Chrysocome

I don't know what to say Maesie... except ((((((((hugs)))))))) from the bottom of my heart. I'm so sorry You are both in my thoughts, I send all my luck and best wishes to you.

I hope it's okay for me to resurrect this thread! I just found the sweetest pics of my two as bubs and I just had to share. Milly: She trained me to give head scritchies Squee: Bursting with character from day 1 Look at them now! I already filled it in for Milly, but here's for Squee: Name: Squee Mutation: Green recessive pied Age: about 1.5 years Acquired from pet shop September 2006

So sorry to hear that Sailorwolf. I hope you can get her to the vet soon. From my text book: A convex bulging of the abdominal wall is indicative of a space-occupying mass (eg, egg, neoplasm, ascites, enlarged organ). With liver enlargement, ascites, proventricular or ventricular distension or displacement, egg development, egg-related peritonitis or mass formation, the abdomen may appear distended, doughy and convex. Edit - better put some of those terms into plain english. neoplasm = cancer, ascites = fluid in the abdomen, ventriculus = stomach, peritonitis = infection of the inner abdominl wall

I'm curious too. You have an uncovered fish tank? Did you quarantine Trisha before you put them together?

You're welcome, for tonight you should set up a hospital cage for her - click here. Keep her warm and hydrated. Take lots of care if you are feeding by syringe not to let her inhale the water. Please keep us updated on how it goes, good luck.

I'm so sorry Dave Fly free little Punter.

Please take Kaz and Elly's advice- your bird is very sick and needs an avian vet asap! Not eating/drinking is emergency especially for the inexperienced keeper. Do you have any rearing food and do you know how to crop tube? If not please find your closest breeder who can show you how. Budgies can only survive for about 1, maybe 2 days without food, maybe less if they are sick as well. Losing weight, runny poos and swollen abdomen is also extremely worrying! The use of oil by beak for egg binding is a myth, the uterus and gut are not really connected so it would not help at all (unless the egg is in the cloaca). Sure your budgie could be egg bound but it could also have cancer, obstruction or fluid in its abdomen just to name a few. An avian vet will tell you what is going on with tests like smears and x-rays.

Sailor, I know, I do tell them off when I see them do it.. I even try reasoning. These kids are terrible... or maybe their parents are... they just run amok doing what they want, especially when our backs are turned. I know this because I confiscated bits of pipe off them once (they were sword fighting dangerously). They were straight back at it with planks of wood as soon as I went inside, and put them down if I went out there. Worse yet they swear at me when I turn around! I am in no position to be constantly at it with them. You should have seen them at my brother's wedding So I just take away their ability (and the privelege) of interacting with my pets. When they are older and a little more understanding I will be educating them (there is also a language barrier at the moment). Unfortunately I am the odd one out in my family for caring about animals. As for adults.. in my family it is an 'elders know best' system. My parents are a little more sensitive to my protestations but they are still pretty rooted in a society where even feeding yourself was difficult, your own wellbeing is much more important than an animal's. It's so frustrating. I don't know what else I can do.

That is sooo adorable Feathers! Too cute for words. Love your commentary too. He looks like he's loving his little swim in the pool! Makes me want to splash my birds too!

That is all so cool Kaz! I'll be looking for the mag too I bet you it looks wicked awesome. Lovely new hearse there too.

*bows* you're welcome. As a budgie owner, I use hold 1 at home. I thought it would be favoured here too. It's the least restrictive so least stressful, besides my budgies never bite. My avian vet/lecturer nicknames it "the breeder hold". At vet we always use the other two, I guess because we do more invasive things thus need more fine control. Hold 2 is great for a physical exam. I also like hold 3 - It's nice for showing off your budgie's big floofy head

Jimmy, I'm with you, but the petshops would never agree to something that may dissuade people from a sale Their job is to get the animal out of the store, and everything after that is not their responsibility. I hate the impulse-buy nature of society, and pet stores making it worse by putting cute little animals in places whre it's easy to just get rid of them and not care what happens after that. Sure the shop employees may be there because they like animals, but in the end it is a business and the management pays them to sell. So many of those gift animals end up in shelters. The worst thing is that people seem to think that birds, since they cost less, are somehow worth less, feel less pain etc. Una, I tried explaining all that to my friend who looked after Milly for a month. His mum looked at me like I was nuts! An overprotective crazy bird nut. Luckily since we are friends he took me seriously and did everything I told him. But I wish people would just do a bit of research first before they buy an animal on impulse. With the internet these days, there is just no excuse. Myself, I'm terrified of doing something wrong. I've forced mself to sit on my hands for six months now and not buy myself a tiel - I'm just not ready, I know that, no matter how much I want one. (I really want one!!) Elly, it's awful when it's your own family - I have a similiar story, but it goes a little off topic. Family member of mine, my mum told me that they got birds for the kids to look after, simply because the kids wanted one, and my heart just sank and sank. These are the same kids who poke sticks at my budgies and pick fruit from our garden to throw at my chickens. I am so FURIOUS and stressed out every time they come over and their parents say "Kids will be kids!". I have lost my temper and yelled at them before but of course it isn't right to try and discpline someone else's kids. I know it isn't really their fault, that children don't understand these things but I wish their parents would try to teach them some values about animal life. Of course.. that's impossible when you don't have any. My mum and I both wish that their parents would actually try to do something to at least control their children and respect someone else's wishes. I just take my budgies up to my room and lock the chickens in their coop now. It doesn't stop the children throwing rocks at the coop, but at least they can't be injured physically. In any case - they fed the canaries seed of course and were so ignorant about it that they just assumed that the birds hadn't eaten all the seed, but it was all husks! :sob: It was doomed from the start, they just had no idea about anything to do with animals - just give it food and water. And they couldn't even do that right. I bet the parents just shrugged and thought, "I'm glad that's over." I hear they wany a puppy next

