Smudgie

That's a great outcome. I'm surprised (in a good way) that the RSPCA took it so seriously! Can someone tell me how to recognise a bush budgie? I know they're green and have no mutations but how would someone tell the difference between a bush budgie and a regular green budgie that was bred in captivity?

Oh it was so bittersweet! When he chose Cheeky he actually chose a different bird but the cage in that shop is HUGE and a staff member has to literally walk in there with a net and try to catch the budgie. Duncan ended up saying "just get any male I don't mind" even though he had chosen Cheeky already but he didn't want to stress them. Well she did catch Cheeky almost straight away and it turns out that just luckily, he is used to humans already and is tame enough to jump onto someone's hand! What a bonus! He's a lovely boy. I'm so glad for Duncan

I wish we'd got some today on the way back home. The people in the pet shop were anxious that he had a blanket to cover the cage so he wouldn't be stressed but it was only a few minutes before Duncan took the blanket off to show me how Cheeky was jumping onto his hand! He's a relatively tame little chap and Duncan said on the way back home with Cheeky sitting on his hand (he had his hand in the cage) "This is the first time I have been really happy since Chester died" Photos to follow!

Thank you maesie! You have been wonderful. My PM box is full right now but I have to copy some of the lovely messages I received before I delete them! There are some truly awesome people on this forum!

I know!Chester was actually having a bit of trouble gripping his perch before Fizzer even developed the lump but we didn't worry about it too much because it was only occasional and it didn't seem to affect him at all. We just figured he was older than we thought. I was very shocked by how fast he went downhill but I imagine that he was probably in some discomfort for a long time and was just putting up with it because it wasn't severe. He did need to be relieved of his pain though. Poor Duncan was very upset however I took him out today to choose another budgie and the one he found is absolutely awesome! Quite tame and very friendly.He got it from PetsAtHome, which is a really responsible pet shop. In the past when he has had a couple of clutches, he has refused to sell them to petshops because he doesn't trust them and he has instead, given them to a good home (after inspecting the size of the cage and making sure they will look after the budgie properly) - gotta love this kid. http://www.petsathome.com.au/lortsmithAnyway he now has "Cheeky" who is a very handsome blue male and he settled right in with the others (the shop quarantines the birds themselves) And here's the lovely thing - EagleEye who was Fizzer's mate has paired up with Cheeky very nicely and they seem to be getting along like old friends. I'm so glad - she was really missing Fizzer.Now we have to find a nice friend for Chester's mate. Oh and I almost forgot to thank you for your condolences. It's harder than I thought to put an animal to sleep. This was our first time and poor Duncan was really upset. Edited - too hard to read in one block

okay so it's already in the commercial seed anyway?

Having dealt with a little fellow with gout, the vet said that too much protein is a major culprit in gout. He wasn't drinking port so we can rule that out! I was wondering where he would have got his hands on that much protein but then I remembered that when they had some babies, Chester was absolutely crazy for the egg and biscuit mix and he used to eat it up as soon as my son put it out.

Thanks to everyone for your help. We couldn't get any cranberries Neat. In fact now that I think abut it I don't think I have ever seen them for sale before but I did get some cranberry juice and we put about a teaspoon into his water. I don't know if it made any difference or not though. Sadly poor little Chester started to deteriorate very quickly and it was only a matter of days before my son had to make the decision to have him put to sleep. He was a part of a bonded pair and we got his girlfriend out of the aviary to keep him company. It seemed to cheer him up and I think it kept him happy. While he was happy enough to walk around and still chirp and fly he was okay but almost overnight he seemed to be in a great deal of pain and he just sat on the floor of the cage in the corner. My husband took them back to Lort Smith on Friday and had little Chester put down. My poor son was devastated as Chester was very tame and friendly but there was no choice. The vet (and people here in PMs) said that budgies will try to disguise the fact that they are in pain but we could tell he was suffering so it was the only kind thing to do.

Are dried cranberries okay too?

