I've just got back from the vet with Homer (6yr old budgie). He's got diarrhoea and is on the thin side but she's not sure what's wrong. She's given him baytril and I'm to go back next week.

 

However he seems to be having real problems with his balance which she says may be due to a kidney problem.

 

I'm really worried about him and at the moment he's just waddling around the bottom of his cage. I'm not sure if he's stressed over the journey to the vet and being given antibiotics or if it's a lot more serious - don't know what to do!!

First, did you take him to a bird vet or just a regular? It does make a difference - not saying that what your vet did right now is wrong. The Baytril is to fight any infections that he may have.

 

What color is his poo? If it is a bright green it could indicate kidney issues.

 

He is probably on the bottom of his cage if he is having balance issues because he wouldn't want to be on a perch and fall off. So you may want to lower the perches for him until he regains his sense of balance.

 

I don't know much about kidney issues in birds or throwing off their sense of balance. When I think of balance I think wings, ear issues, brain issues not kidney but I am not a vet.

 

Right now I would follow the advice of your vet, keep him warm, even the cage covered for the sense of feeling secure and that will help him settle.

 

Keep us updated, and I am sure others will be here with more good advice too.

great advice there. I would pop him into a small cage - reduce the amount of movement, cover the cage on at least 3 sides, make sure food and water is easy to get to, lower the perch, and make sure the cage bottom is comfortable for him to stand on if that's what he prefers, and keep him warm. You can stand the cage on a hotwater bottle, pop a lamp on close by (please supervise!) and please, if it wasn't an avian vet, get him to one - now. Birds are completely different to other animals, and need specialised care. A poop sample, at the least should be analysed, as symptoms of most illnesses are the same.

I'm sorry Homer is not feeling well. How stressful for you also. Did the vet take any blood for testing? If so, it's probably a "wait and see" until the results come back in. How was he acting at the vets? Was his behavior the same, or has this all started since he got home? He could be a little stressed, but to be sure why don't you call the vets and tell them what he is doing?

 

For now, why don't you just sit next to his cage and talk to him to try and calm him down? Is there a favorite treat he normally can't resist? Does he like to be held? Does he normally spend a lot of time outside the cage? If you can get his normal routine back, if he is stressed it will help him to calm down. Do you have to give him oral meds until next week?

Unfortunately she wasn't an avian vet, he only works on Tuesdays.

 

She didn't take a blood sample, she said because taking blood from an animal so small was difficult.

 

His poop is quite runny and lighter in colour.

 

The baytril is only for 2 days.

 

She also trimmed his beak because it was a bit long and I was worried maybe he couldn't eat because of it.

 

He is actually up on a perch at the moment and he is eating although he does look a bit wobbly. I think he was quite stressed from the journey in the car and also having a syringe of antibiotics stuck in his beak.

 

Hopefully the antibiotics will kick in and he can start fighting whatever it is. I don't really want to separate the 2 birds at the moment. As soon as I got back from the vet they started chirping to each other and when Homer was on the bottom of the cage the other bird kept going down there too, like he was checking on him.That may sound really stupid but that was honestly what it was like. At this moment in time they are both sitting on the trapeze together and there has been some grooming going on.

 

I suppose all I can do at the moment is keep an eye on him.

If I were you I'd call the avian vet on Tuesday.

 

Here are some thoughts, not meant to alarm you. If your bird is sick, chances are your second bird at this time has also contracted it. It might have been a good idea to have gotten medicine for two birds, depending upon what the other vet is treating. By putting your sick bird back in with your other one, risk of cross-infection is greater if it is a communicable illness.

 

2 days of antibiotics don't sound right to me, only because any time my birds have been on them, it was for at least 7 days, usually 10-14. Sometimes it takes 2 or 3 days before they feel any better. Hopefully you were given medicine to be given orally instead of in the water. In the water doesn't help as much as it is harder to control the dose. This is one I would ask about to the avian vet.

 

It is not too difficult to get a blood sample from a budgie. Because they are small, usually a toenail is clipped a little short into the quick instead of taking blood directly from them via needle. I've had it done before with one of mine. It smarts I'm sure, but sometimes it's necessary to do. If there were concerns about a possible kidney issue, a urine sample should have been taken also. With the diarrhea, it should be pretty easy to get. You can even get it from home and take it in - the vet can give you the necessary tools to do it. Just keep it refrigerated. This is also one to ask the avian vet.

 

Your other bird going to the bottom to check on the sick one is normal behavior in a bonded pair. They can bond even if they are same sex. They missed each other and that can be stressful.

 

How is Homer feeling today?

If I were you I'd call the avian vet on Tuesday.

 

Here are some thoughts, not meant to alarm you. If your bird is sick, chances are your second bird at this time has also contracted it. It might have been a good idea to have gotten medicine for two birds, depending upon what the other vet is treating. By putting your sick bird back in with your other one, risk of cross-infection is greater if it is a communicable illness.

 

2 days of antibiotics don't sound right to me, only because any time my birds have been on them, it was for at least 7 days, usually 10-14. Sometimes it takes 2 or 3 days before they feel any better. Hopefully you were given medicine to be given orally instead of in the water. In the water doesn't help as much as it is harder to control the dose. This is one I would ask about to the avian vet.

 

It is not too difficult to get a blood sample from a budgie. Because they are small, usually a toenail is clipped a little short into the quick instead of taking blood directly from them via needle. I've had it done before with one of mine. It smarts I'm sure, but sometimes it's necessary to do. If there were concerns about a possible kidney issue, a urine sample should have been taken also. With the diarrhea, it should be pretty easy to get. You can even get it from home and take it in - the vet can give you the necessary tools to do it. Just keep it refrigerated. This is also one to ask the avian vet.

 

Your other bird going to the bottom to check on the sick one is normal behavior in a bonded pair. They can bond even if they are same sex. They missed each other and that can be stressful.

 

How is Homer feeling today?

 

I came down this morning and quite honestly I was expecting the worst but he was sitting on the food bowl eating. He looks better but still a bit puffed up but he's getting around the cage and eating frequently.

 

I'm wondering if maybe he hasn't been able to eat as much because of his beak it's made him run down.

 

The antibiotics are oral and once I get todays dose in him he will've had 0.2mls.

sorry Hommer is sick, I agree with what everyone else as already stated. I hope you have already booked in an appointment to see the avain vet on Tuesday, if he only works once a week there he would get full very fast.