Jaxon

Sadly, my budgie expired today, an hour before his avian vet appointment. I've learned my lesson the hard way about getting these intelligent but fragile creatures to a proper vet at the first sign of listless behavior. Perhaps a regimen of antibiotics started 3 weeks ago might have provided a different outcome. An amateur autopsy showed the bird was rail thin despite its appearance at the feeder virtually up to the moment of its demise. No other external signs of mites or feather loss. Members at this site were very thoughtful with their responses.

Terrific and helpful responses. We're off to the avian vet today for a diagnosis for the full analysis.

My budgie is showing the typical signs of illness that are posted all over this forum: A 5-yo male, formerly chirpy, happy, and playful has done a death spiral in the last 3 weeks: listless, puffy, flopping about on his cage floor as if having lost all sense of equilibrium, shaking, unable to balance on his perches for any length of time, constantly at his food trough, yet pooping regularly without any unusual discharge. Short of the simple answer of taking him to an avian vet, what is the standard treatment for a bird exhibiting these typical illness symptoms? Are antibiotics required? What can a vet tell me that already isn't known in the greater budgie-owner population with what appears to be these routine illness features?