The vet said the same thing about diet. That gout is mainly seen in birds who have a seed only diet. But she also said it is hereditary so we're wondering about that too. And I have to smile about the cherries - now that you have clarified because he LOVES cherries! He hasn't had them since last cherry season but my son used to get a handful of cherries for his budgies (he hand picked the ones that were on the double stem) to hang them on the tree in the aviary so the birds would get to "pick"the fruit. I am so shocked at the diagnosis though. My son even got the recipe for "bird fruit salad" when we visited Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary 2 years ago and he feeds it to his birds every week. I should post that recipe on the forum somewhere. It's great.

Can you tell me more about that?(Was have a juicer!) You have PMd me some great ideas already so many thanks I did a forum search for gout and couldn't see a lot. The vet showed us the areas where there are deposits in his feet and once she showed us it was very obvious.I will try to get some good photos for future reference. She said it cannot be reversed but if caught early, the diet can be altered and the progress of the disease can be slowed.I am inclined to think it is hereditary and not dietary because he has the most varied diet - in fact that is how I found this forum in the first place - looking for all the different foods that budgies can and cannot eat.They eat better than we do!

Thanks for that mb! I think handling animals rather than treating them is more his style. Of course he is also a very awesome little jeweller, and that is something he would like to do and continue to volunteer at the Donkey Shelter on the side.

My poor kid is really on a roll with his budgies. When he took Fizzer in to the vet, he mentioned that he had a budgie at home with "sore feet". Chester suddenly became unable to grip onto his perch anymore and he was walking with his feet out flat. She said to bring Chester in as well as it sounded like it might be gout. We don't know how old Chester is because he came as an adult with a group of 5 but he has always been exceptionally healthy and fit and very tame and friendly. Sure enough she was right. It is gout. It is not curable and there is really no proven way of treating it so we're looking at palliative care for the poor little bloke. He can fly perfectly well but just cannot grip a perch to land so my son is going to "kit out" the aviary with platforms in addition to perches so he can land like a helicopter instead of a bird. The sad news is that eventually it will become too painful (apparently the pain from gout in humans is excruciating) and he will have to be euthanased. It's a matter of "when" not "if", but while he still has a good life and is happy to fly around and doesn't appear to be in pain he can continue to be with his friends and see out his last weeks or months in a happy state, then I think it will be a good thing for everyone. My son volunteers at the local animal shelter and he has already had a chat to the director about it and they are going to get together tomorrow and have some time to talk about making the decision when to know it's time to say goodbye. Poor kid. On Wednesday he took two budgies in to the vet and came out with only one who he is also going to have to say goodbye to.

Thanks Denise - he's an exceptional kid. Oh and the Chaplain also said that if he even just wants to have a chat with her about all the opportunities there are to work with animals when he's older, that she can do that too just to "break the ice" And hugs back maesie. I have to say that even though I have not been a regular poster here, I have received so much kindness and support that I am very overwhelmed by everyone's kindness! We most certainly have found a vet that is great with birds and (and kids)

That is how I made ours. It was very easy to make but guess what? So far the hardest bird to catch took about 15 minutes so I made the net after that and we have never used it at all so I can't tell if I made a good net or not

Just one more update. Yesterday we received a phone call from the Chaplain at Lort Smith. I didn't even know they had one, but she calls all the people who have lost a pet and offers them some support or counselling or just a chat. She was just lovely and said she would be available any time if my son wants smeone to talk to about losing his pet. I am just so amazed at what a fantastic organisation it is. We'd never taken a pet there before for treatment but now I think it would be my first choice for its awesome, caring staff.

I can!After our experience with poor little Fizzer I absolutely recommend Dr Sasha at Lort Smith in North Melbourne.She was awesome and if people are on a limited budget, it's good to know that you can pay off the consultation fee in instalments rather than all in one hit. And they are a great organisation too. Again - Dr Sasha (I am a new fan) told my son to bathe his budgies feet because he also has a budgie who has gout.She said that a shallow dish of cold water in their cage is fine and they will self-seek something that feels soothing.

okay so it's the same reasons as humans need it. Can budgies get goitre as well?

