Hi guys,

 

I am really looking for some help.

 

It all started with my 1st Budgie Georgie. We lived in a flat and he was totally free range 24/7. He got this thing were he was all fluffed up stopped talking and whistling. Then he started shaking his head and doing the movement when they regurgitate their seed but clear mucus was coming out. He got better after passing very liquid faeces.

 

We moved house and around 1.5 years later he go tthe same thing. The vet gave me baytril and put it in his water each day but within 2 days my little birdie had gone I adored him it totally broke my heart we had such a good bond.

 

So 1 weeks later after disinfecting the cage which was fairly new I got my 2nd bird as couldn't bear to be without Georgie. My 2nd bird is called Dickie. I kept away all my Georgie's toys and brought new ones for Dickie.

 

2 weeks later he gets exactly the same thing, I explained to my vet what had happened to Georgie (which obviously they had on their records) and I said I wanted a different treatment as there was no way I could let this baby budgie die! They decided to inject him with Baytril. They did this eveyday for 5 days and he totally recovered.

 

We have now moved house again 3 months ago. I left Dickie yesterday morning to go to work he was fine flying around and talking etc. Got back from work yesterday all the symptoms are coming again so I took him straight to the vets last night and requested the Baytril injection which they did and I need to take him back again each day.

 

The thing is they cant tell me what is causing it or what the illness is as they are not bird specialists and they said budgie'e are easier to diagnose when they are in a flock.

 

I am optimistic he will survive this. It makes him go veyr light in wieght. The vet recommended I give him a pro-biotic in his seed each day for the rest of his life.

 

Does anybody know what this is?

 

Could it be the fact I have my rabbitt living in the house with him as well? I dont spray air freshners etc

 

Any help or advise from you guys would be so so much appreciated like you wouldn't believe.

 

Many Many Thanks

Carys xx

It's so hard to say but we can do a little detective work and possibly narrow it down.

 

First and foremost, do you use nonstick cookware at all? Scented candles? Do you smoke in the house? Are there *any* parts of the cage where the paint has chipped off to expose the metal underneathe? Are the metal parts of his toys stainless steel?

 

When you say the birds have had free range, are they supervised during all of this? Do you have any houseplants at all?

It's so hard to say but we can do a little detective work and possibly narrow it down.

 

First and foremost, do you use nonstick cookware at all? Scented candles? Do you smoke in the house? Are there *any* parts of the cage where the paint has chipped off to expose the metal underneathe? Are the metal parts of his toys stainless steel?

 

When you say the birds have had free range, are they supervised during all of this? Do you have any houseplants at all?

 

OMG thanks for your reply! Right I do use a non stick frying pan very rarely but he isnt near the kitchen, scented candles - no, neither of us smoke, there are no chips on his cage, as for the metal parts of his toys being stainless steel i dont know? i probably sound really stupid now but I really dont know?

I am thinking also since he has free range paint, carpeting fibers, the type of cleaners you are using in your home. I personally would not have a bird have free reign unsupervised but that is me. You may want to think about restriction to 1 room or a big cage?

he is only in the lounge, there is nothing for him to chew at all you see as there is nowhere for him to land, we dont have any plants and he isn;t a pecky bird like my others in the past

aw thats a shame. did the vet do any tests? was it a general vet you took him to or an avian vet?

I would say it is something he is chewing or touching regularly. Could be anything, especially as, even the best supervised budgie, gets up to mischief we don't see! (Yep, just found some budgie naughtiness!) With your first budgie, he was obviously sick for a long time, and that is possibly why the treatment didn't work. Budgies hide their illnesses very well, by the time they show symptoms they are very ill. You need some thorough testing done. Birds are very different physically from other pets, and a general vet does not have the necesary knowledge or experience to treat them. If your not seeing an avian vet, please find one. And firmly request tests if it is not suggested to you. Please let us know what happens

aww guys thanks for your replies yes it is a general vet. the most local avian vet i think is 1 hours drive from me and the stress of that journey would probably kill him whereas i'm sure he will recover as he did last time :ausb:

 

how do i find an avian vet? is it a case of ringing all vets to see whether they have one there? sorry if i sound stupid

 

p.s he has just been for his 2nd injection

Edited August 2, 200619 yr by Birdiebun

http://www.aav.org/vet-lookup/ you can search for someone near you through that site. I totally understand, the nearest avian vet is 70 miles from me...

whearabouts in the uk are u?