Holy moly! That is absolutely FANTASTIC maesie! I am awestruck. I'm so hopeless when it comes to building things. My dad is an amazing constructor, he built the pergola, several extended rooms to our house and the chicken coop. My brother is forever making picture frames, tables, gorgeous storage boxes and the like. Me, I can glue two bits of wood together, that's about it Incredible work. I'm with everyone else in saying that the talent on this board is phenomenal!

Wasn't sure where this should go, thought it was best here as you often need to pick up your budgies for health reasons. How to hold a budgie Sometimes you may need to have a good hold on your budgie, such as for nail clipping, crop feeding, pulling a blood feather, assessing the body condition or catching an escapee. Very important: Never restrict your budgie's chest. Birds do not have a diaphragm and rely completely on their chest muscles to move air through their lungs. If a bird cannot expand its chest, it cannot breathe. Never squeeze your budgie. Use minimal pressure, just enough to hold the budgie and never a bit more. If your budgie is really struggling and your gentle hold is not enough, DO NOT squeeze harder, it is best to let go and try again. To catch the budgie in its cage, some people use a small handtowel and place it over the bird. This blocks its escape routes and calms it down (no sudden vision of a giant hand grabbing at it). The owner then transfers it into a free hand to hold it properly. Others find it easier to herd the bird into a corner/on the floor and to gently envelop the bird, without using a towel, which to them may be a terrifyingly large foreign object. Of course, it is much simpler if your budgie is tame. Use whatever you find quick/comfortable and you believe to be less stressful for your budgie. There are three main ways to hold a budgie, based on how the head is held: two fingers, thumb and finger, thumb and two fingers. Two-finger hold This is generally used for quickly moving birds (like an escapee or from cage to cage). It is also good for initially catching your budgie before changing to a different hold. Of the three holds this one has the least head control, so the budgie may give you a good nip on the fingers. The wings may also be able to flap. The head rests between the bones of your index and ring fingers, the rest of the body sits snugly in the palm of your hand. The thumb and ring finger can help push the legs back. Thumb/finger head restraint This gives you more control of the head, and is good for biters, crop feeding or examining the body in detail. With this hold you can lift the middle, ring and pinky fingers and gently extend one wing for examination. The tips of the thumb and index finger are placed on the cheeks. Always place the head-controlling fingers gently onto a bony area of the head, not the flesh part of the neck. The body is in the palm of the hand. The inside of the thumb restrains one wing, the remaining fingers restrain the other. The pinky can be used to restrain the legs. Thumb/two finger head restraint A variation of the finger/thumb restraint. This hold is intended to gain maximum control of the head and is most useful for beak trimming or examining the head in detail. The thumb and middle fingers rest on the cheeks. The index finger is placed on top of the crown and can be used to direct the motion of the head. Tips - -I have found that my budgies hate being upside-down. I believe it is uncomfortable on their lungs, as birds were not made to be upside-down especially if they are stressed from being held. For that reason, I hold them the right way up as much as I can, especially when I'm not immediately doing something. -When I think my budgie is freaking out too much or kicking around making it difficult for me to get a hold, I often sit the her in one hand. I form a circle with my index finger and thumb, and gently place the her head into it from the palm side. She cannot go forward because of the ring I made with my fingers, and cannot back out because I gently push her towards the ring she tries. -For biters, a towel or Q-tip can be used to distract them from your fingers -For kickers, a pencil or a finger can be used as a perch for gripping ================================= With thanks to my gorgeous assistant, Squee. Please excuse the piece of fluff in her beak, I didn't notice it at the time, and she was getting quite fed up with it all so I haven't retaken them. Feel free to discuss and add.

That is so sad :budgiedance: I wish they'd make people take a simple test about animal care before they're allowed to buy a pet. Don't forget that the laundry is also a bad place for a bird, there are lots of toxic fumes and powders that are extremely harmful.

