen on being sprayed. I always use warm water. I will give those ideas of yours a try, as I would really like him to sleep in his cage. I can just see myself having to chase him into the cage every evening, no matter how what I do as he is very determined! Maybe putting his favourite toys into the cage will make the difference. I know that I must be careful about spoiling him too much. I suppose it is because I am trying to make up for the awful time he had in the pet shop. He has probably forgotten all about it now! He is normally a very happy little bird. Great news! He has totally stopped squawking!! Just woke up yesterday and was back to normal. It is his last day of antibiotics and he starts on his probiotics tomorrow for 2 weeks. Hope he likes the taste in his water (if it has a taste). Thanks again to everyone who replied. It means SO much to me to have you guys to chat to about my concerns etc. Luv Vonn xxx

I just read your reply again, Elly, and you said an hour longer sorted out your bird's hormonal problem. Sorry. Also Lukie doesn't appear to be moulting a lot. There are always a few feathers about but there don't seem to be more than usual. Although I have noticed that he appears to be itchy as he is nibbling away at his feathers quite a bit. Perhaps I should spray him with aloe vera. I do find this helped before. Once again, he HATES being sprayed! (He certainly has his likes and dislikes!) Also, should I wait until his course of antibiotics is over before getting his feathers damp? Sorry about all the questions but being my first bird I am clueless! I really appreciate you taking the trouble to help me. Luv Vonn

Hi Elly I think you have hit the nail on the head. He is probably hormonal. I never thought of that! I do agree with you about the sleeping in the cage. I would really like him to sleep in his cage with a cover over him. How would you go about this? Chase him each night at the same time and put him in his cage, then slowly put the cover on, while reassuring him? Would this upset him so much that he loses his trust in me? The reason I have let him be free is, firstly, he never leaves the room unless he is scared when he will look for us. I find this is so convenient as I don't have to keep the door closed. I do keep the windows just open so that he cannot fly through them. He has never tried but I am very careful about doors and windows being opened. Secondly, he had an awful time in the pet shop. He was cowering in the corner of a small cage, shaking and looking terrified. I was so relieved to get him out of that situation. Now he really hates being confined. He was a quiet depressed little bird in his cage when we first got him home,but once I let him out of the cage after a few weeks, he just came to life and totally changed into a happy, friendly bird. I used to put him in his cage at night but he had a fear of the dark (you probably remember me telling everyone about it) and I got upset myself, putting him in his cage in a dark room. He looked so frightened. I used to sit with him for a while and chat to him to try and reassure him. It eventually made me so miserable that I let him stay in the living room with us and choose where and when he wanted to sleep. He is not so scared of the dark anymore. I can turn out the light at night without him getting upset. So perhaps I should try getting him to sleep in the cage again? He is still squawking but I am now sure that you are right - it is just hormonal. How long should he be covered in his cage to deal with this problem. As I say, the only thing that concerns me is that it might destroy some of the trust he has in me? Luv Vonn

Thanks for the replies everyone. Yes, Lukie does have a cage but he hates been confined to it. He only goes in to eat his food and the door is always open. If he thinks we may be even thinking of closing the door when he is inside eating(he keeps a close eye on everyone), he is out of the cage as quick as lightning and back to his playgym. He will definitely see it as a punishment if I put him in his cage. I would have to chase him, catch him and then put him in. I have never punished him in ANY way and it is not something I would like to do. Wouldn't the ignoring and shutting the door when he squawks be enough to get him to stop? If you really think I should put him in his cage, I will, as I know that you are all very experienced and know what you are talking about. Having said all that, today Lukie is a lot better with regard to the squawking. He called me this morning without squawking and I went and had a long chat to him. When I sat down he didn't squawk, but after a while started to fly at me squawking. I totally ignored him - didn't even say 'NO' as I feel that might even be encouragement to carry on, as it is a response. He flew at me a number of times trying to get a reaction but I remained firm. Eventually he flew at me chirping in a friendly way and I gave him lots of praise. He then tried the same thing with my husband and he did the same as me with the same result. He hasn't totally stopped squawking ( I can hear him now!) but it is a lot better. The thing is Lukie is really not himself he looks angry and irritated. Normally he is slightly fluffy, if you know what I mean, and his head feathers are fluffy and he is so cute and friendly. Now he keeps his feathers close to his body and his eyes are angry looking. Could this be the antibiotic? When I go up close to him and talk softly he closes his eyes and listens and relaxes a little. Normally he would listen intently and answer me and not close his eyes. Everything else about him, health wise, is normal. Any advice? Thanks so much for all the help. Luv Vonn

