Hi All, well I need some help if anyone can give it, I have 2 budgies already, but I was looking through the paper on the weekend and found an ad for 2 disabled babies, so I rang and well now I have them as they were just to adorable to not get, they are disabled because they don't have any flight feather's aparently they got a bacterial infection when they were really little and never grew there flight feather's. the lady said they may grow them after there first malt (<---can't spell) hehe anyway hence they can't fly. I am hoping to tame these 2 but any advice that could be given would be GREAT! firstly I don't know where to start. they let me put my hand in there cage but if I get even close they run. also these 2 are great friends they are always by each other's side, is it possible to tame them both at the same time?? I have looked at budgietalk.com but i don't know if that method would work as they can't fly. would really appreciate any tips anyone could give me. my 4yr old daughter has named them the girl is dora and the boy is boots, which I thought was kinda cute so it has stuck

Edited October 30, 200618 yr by juleslou

would you mind posting pictures of them please that would help see the feathers.

 

Also if they had a feather disorder or disease when they were young they could still have it - make sure you quarantine and I would think a well visit for your other budgies health would be good, to bird vet. Before you intro to your flock.

 

Congrats on taking them in so many people bypass the ones that everyone overlooks because they are not perfect - hats off!

I was thinking the same thing, you need to get these budgies tested for disease as soon as possible. Things like PBFD (VERY deadly, VERY contagious) and polyomavirus (contagious and can be deadly) can affect feather growth, especially in young budgies. Sometimes budgies can get over these diseases yet still carry them and pass them on to other birds. Be very careful and until you know for sure they're okay, practice very very strict quarantine procedures. Hand washing between handling the birds or anything they come in contact with, for instance. You can carry PBFD around on a shoe or your clothing...it's very tricky.

what method are you talking about that they need to fly to tame them?

Congratulations on your new little ones but please get them to an avian vet ASAP and make sure you are following STRICT quarantine procedures as terri has pointed out..

Hopefully all is okay but its just not worth the risk to the birds you already have.. Oh yeah photos would be great :hap:

thanks all for your prompt reply's, the lady that I got them of said that they got the infection due to mice in her avary, and that they had been checked by a vet but I will ring her again today to make sure, also I am quarantining them, these 2 are inside and the other 2 are outside. the taming method I was talking about lovey was the one where they are clipped and as the site says when they flutter to the ground pick them up, the problem I would have with that one is these two can't fly at all, they jump of there perch's, I'm pretty sure (haven't tried yet) that these 2 would just fall like rocks. is it okay to catch them? or does that upsett them to much? would love to know if its possible to tame the 2 at the same time.

 

I will take some pictures later and post them hopefully tonight

 

oh and they are 3 months old

At three months old, you can still tame them that way unless they get too terribly upset by it. I'd strongly suggest working with them separately though, at least for a while. It's very hard to tame two at once and if you can get one to bond with you a bit, that will make it so much easier to tame the other.

 

I'd suggest, since falling is dangerous for them, that you sit on the floor with them to work with them and make sure you have something soft covering the area of the floor around you in case they jump. Lifting them above eye level is a really important part of that type of taming, it's what teaches them to trust you and feel safe coming to you so having something soft (blankets and/or pillows) around you will help you accomplish this without risking them becoming injured.

okay here are the best picture's that I could take of them, hopefully you can see what I mean by there feather's. I rang the lady today she said that they were checked and treated by a vet along with a few other's, I'm sure she said they were diagnosed with the polyomavirus that you mentioned eterri but I can't really remember what she said (should have wrote it down) it was something like that. she said all the other's came good and grew there feather's these 2 didn't, she said they weren't contagious and has had them with other birds and everything was fine, but I am going to take them to the vet in a few days just to be sure. they are very cute. and again thanks heaps for all your reply's and advice its very much appreciated

 

 

the grey/white one on the left is dora and the blue on the right is boots

Jules, if they have polyomavirus they can very well be contagious. Birds that survive it can shed the virus and infect other birds. We have a member (pixie25) who has dealt with this firsthand but she isn't around much. You may want to look her name up and read some of her posts. I believe her budgie was named Casper?

 

Maybe there was a misunderstanding and they didn't say polyoma, but I have to admit that these birds definitely *look* like they have it and unless you can be certain, I would have them tested as soon as you can.

 

Polyomavirus can also make budgies susceptible to other illnesses so for now, I wouldn't try to handle them much as stress can lower their immune systems further. Is that their travel cage or what they're living in? If it's their regular cage, I'd suggest getting one quite a bit larger, adding plenty of perches and toys, etc. Make sure to keep everything as clean as possible. Bacteria can grow in water and food containers and make your budgies very sick.

Edited October 30, 200618 yr by eterri

There is also another possiblity too.

 

Pulpitis

This is an inflammation of the pulp of the growing feathers, especially the large ones of the wing and tail. Such diseased feathers may break off or be shed prematurely. Once shed the feather may not regrow. A significant proportion of the birds submitted with this disease had been sent in as "tail-less wonders". Pulpitis is believed to be a major cause of this condition. The cause of pulpitis is usually a bacterial infection,predominately Staphylococci or Streptococci although about 15% of cases are probably of viral origin. These germs are thought to live on the bird's skin but only cause problems when they invade the growing feathers. There is a strong correlation between this condition and markedly buff, suggesting there may be something inherent in buff feathers which makes them susceptible to this condition. There is also some evidence of vertical transmission.

 

While in theory, prolonged antibiotic treatment might cure the condition when a bacteria is the cause, this has not been tried. Repeated bathing of the birds in Virkon S seems to cure about 40% of cases. A few appear to recover spontaneously. At the present time there appears no way of predicting which birds will respond to treatment and which will not.

Since there were mice involved I checked out hantavirus but it can't be transmitted to/by birds. Do get your buddies checked out and treated and let us know what happens.

hi all thanks for your concern. it was driving me nuts and had me very concerned so I rang the lady back this morning.... she probably thinks I'm a loony hehe.... anyway lovey you were right they had pulpitis she took them to the vet and the vet gave her a wash for them and a few other's, she said she had a batch of babies on the floor of her avary and had a mouse invasion at the time so they all got it, she said a couple died, she had a few other's that had it was given the wash by the vets and they were all treated the other's grew back there feathers theses to didn't thats why she couldn't put them back in the baby avary because they can't get around coz they can't fly.

 

so I am a little less concerned now but just to be sure I am taking them to vet tomorrow

 

eterri that cage is the cage the lady gave me that they were living in, at her place, as she couldn't keep them in her avary as they couldn't get around, I just wanted to leave them in that one for a day to get used to the environment, but yesterday they were moved to a much better cage with lots of toys and they seem rather happy. chirping away and trying to talk to my other 2 that are outside.

 

more taming tips would be muchly appreciated for when they have been given a clean bill of health

Ah, gotcha. I did get your email and will respond to that to help more with the taming. Just been pretty busy!

thanks eterri much appreciated

 

budgies were given clean bill of health by the vet he said they looked fine and that they may grow there flight feather's back when they molt and they may not to hard to tell

 

thanks again everyone for concern and help

Edited November 1, 200618 yr by juleslou