MariaL

Well lesson learned: don't take your bird to vets who aren't avian vets... She isn't old at all. The tests revealed a staph (?) infection. Antibiotics should clear it

Just had a read about bumblefoot and it seems its more common in birds that have inappropriate perches. My budgies have 100% natural eucalyptus branches that are regularly changed so I'm disappointed that she's developed this condition

Well i found out this guy isn't an avian vet after all, but he does regularly see birds. However he can not perform the tests that true avian vets can. He found a sore on her foot (bumblefoot) which he treated and i now have to give her antibiotics - which i am not thrilled about as handling really stresses her. He also found some small lumps in her chest area. Above all, he thinks she is quite old - at least 8 years old he said. I had no idea how old she is as I rescued her about a year ago. So it could all be due to old age, she may have some small tumors or it may be something else. I think I will be taking her to Rob Marshall on Friday, thats the only time i can go. Hopefully she will be okay until then.

I found a bird vet about an hour away. Going there tonight.. had not previously heard of this one. He is at Erina Heights Vet on the NSW Central Coast if anyone is familiar? It certainly seems like a voluntary sound as she turns it on and off. If it were a breathing thing you'd think it would be non stop. And it gets louder when I come near the cage. For some reason she is stressing when previously she didnt care if I was nearby. These aren't hand tame birds (obviously) but usually don't mind my presence - I certainly haven't done anything to scare her! I wonder what sort of tests he will have to do to find out the problem.

Hmm okay thanks for the suggestion, I will mention that. We are booked in for this evening, unfortunately it will be night time so i hope that doesnt stress her more. They have the iodine perches and she does nibble on it. Dont know if they do much though? Either way, seems to be getting more constant as she has been making the noise for much of today. Still eating and pooping fine.

okay I've managed to get the file online. Its not the best quality but it does get louder after the first 5 seconds. http://tinyurl.com/budgiesound

Nothing has changed at all. The other birds love her, they only ever preen and feed her. There has never been any issues of egg laying or any mating going on. Last night she was even louder and made the noise for about 20 minutes after all lights were out and cage was covered. It seems to get louder when I approach the cage or do something near the cage. My dilemma is that there are no avian vets within 1.5 hours from here. There are some local vets which have "experience" seeing wild birds but its a bit different when you're diagnosing a broken wing compared with trying to find out whats wrong with a budgie with no apparent symptoms. I dont even know if they could do fecal samples. I'll call them shortly. So what do you do.. risk going to a vet who might be able to do nothing or make things worse, or wait and see what happens.. She is making the noise now though she is moving about as normal. I've recorded the sound on my phone, now just need to work out how to convert it to mp3

Hmm no thats not it. Its fairly high pitched and there's no head bob or mouth movement. The only indication is a slight lift of the tail at each sound. All this whilst she's chewing branches and grooming the others. It sounds like a fuzzy chirp.. I've had her for about 1.5 years now and she's just started doing this 2 days ago so its very strange!

Wow really? I though soil was dangerous, i know it can pose a risk to humans but i guess birds can handle it. Do they actually eat the soil?? If i were to buy the soil what type do you recommend? most soil in my garden would have been potting mix at some point.

I have one hen and since 2 days ago she's been making an incessant sound non-stop. It's hard to describe as its not any of your usual budgie sounds. Its like a quiet squeaking type sound and its constant - like chirp-chirp-chirp-chirp in 1 second intervals. It is not a distressful type sound (though i know birds can display distress in strange ways), but certainly something different. I first noticed it the other night just as it was getting dark, she was doing it just before i covered the cage and a bit after i covered. It stopped soon after. Now she is doing it almost all day, but she is still behaving normal. She makes the sound when she is doing all her usual activities and she certainly looks and acts healthy. Has anyone ever experienced this? Sorry I can not explain the sound better!

I have 3 budgies in a good sized indoor cage. They love the seeding native grass that I pick outside for them, but I'd love to have some naturally growing in their cage for them to browse when they want. Are there any grasses that would grow in a semi-shallow container - I'm thinking those herb style containers. The cage gets sunlight all day so i guess the main issue would be soil. Has anyone done this or can point me in the right direction for information? Thanks

I buy millet spray but in the bag also comes a bone coloured bunch of grass seed type thing. not sure what species it is but they absolutely love it even more than the millet!