So pleased to hear that Yumi is perkier - it is such a relief when they start singing and moving around again, isn't it. Hope the two weeks fly by so he can be free of his peg leg! Luv Vonn

Hi ozartist I have just read about Yumi and seen the photos of his leg in the splint, poor little chap. He looks SUCH a darling in those photos. I really understand how you are feeling as I get so worried and upset when my little Lukie is not well. I also blame myself for doing something wrong, even if I don't know what it is! You really did the right thing going to the avian vet as I am quite sure Yumi would have been in a lot of pain without the splint. As for Yumi being puffed up, he is probably just feeling a little unwell after all he has been through. He should soon get over it especially as you are keeping him warm and safe. You sound like a really caring owner and Yumi is lucky to have you. We all make mistakes and could then kick ourselves for making them. We'd like to be perfect pet owners and never make a mistake, but we are just human. The main thing is you have done all the right things to hasten your little Yumi's recovery. I, too, find that having this forum, especially when you are worried, is fantastic. I find everyone here is so kind and helpful and it really helps to get replies and good wishes. I am sure that the same questions and reassurances are asked for over and over, but the members here always reply. Hope Yumi is soon back to his old self and I will check for any updates on him so please let us know how he is doing. Luv Vonn

Oh dear!! I cannot take the squawking anymore - I am going crazy. You were right Elly and I will have to do something about it now or we will all go deaf! Wow, can he SQUAWK!! They certainly are smart little birds, Phoebe, and I think he has my number! I get very upset & I feel guilty when he is unwell. He seems to have quickly realised that he can milk this for all its worth!!! He is definitely on the mend - no more puffiness, no more vomiting and his poops are normal. He is not quite himself though as he is normally a sweet natured bird. He is behaving like the bird from *** at the moment. He only stops the squawking now when I actually go close up to him and talk to him. The minute I sit in a chair, even though it is near him, he squawks and flies at me squawking as loud as he can. So now I can't even sit down never mind leave the room!! In the end I told him 'NO' in a firm voice which he seemed to take notice of for a second, but then carried on. I then then said NO and closed the door and left him to squawk until he stopped, and then I went in again. He tried the same old stunt of squawking if I sat down but I ignored him until he was quiet. He hasn't stopped trying yet, though. AAAHHH!! ! I don't know how I am going to handle days of this!! As he is free I cannot cover him so all I can do is make sure the room is quiet and shut the door until he stops. How long do you think this will go on???!!! Luv Vonn

Thanks for the reply, Elly. I don't think it is separation anxiety as this is not his normal behaviour. He normally calls to us during the day and we just call back to him and he is satisfied. We have been thinking about the squawking this afternoon and wondered if it could be the antibiotic making him irritable. He looks irritable - his eyes look really cross. As I say, he only calms down after I chat to him quietly. What we found worked this afternoon was to switch off the TV/music and keep the room very quiet. He then settled down without us in the room and slept for the rest of the afternoon. While he is ill perhaps it would be unkind to cover him or ignore his squawking, but if it carries on when he is well again, I will take your advice. Maybe I should just tolerate it while he feels unwell? It does drive you bats though! He isn't looking well this evening. He had one wet poop and the rest are normal so he is improving, although he still looks unwell. I have heated the room this evening as he is puffed up. He is asleep now. The vet said that he grows all the leaves for his birds and also gets some from the farm that he told us about. He said he would never give his birds those bags of leaves. Funnily enough, Jamie Oliver (the chef) mentioned those bags of salad leaves a few seeks ago on television. He said that he never uses them as he has been told by some expert or other, that there is virtually no nutrition left after all the treatment the leaves get to keep them fresh! I didn't really take much notice of it but now I am going to stop buying them. It's a pity as they are SO convenient and there is a great variety of leaves in each bag. too. I am upset that Lukie has been ill twice in such a short time. I wish I could find the reason. Thanks again for your advice. Luv Vonn