KAZ can you explain the importance if iodine for budgies? And is it found naturally in any of the foods they are likely to eat?

Thank you so much :)He is a very caring kid. I cannot believe he's 11 - sometimes I think he should be older because of his compassion and commitment! Thank you Neat you have been awesome

I love this forum for good advice!

Thanks everyone for your kind wishes. We just got back from the hospital. The vet was really lovely. It turns out that Fizzer did actually have a bit of a feather cyst as well but it was a complication of a tumour after all and he had cancer all the way into this wing bone. She removed the lump and the wing tip and she said he had a pretty good chance but he stopped breathing. She said (apart from the tumour) he was a really fit little bird and his heart was great but he just couldn't breathe and they tried very hard but he wouldn't wake up from the anaesthetic. If anyone in Melbourne needs a wonderful caring vet for their bird, Dr Sasha at Lort Smith was just awesome. She was caring and gentle with my son and is great with children. They had Fizzer cleaned up in a little "bed" with just his face showing and a little cover over his body. My son wanted to see him so she took off the cover and showed him where she had removed the tumour. She invited my son to call her back if he has any questions and when he gave her a "Thank You" card she was genuinely touched. She's their resident expert in "exotic pets" and she has a special interest in birds, although she was very upfront and said she doesn't have any additional certification in avian medicine, she has a lot of avian experience and she explained everything in clear detail. My son was really upset but he was also very comforted by knowing that so many people didn't think he was silly for paying so much attention to "only" a budgie. I have shown him the posts here and he was really amazed and heartened at people's kindness and good wishes.

UPDATE. Unfortunately it did not go well. Poor little Fizzer died during surgery. The vet called my husband and I'm just about to take my son back in to collect the cage and have a chat with the vet. From what my husband said, it turned out to be a tumour. My son is really upset but he said he'd never have forgiven himself if he hadn't tried his best to help his favourite pet. Thanks to everyone for your well wishes. I know it's "only" a budgie but it was really important to my son that he didn't just "do nothing". xx

I had an ingrown armpit hair once and it grew as fast as Fizzer's cyst. It was terribly painful too although Fizzer seems to be in pretty good spirits considering that gross big lump on his wing so I'm hoping he's not in too much pain (actually he doesn't seem to be in any pain at all and he has a good appetite and is still playful)Only one more day and he'll be feeling a LOT better I'm sure. The vet was absolutely lovely and I am very confident that she will do a good job. When my son told her all about his fund-raising efforts with our local animal shelter she was impressed by his enthusiasm and she said she will save the microscope slides for him to have a look at, since he's obviously very interested in animals. Thank you! He is a very handsome boy and the vet mentioned that he is very well cared for and seems healthy and robust. She said cage birds usually fare a little less well under anaesthetic than wild birds because they get less exercise, so she was relieved to know that the little cage he was in was only his "infirmary" cage and he normally lives in a very large flight cage and gets plenty of exercise and a varied diet.I know it's risky but I feel pretty confident that he'll do fine. My son is a great little carer and he's always gone to a lot of effort to make sure his birds are well cared for so they're generally very healthy and content. It's pretty gross isn't it? I say "gross" in the medical sense because it is such a huge mass. (And it's "gross" in the "ick factor" sense too)But it's probably a good thing to have as an archived picture for reference purposes if people haven't seen one as massive as that before so I'm glad my son got the photo.Oh and just for the record - when he was weighed at Lort Smith on Saturday he was 44 grams. It will be interesting to see how much he weighs on Wednesday since the cyst seems to have stopped growing. Just out of interest, does anyone want to hazard a guess how much that cyst weighs? They will weigh him before and after surgery.

That is why I was so surprised when you said you treat them yourself! The vet said (oh I can't remember) but that it may have been a large flight feather that has been broken off at the "root". (Does that sound right?) which has made it grow so fast. But she said that she's seen feather cysts grow even faster than Fizzer's. I'm glad because one of the earlier posts seemed to suggest that we'd "let it go" which we most certainly had not.