Erin

Ta-da! POO. It's not yellow as it looks here, but beige. What do you think???? I know you're not diagnosing, just appreciate any thoughts....I'm desperate up here in northern ontario...

Hi again: Thanks for responding... Maisie, his vent is fine. I haven't checked his breastbone yet.. Liv, It is quite possible that they haven't eaten...this was what suspected first when I saw him this morning...I wasn't checking carefully enough - I just dump their bowls out and refill...also with the protein powder it was harder to see what was husk and what still seed. okay given the difference of opinion being expressed here, i am going to upload pooo pictures give me a minute or 2

Thanks so much to both of you for responding, I've been biting my nails here...he was on a fortified seed diet (Kay-Tee) and I stupidly completely substituted something called Avilac Stress, also seed but with increased protein (powder form). I gave it tothem 3 days ago, and then never really noticed when I dumped and refilled how much, if any, they had eaten. Then today I gave them each a sprig of millet and switched them back to their regular seed, and they both chowed down, now the other bird's poos are slightly green, but basically okay, whereas Georgie, the sick one, his look like diarrhea and a few of them are almost completely black....also with the shivering/vibrating - that's abnormal, isn't it? I've never seen him do that unless he's really hot. He's subdued, but hasn't stopped eating. Singing a bit, but nothing compared to normal...I have had the lamp and blanket on as well all day with him, and he looks a little less puffed out than this morning...Any advice/thoughts as to what could be happenig????? Thanks in advance

Can anybody help me out? I don' have access to avian vet til monday. Georgie puffed out this morning and lethargic compared to normal. I had substituted a new food 3 days ago which I now changed back. He is looking less puffy (is in hospital cage, quarantined now) and is still eating, but now is vibrating slightly and HIS POOS LOOK TERRIBLE. Some are too black with very little urine portion. 3 new ones are this very unusual beige colour. They seem runny/mushy... I am very worried I bought a broad spectrum antibiotic, but wanted to change his food first and see if that was the problem....could this possibly be simply due to the fact that he did not like the food? (I bought the a moult/stress variety because the other one is moulting). Should I give the antibiotic? This has all come up very suddenly and for 5 years he's been very healthy. Any help would be very appreciated.

How interesting, and how gruelling. Thanks so much for sharing your stories documenting your growth as a vet. It's tough to become a professional, but rewarding, too. It sounds as though you are well on your way.

My male budgie does this, too. I've been told by others this is quite common (after strenuous teasing about my nail polish, etc.) At first it bothered me but now, to be quite honest, it doesn't.

She sure did...she's with a mom and her son in her forever home now, which is wonderful (although I must admit, I'd of loved to have kept her).

Hi folks: (Just to give you a little context)...So here I am, attending a conference in the big city of Toronto (maybe I should go look for Nick Nack?), checking my email on my wireless, only to find out I have the honours of winning this photo contest. So I will try to fill you in! Teacup is a calico stray I fostered for the pound a few years back who has always stayed in my heart because she was an absolutely fearless little street fighter who obviously had needed too eke out an existence on her own, despite her small size (she weighed 3 pounds when I got her). Sometimes this fearlessness led her into peril, such as the moment right after this picture was taken and she rolled right off the top of my stereo (and landed on her feet of course). She used to like to sleep on my other cat's head (which Sammy, of a milder temprament, did not always appreciate). If she was a person, she would be the kind people turn around and take notice of when she walked into a room...she had flair, and a knack for being memorable as you can see! In this picture, she is doing what cats do best a) stretching telling their owners to hurry up and give them a scratch on the tummy!

Hi deand 16: It is very normal, and no they're not gay -- at least not to my knowledge. In a same-sex pairing, one bird will take the dominant male role, and the other the submissive female, and they get along quite well this way. I had two males who lived very happily like this for years.

Hi Neat: Great to hear from you. Sounds like you been busy... Not sure what your little ones are, except healthy, Good luck with em

Oh my goodness they are just so cute, thank you! you've given me hope that my new hen will bond with my male when quarantine is over...

comes Super Budgie!

where they plunged

a travelling circus

Way to go Pika, that's fabulous! Guelph is a nice little place, lot's of "aggies" (agricultural) students, and farm animals too, I guess!

Somebody'll surely call the police, the birds'll be partying so hard with all their awesome stuff! Thanks, Neat, the site looks amazing...

wow. As a speech pathologist, I'd be very interested to see any video you could capture. The whole issue of the creative use of language you raise is very interesting.

Thanks, Norm. This makes sense to me. Although <sob> the thought of Georgie as middle-aged or worse is hard to bear: I just lost my other, a 15-year-old, last month.

Thanks Elly and Melbourne: George is a he. I will check on both and followup. Are there any possible medical conditions this problem suggests? The rest of his feathers look healthy

Ahhh...I will have to check. I wasn't aware of this possibility. Would the shaft look pretty thick though? His look pretty thin, though again, this is new territory for me.

Sorry, melbournebudgie, I'm not too sure of my avian anatomy. I was trying to say that, in comparison to his other flight feathers, all but the tip is "bald" Elly, I am feeding him a seed diet called Forti-Diet from Kaytee, which contains a variety of seeds, grains, as well as calcium (I am reading from the package) This had started on one wing last year, and I thought it would regrow. He can still fly.

George is 5 years old and I have had him since he was 4 months old

I'm not sure if this is a medical or nutritional issue, hope you can help. Georgie, below, has some distorted flight feathers. They are present on both sides, and when I spread his wings, or observe them spread, the damaged feathers are located closer to the body than to the wing tip. There are 2 to 3 stripped feathers on each side. You can see them curling up on the left wing in the picture. The rest of the shaft is bare above this flared out tip. It's not behavioural/plucking. What do you think this is and what should I do?

My goodness, what a beautiful dog! What kind is it?

Great to hear, glad everything has settled down and he's become closer to you