armchairangel

I'm so sorry to hear that you lost Sugar. And yes, be sure to keep a close eye on all your other birds so you don't lose more! Fly free Sugar!

Its tough having a bird that has an illness that comes and goes. For me, it feels like every time Baby gets sick, it could be her last. If you've been feeling sick, DEFINITELY get yourself checked out, especially if your immune system is compromised, like you said. I'm not sure what to suggest about the pellets. The freezer is a good idea and just keep trying. I think that a diet of half pellets and half seed/veggies would be just fine. Very well balanced. I think the concern about all pellet diets is that the high protein might take a toll on the bird's organs over time. When birds are sick, they need all the nutrients they can get, so keep trying with the pellets. Good luck!!!

Oh what a horrible run of luck!!! Sometimes that's all it is, nothing that could be done to change it. Budgies can die unexpectedly for so many reasons. They can be fine one day and dead the next. Its hard to tell what's wrong with them cuz they hide illness and discomfort SO well. Their small size also makes it tough to treat them effectively. This might sound like a dumb question, but did you use the same cage for the new bird? And if you did, did you disinfect it *REALLY* good? That's the only thing that I could think of that might lead you to a cause of death.

Wow...... What a heart breaking and heart warming story! The conditions of the birds sickened me, but you did the right thing and they are for sure in a better place now. But the overwhelming reaction to this is the way Katie handled it all. Such an amazing girl!! Holding the birds while they were put down even. As an adult that is a really hard thing to do! I hope that the little one makes it and I'm sure that it will bring Katie much joy and love and it will be one of the happiest birdies around.

Thanks Elly! And sorry Nerwen, I didn't realize till now that this was your link from Neat's thread, where others were posting pics too. But seeing others is so fun!

What a great idea Neat! I really enjoy seeing everyone's pictures too. It helps make it all a more 'human' experience to 'know' who you're talking with. Now I'll dig up a picture of me. Here's me and Beastie, just for fun. And here's my favorite picture of me and my husband. I'm 30 and have gone through school to be a veterinary technician. I currently do not work and I think that its pretty much been decided that I'm not going to get a job in my chosen field at this point. We found out this week that I'm gonna have a baby (its our first)! The risks involved with being a vet tech just aren't worth it at this point (xrays, anesthetic gases, heavy lifting, etc etc), and I'm guessing it would be tough to get hired with tons of restrictions. I'm due mid April. We have our 3 parakeets, Shane the german shepherd, 4 snakes and the American alligator. Tomorrow is our first anniversary too! Hi everyone!! *waves* ((And silly me wasn't paying attention and I posted this to Nerwen's 'this is me' post. Oops!))

What a great idea Neat! I really enjoy seeing everyone's pictures too. It helps make it all a more 'human' experience to 'know' who you're talking with. Now I'll dig up a picture of me. Here's me and Beastie, just for fun. And here's my favorite picture of me and my husband. I'm 30 and have gone through school to be a veterinary technician. I currently do not work and I think that its pretty much been decided that I'm not going to get a job in my chosen field at this point. We found out this week that I'm gonna have a baby (its our first)! The risks involved with being a vet tech just aren't worth it at this point (xrays, anesthetic gases, heavy lifting, etc etc), and I'm guessing it would be tough to get hired with tons of restrictions. I'm due mid April. We have our 3 parakeets, Shane the german shepherd, 4 snakes and the American alligator. Tomorrow is our first anniversary too! Hi everyone!! *waves*

Ohhhh HONEY!!!! The pictures just break my heart. I just want to hold her close to me and shower her with love. Keep offering her the things she'll pick at. I would imagine that the bread would be just fine. Getting anything into her at this point is key. And I just had an idea for getting liquids into her! If she's not drinking on her own, give her the tea or electrolytes (I'd think the sugaryier the better, to help provide energy and get her blood sugar up) from a medicine dropper, one drop at a time to her beak. When Baby was on oral meds, the vet said even if she doesn't actively lap up the drop and swallow, capillary action will draw enough of it in to her beak where it will still be absorbed. Perhaps trying this (several drops at a time every hour or so) will get enough into her to help perk her up enough to eat and drink on her own. My heart aches for you, Sara and your family!!!

yeah, she's something else, that's for sure! If I didn't love her so much, sometimes I'd want to.... *(Laughing out loud)* Attaching the little cage to the big one is an interesting idea.... I wonder if we'll be able to figure out a way to do it so that the large cage can get warm too. I'm concerned because as she was getting sick, she'd sit on the perch on the side away from the heater all fluffed up. She wouldn't go to the warm side. So I don't know. I've been thinking that an intermediate sized cage might be a good thing, except for the expense. She's been a little less messy the past few days, so maybe it was just a little birdy fit she was throwing. *L* we've been trying to give her more out of cage time too, so maybe that has helped, so she can burn off the energy in more positive ways.

oh I am SO sorry to hear this! I have come to think of Sara like I think of our Baby, a really special bird who has gone through a lot and keeps rallying for more. She must really love you to keep on keeping on. I have no doubt that you will continue to do all you can for her and make her feel loved. I believe that the love is the most important. I pray that she remains comfortable and that she will show you what she needs and that you will have the clarity of mind to help her (whether its getting better again, or flying over the rainbow bridge). Trust yourself and you will know. Huge hugs and loves for you and her and your family. :angel1:

We let Baby out for some free time and an opportunity to let out some energy every day. Today she was flying all over the place, around the circle of our living room, dining room and kitchen, and from Cupid and Psyche's cage to the dining room and back, over and over. She finally ended up perching right by the door to their cage and stayed there while Cupid flirted and sang and chattered and even fed her through the bars! I thought it was so sweet.... *L*

yup... Chances are he's still nervous in his new home. That he's started to eat is a good sign that he's starting to feel more comfortable. Having some background noise for him is a good idea as well as your recording idea. Is he your first budgie?