I'm so sorry :budgiedance:

I was so worried when I read the thread title! Immediate emergency if the actual rupture is happening presently. So sorry to hear of it Uterine rupture is usually secondary to egg binding - they strain so hard to get the egg out, or the egg puts so much pressure on the uterine wall that it dies and weakens. Infection of the reproductive tract can also cause it to weaken. What exactly are the 'signs' your friend has spoken of, and how was it diagnosed the first time? Uterine rupture is generally something you can't really tell from the outside (unless it's hanging outside the body.. most often the bird looks like it gets better and then dies suddenly). Signs of egg binding usually occur first. From one of my assignments: Egg binding and dystocia Predisposing factors Oviduct muscle dysfunction (metabolic disease of calcium; selenium or vitamin E deficiency) Malformed egg (misshapen, soft shelled - due to calcium deficiency) Excessive egg production (depleting calcium reserves) Nutritional insufficiency Metritis (infection of the uterus) Previous oviduct damage/infection Obesity, lack of exercise Neoplasia (lipoma, oviduct tumour) or persistent cystic right oviduct Concurrent stress Genetics Inappropriate nesting Senility First egg Breeding out of season Your friend should correct any of these that they think could be contributing. How is the calcium? She/he should give a supplement (calcivet) if they haven't already. The little one should be taken to the vet just to be sure. The avian vet will be able to figure out if it's an egg-related problem, due to some infection or something else.

Thank you Erin, Una, Sailorwolf, any others, I'd love to see your artwork too! Una - that sounds like a neat idea! Only thing is, I really dislike being forced to create, especially when I don't have the 'mood' for it, and I'd certainly be forced if somebody paid me. Something similiar happened when I was making plushies for money - it stopped being fun and became a chore. I'm thinking it will just be a fun thing to give back to the community Sailorwolf - tell me about it! I did the same thing, I just stopped using a sketchbook completely, for two whole years (except for the abundance of sketches all over my notes - it's a bad habit of mine). But I learnt that in the summer break I can go nuts and just don't stop creating. But not this year, it's all taken up by work experience. Yup. Vet is the great time-sucker. Except for BBC. I should be asleep or studying right now...

Libby, those are amazing! I absolutely adore that horse in the sunset, it's so gorgeous. The others are great too!

Absolutely brilliant!! What a fantastic idea and so professionally done

Could be an allergy or irritation, or it could be an infection. Their respiratory systems are so delicate - I agree with the others, an avian vet is best. Differential diagnoses from my textbook: Bacterial, fungal, viral or chlamydial infection; foreign body; toxic insult (smoke); allergy; malnutrition

I don't know much about PBFD in budgies (only cockies at the moment) but wouldn't feather problems show up first and maybe other birds in that cage have some kind of sign as well? When we got Little back where I worked, we basically just took him with the reasoning that the pet store would be set back financially if it spread to the other birds. They made no attempt to stop us when we said that. (But we did have the authority of being an avian vet clinic). I agree, I would not give the pet store a single cent! If you do take him he would need to stay in quarantine for 30 days after signs disappear. He will need beak trimming for the rest of his life. Like all new birds you should get a full checkup with your vet. They should at least do a faecal smear and maybe a blood test. With Little we gave him a shot of broad spec antibiotics just in case he had something bacterial, and I guess because the scaly was so bad we assumed the beak problem was directly caused by it (I can't tell if that's the case from your pictures). But it is true he could have other problems as well that we can't see - that is why we quarantine. Another thing I know causes overgrown beak like that is liver disease, especially due to bad nutrition. Maybe you could find someone without birds who's willing to do what it takes to care for him? Or quarantine him far from your other birds and observe strict quarantine measures. There is still a risk - as there is for all new birds. It sounds like a lot of trouble for you Liv... health and money wise... I don't know what I'd do in your situation...

NickNack Aside from not reacting to being bitten by making a fuss and moving away- when I was training Squee, if she bit my finger I would push back against her. Not hard or sharply, but firmly so she got the idea that I was a bigger and stronger 'budgie'. It did hurt me the first few times but I just grit my teeth and persisted. She soon learnt that she is lower down on the heirachy and doesn't bite me hard anymore

Thank you all, glad you like them Maesie - I use lots of different media, the main one being digital art. Plushies and sculptures are my other favourites. This one is my baby: http://chrysocome.jaxpad.com/files/image/f...el-complete.jpg Semi-digital: http://chrysocome.jaxpad.com/files/image/f...-chrysocome.jpg My latest plushie: http://chrysocome.jaxpad.com/files/image/f...come-falcon.jpg Sculpture: http://chrysocome.jaxpad.com/files/image/f...il-chikajin.jpg (Can you tell that I like birds? ) Unfortunately I don't have a lot of time for projects like that anymore. Erin - Copics are these things - They are a brand of alcohol-based markers. The beauty of them is that you can blend them! (See that first link I put - that was done with three Copics only: red, orange and yellow). Many graphic artists use them - fashion designers, comic book artists etc. They come in 100+ different shades and you can custom make your own. At $9 each though, they might set you back a bit! (And my friends bought me 20!) I'm thinking maybe.. just maybe.. some time.. I will do little cartoons of members' pet budgies in the same rough style as above... but I don't know how to spread this out so I can do it in my (rare) spare time and not be swamped by requests!

Totally forgot to finish this series of photos! M: Head... so... itchy... need... scritchy! S: What...? M: *itch itch* S: Hmph! S: Mum! I can do it too! See! SEE! *preen preen preen* S: LET ME DO IT! M: This is the life! *heaven* The end! -Chryso's flock