Hi ya,

 

I tried searching on that Avain link but it says there aren't even any avian vets in the United Kingdom! :ausb:

 

I am in Kingswinford in the West Midlands

okay check out these links:

 

avian vet

 

avian vets

If you really don't think it's something he could be chewing, I would be suspicious or some sort of fume. Nonstick cookware could very well be the culprit if your place isn't very big though I would probably be looking at what you use to clean even more than that. Pretty much anything in an aerosol can is going to be dangerous and hardly any commercial cleaner is safe for use around birds. Paint could be a problem or some other source of metal that may cause poisoning.

 

On a typical day, where does he spend most of his time? Where's his favorite spot to hang out and what's in/around it?

 

Also, be wary of foods he may be eating. I'm going to assume he doesn't have access to things like chocolate, alcohol, avocado, etc.?

 

Does he spend much time perched on you? If so, do you wear lotion or any sort of body spray? The symptoms you described really sound like a respiratory issue which is why I'm very curious about what fumes might be looming about.

 

One other major concern is that it's actually some sort of illness/disease that your other budgie had and somehow passed along to this one. If he had free range, there's probably no way you could have 100% effectively disinfected your home before bringing this budgie home. If the vets haven't run tests to check for common diseases, I'd be very suspicious about this too.

 

My vet is an hour away as well so I can sympathize with how difficult this makes things. You'll probably be unlucky in finding someone closer but it definitely doesn't hurt to try. Call up local vets and ask for a referral.

you really have to look at all the commen factors and the one I keep coming up is that even though you move into a different home it still happens. So it has to be something you are using over and over in your home, something you display etc... I would really think about keeping him caged while not supervised until you can find out the problem.

okay check out these links:

 

avian vet

 

avian vets

 

Hi ya, thanks again for that. The 2nd search engine actually brings my vets up which is strange.

 

There is one about half an hour from me, using the 1st search engine.

 

He is talking this morning very lively happy and headbutting his mirror, I really do think the injections work for him.

 

Eterri thanks so much for all of your input.

 

Right here we go haha, he doesnt have access to any food or drink you are correct as he is in the lounge.

 

He wasn't free range in our last house which was whee my previous bird lived as he was very nervous so we wanted to tame him first so he wasn't allowed out to fly there.

 

He is never in the kitchen and our house isn't small if I do use the frying pan the door to the kitchen is always closed and the window open, but as I say I probably use the frying pan roughly once a month which is very rare.

 

okay this is going to sound like I am a dirty herb but I aint honest, I dont use polish spray and certainly not air freshner, the only thing I do in the lounge is dust (no polish) and hoover. The ONLY thing I do do is use washing up liquid to clean our glas table which I havent se him walk on before?

 

His favourite places to hang out are, on top of the lights which are just brass with plastic clear bulb covers, and on the floor around my bunny's cage, he does chew her hay which is not treated in any way - could this be the problem?

 

Again thanks guys as I say he is a lot better today it will be his 3rd injection tonight. I was so disappointed last night at my vets as I saw one I hadn't see n before. She couldnt grab him at first when she did, she let him go and he was flying round the room! I was fuming! So I grabbed his for her and I didn't like the angle that she injected him it wasn't right. I requested never ot see her again with my bird. She can practice on any animal but not my bird! :ausb: When we got backfrom the vets he wasn't good must have use dhis energy to fly poor soul! He started to be sick then for around 1 hour on and off, but this morning his feathers are clean he is talking and is on the road to recovery.

 

I am so grateful for all of your input you all sound real clued up :rip:

The hay could be a problem for the digestive tract. I have heard not to give it to them because it can become impacted in their systems. Now I had a bunny and I am not sure about yours but if he is walking around the cage etc..is there possible way he could be pecking at bunny feces? With them being little round balls they can come out of the cage, gross as it is just a thought.

The hay could be a problem for the digestive tract. I have heard not to give it to them because it can become impacted in their systems. Now I had a bunny and I am not sure about yours but if he is walking around the cage etc..is there possible way he could be pecking at bunny feces? With them being little round balls they can come out of the cage, gross as it is just a thought.

 

Thanks again Lovey

 

Right he doesnt acually eat the hay just twizzles it round and drops it, thing is he didn't do this the 1st time he got ill as he wasn't allowed to come out of his cage at our last house.

 

He could well be eating her poo omg how gross sorry! I havent seen him do this, but again he couldn't have done tihs at our old house.

 

He went for his 3rd injection last night she said if he gets no better there is a more clued up on birds vet which is only 10 mins fromme, not an avian vet but they see a lot of birds apparently.

 

He is a lot beter though talking again and the quiet spells are becoming further apart.

 

I took all of the non stainless steel toys out and have brought him a wooden swing as opposed to his metal one (which I must say the colour of the metal wasn't good) this was the only thing and the cage which my 2 birds had the same, could the swing be to blame?????? Anyway it has gone and he has lots of new plastic toys