Since Baby has recovered from her near death experience, she's turned into a little brat! She's totally back to her old opinionated, stubborn self and has created a new bad habit. As far as we can tell, she hates being in the little hospital cage still. And she kicks her food out of her dish!!! She makes this huge mess and wastes all kinds of pellets. She's only ever thrown food out of her dish when she couldn't forage. In the past, time out of the cage foraging on her playground and eating seeds from an apple dish was good enough for her. We still let her out to forage, but now she just stands in her dish and kicks her feet! I wish I could figure out how to fix this little issue. I'm thinking it might be time to put her back in her old cage and try to heat it a little differently than I tried before. And then we'll just ahve to watch her for fluffiness extra carefully. *shrugs* Any other ideas?

Cute!!! They can be so funny, can't they?!

Egg is a great source of protein, so if he'll eat that, I'd keep offering it to him. Do you have him on any pellets? Or is he eating mainly a seed diet? I'm not sure what sort of things would stress his liver though. Increasing the protein and vitamins in his diet would be a good thing, but I would still moderate it so that his organs don't have to work TOO hard to process it. Keeping it low fat is important too.

If you're starting from a puppy, it will generally be easier to train the dog that birds aren't toys. Teach him the 'Leave it!' command. Its complicated to explain how to do in writing, so finding a place that does dog training would be an easier way to do it, so someone can actually show you. There are some people here who have dogs that allow the birds to safely play on them, so it can be done. I just recently got a dog too and have been trying to figure out how to do the same thing. One night he actually lunged for the bird and snapped at her (but missed thankfully!) and I screamed at the top of my lungs and threw myself over him (a german shepherd) and grabbed the bird with my other hand. I think I made a big enough deal about it that he's not willing to try it again. *L* He hardly looks at her when she's out and flies over his head even. But we still don't trust him completely. Keeping the dog away from the birds when they're out is the only way to be 100% sure they'll be safe. You'll have to weigh the risks and decide yourself what you're comfortable with.

I don't have any experience with lipomas, but there are a number of people here who do. It sounds like Buzby is still getting enjoyment out of life to me, but you are the one to be the final judge of that. Its really tough trying to decide when an animal has suffered enough. I've been there and done that and its something you'll have to do on your own. Last week I was struggling with that very decision myself. Luckily, my husband refused to let me put her down and the birdy did a complete 180 and is back to her normal stubborn cheeky self. Good that you came here to vent. Support is just one of the important things that can be gotten from the forums here! Keep coming back and good luck!

She's still doing great, eating and drinking with gusto, making all of her typical calls, active as all get out. I'm kind of feeling guilty about keeping her in the tiny hospital cage, but I don't know if moving her back to her regular one would be the wisest either. She has her 2 favorite toys and it seems the heater keeps her nice and sleek. I'm just kind of nervous about the ability to keep her regular cage as warm as she needs it.

I don't know if its any easier or not, but I just fold the edge under to size. And sometimes the ads come in just the right size!

I always think its fun to give my birds something cool to look at on the bottom of their cage. Lots of times I'll try to use the produce section of the grocery store ads so they can look at fruits and veggies. Other times I think its funny to put the meat section facing them.*L* They've gotten to poop on leather furniture without being yelled at (we have that stuff in our house and Baby has given it countless poop stains that we always chide her over. *L*). Today, in addition to strawberries, cantaloupe, raspberries and green beans, Cupid and Psyche get to look at a cat, puppy and a baby! *(Laughing out loud)*

My husband also brought up the question of legality too. Phooey. How common are birds that have these mutations together? I wish I knew of some local reputable breeders. But then again, its probably safer that I don't. *L* Too bad that we have no idea how to get ahold of the guy Jared got Baby from. I'd love to have another bird that is as hardy and friendly as she is. Often there are cool looking budgies at PetCo, but we're not going that route again. Ever.

Sorry Karen and everyone.... Moluccan Cockatoo was correct!

What a beautiful flock of rainbow colors you have!!

Yes, he's moving his feathers at you! I love when they do that. It makes me think of someone wiggling their eyebrows at you. *L* He sure is a stunning color!!

OMG... those babies are what my DREAM budgie would look like! I really want a YF blue of some sort, and spangle and opaline are my favorite color variations! I want one, I want one I want one!!! I don't suppose there's a safe (and affordable *L*) way to ship them all the way to the midwest US, is there... But then when I read down farther and found out about their mom, oh NO!!! I really hope that dad will be able to rise to the occasion and it sounds like you have a good plan. I'm sorry that things took such a terrible turn! And then I realize they might be even more better! YF2's! Isn't that where the yellow bleeds into the body color and makes the blues look greenish? I like those almost even better than the other kind.