Hi everyone Lukie was very quiet last Thursday and then perked up on Friday. About about 1.00am on Saturday morning he started vomiting and vomiting until there was nothing in him to bring up. I sat with him for a couple of hours until he went to sleep. During the day he was sleepy and quiet but no vomiting and his poops were normal. On Sunday he was a little more active but was very irritable squawking loudly all day on and off. We noticed that he had a dirty vent which he kept pecking at. We decided to clean it before he infected himself. We washed it in warm water to which I added a little salt. An hour later he had very watery diarrhoea. Was this because he was upset by us washing him? Anyway, he slept very well that night and still no more vomiting and his poops appeared normal during the night. On Monday he had a wet poop after eating his seed. We took him to the vet and he asked us if we had given him anything new to eat or if there was a houseplant he could have nibbled on. The only things new are a set of rubber rings we got from a parrot shop which he has chewed on but nothing has come off it. Also I bought him a different seed bell which he had been nibbling on (we have thrown that out now just in case it was the source of infection.) Then we also gave him a new cuttlefish bone - should we throw that out too? I have disinfected the new rings again with F10. We told the vet about the fresh veg we have been giving Lukie and he said that we mustn't give him leaves in bags as the leaves in these bags are drenched in Chlorine!! I didn't know that!! It has been an easy way to give Lukie a variety of organic leaves. The vet has told us to order our veg from an organic farm box scheme and to grow some of the leaves that Lukie particularly likes as well. I thought I would just let you know about the chlorine in case anyone else is feeding their bird these leaves although I am sure you are all more informed than I am. The vet has given Lukie another antibiotic for 7 days and then a probiotic full strength for 14 days then a weaker strength daily. He doesn't want me to change his diet yet until he is absolutely well. I told the vet how concerned I feel about Lukie low weight. He says that although Lukie is quite lean he has more trouble with obese budgies and doesn't feel I should try and fatten him up. He says that Lukie has the muscle tone of a wild bird so he is getting a lot of exercise and therefore using up a lot of his calories. The problem we have now is that Lukie is still squawking and screeching a lot of the time! I have tried talking to him quietly and he eventually quietens down and starts to chirp quietly to me. But when I leave the room or anyone else goes in, he screams again. This is just not like him. If I sit in the room with him, he wants me to keep talking quietly to him and keep giving him my full attention, otherwise he buzzes me squawking! I can hear him squawking now. Any ideas of how to quieten him and why he is behaving like this? I have turned off the radio in case he doesn't want to listen to anything, in the hope that he will just rest and doze until he feels better but that hasn't happened. I am upset that Lukie is ill again and I feel like a bad bird owner. Luv Vonn

Hi Rainbow I managed to find the Aviculture in the UK. I have already placed an order as it is exactly what I have been looking for! Thanks a million. Luv Vonn xxx

Thanks, Rainbow. I wish I could get Volkman's seeds here. I looked at their site and was very impressed. I would love to find organic seeds over here, but have had no luck so far. I would like to mix my own organic seed mix. I am going to try the seeds that feathers suggested first, provided I can find a supplier either close to where I live or prepared to post the seed to me. I will definitely have a look for the probiotic you mentioned. It sounds ideal. Luv Vonn xxx

Thanks for these replies. I didn't know the UK was the leader in exhibition budgies! Thanks for the names of the seed suppliers, feathers, I will contact them. Just hope I can purchase smaller quantities or the seed will go stale before it is used. Perhaps I could freeze the seeds. Anyway, I will see what they offer. Luv Vonn xxx