Hello,

 

Not sure what has happened to my budgie 'Batfink' today. She normally doesnt like to get wet - never takes a bath and doesnt like being misted.

 

Then this afternoon I noticd her head looked wet and ruffled and a few feathers on her chest looked a different colour - I assumed they were wet. I thought she had dunked her head in the large water container and finally given herself a bath (after 2 years!). Then later this afternoon (about 4 hours later) I noticed she still has the same wet ruffled look + the same feathers are still a different colour. My house is warm so she should have dried off i thought by now.

 

Any ideas?

 

She is an old hen we got as a stray 2 years+ ago.

 

If anone knows what this could be please let me know.

 

Thanks Laura+Batfink

Edited January 2, 200718 yr by Laura F

It sounds like she may be throwing up which is a cause for concern and certainly a need to make an appointment with the avian vet. I would if you can wash her off with lukewarm water and then observe to see how it happens again.

 

If you have a picture that would help too, we won't be able to give you a accurate diagnosis but can help you figure out more what is going on.

 

Happy New Year

I agree, this is definitely cause for concern and sounds like vomiting. Do you need any help locating an avian vet? I would get her there as soon as you can.

 

Just in case she's sick, it might be best to hold off on wiping her down with water right now. It takes a lot of energy for a sick bird to try and stay warm and that could put unnecessary stress on her. How is she acting otherwise? Quieter? Puffy? What is her diet like?

Thanks

 

I took her to the emergency vet just now...

 

She is painful around her vent although she is clean there and there is no egg stuck. She is not herself at all - sitting quietly and her mask is forward a bit and her rump and abdomen are slightly enlarged looking to me.

 

The vet gave her some painkiller orally. I have to keep her seperate with low perches and observe her for feeding/passing motions. I have put her in a nice ferplast cage.

 

The vet thinks she may have had a fall and be sore from that or it may be a small tumour (she said Battys an old bird). If no improvement she can have a blood test but that may kill her - im not sure i want to put her through it - what do you think? Money is not an issue.

 

Thanks for your advice - i will watch for the vomiting - that would explain the few wet feathers around her beak and on her chest.

 

I dont think it looks too good .

 

Thanks again, Laura x

ps i could take a photo but i think the flash may add to her stress.

Was this an avian vet? I'm really glad you took her either way.

 

This is just my opinion and what I would do, but I would try to find a good, experienced avian vet to see her next as soon as you can. It doesn't sound like this vet knew very much about birds. A good avian vet should be able to take a blood sample, even from a budgie, without too much stress to the birds.

 

If you go for a second opinion (and I really urge you to do so) ask in advance how many birds the vet sees daily. If it's not very many (at least four or five a day would be good) then you may want to try to find someone else.

 

It's so hard finding a good avian vet, I really wish you all the best.

Was the Vet you took her too Certified to treat Birds? Was it an Avian Vet?

hello there,

 

No it wasnt an avian vet but she is an out of hours emergency specialist. She is a friend and an excellent vet so I do trust her and the other vet on tonight also had a look at her. I asked for an x-ray through her box incase it was a tumour but they said it would be unlikely to be diagnostic.

 

I had a look at your link for avian vets just now but my area was not on either of the UK lists! (Tyne and Wear)

 

Will keep you posted on how we get on.

 

Thankyou so much for your advice and concerns,

 

Laura

 

PS Do you know how they take the blood sample?

Sometimes it's a bit of a drive to get to the nearest avian vet, unfortunately. But it's definitely worth it if you find one close enough to travel to. Regular vets usually mean well, but they just don't have the training that avian vets do.

 

Depending on the tests that are being run, a blood sample is taken by clipping a nail too short (causing it to bleed) or using a needle like you would for a larger animal. An experienced avian vet can do this without issues but I would only request it if the vet is confident taking blood from such small birds.

 

Is there a lump on the budgie's body? In that case, a biopsy could be performed to see if the mass is a fatty tumor, cancerous tumor, cyst, etc. An x-ray may not be diagnostic, as you were told, but a biopsy would be. However, an x-ray could show whether or not there is an egg trapped and considering that you worried about her vent being enlarged, I wouldn't rule that out just yet. Unfortunately, that's a huge problem and would need to be taken care of right away. The faster you get a diagnosis, the better your budgie's chances are for survival. A good avian vet will run the necessary tests to give you that diagnosis.

 

I'm hoping someone here will have a recommendation for you as far as vets go. I'll see what I can find as well.

PLEASE HELP - I THINK BATFINK IS GETTING WORSE

 

She is a bit livelier but here abdomen looks bigger and she has just passed what looks like cloudy white mucus and her vent looks a little wet.

 

She hasnt eaten since i got home from the vet but she just ate a little millet from my hand. She has taken a drink.

 

She is in a seperate cage but my husband has pushed her cage next to her normal indoor aviary cage so her and our other budgie can see each other. I am concerned now that she may have something contageous. (They live together normally and did so until this evening)

 

Could it be the painkiller be causing this? It was buprenorphine.

Should I put anything in her water like a little sugar to keep her going or will that make her worse?

 

Sorry for so many questions but I am so anxious and I dont want her to suffer.

 

Love Laura

I hate saying this, but she needs a vet badly. I know it's late in england, but first thing in the morning if you can call around and ask for someone to refer you to an avian vet that would be the very best move. And get here there as soon as you find one!

 

For now, keep her warm. Is she looking fluffed up? She could be cold. A lamp over one side of the cage or a heating pad under the cage set on low with a towel on top of it could help. A little sugar in the water won't hurt, and that is definitely worth a shot.

 

I hope she starts getting better soon.

oh gosh you have received excellent advice she is in my thoughts, please keep us updated.

 

Terri good advice on not wiping her down I didn't even think about that if she was sick it could make it worse.

I hope Batfink pulls through. You are both in our thought.

Oh wow...! I really hope she'll pull through the night so you can get her to the vet.

 

Blood is collected as Terri said through a nail clip, or if they need a larger amount, through a vein in their wing. Perhaps the vet thought it would kill her because birds have such a small volume of blood, but as Terri said, a good vet will know how much can be taken safely.

 

In order for an x-ray to be diagnostic, it needs to be clear with good contrast of the structures. If an animal is moving while the picture is taken, of course, that messes it up. When we had our 15 year old budgie to the vet a month ago, he had thought about taking an x-ray, but in order to get a good quality one, they usually need to sedate a bird and he didn't want to do that to her because she was so old. Maybe that's what your vet had in mind, but didn't tell you the whole process she took to come to that conclusion.

 

I wish I had something more to help you out with. I think giving her something that will give her quick easy energy would be good and keeping her warm is important. Good luck!!

Hi thanks for all your kind thoughts about my old Batfink bird!

 

She is still with us this morning. She hasnt eaten much overnight but has passed some normal looking feaces. I gave her a slice of apple this morning and she has eaten a fair bit of that. She sometimes looks a little brighter but then I ll look again and she looks a bit mishapen.

 

Ive called round vets this morning and havent found a avian specialist but have found vets who will see her who treat a lot of budgies.

 

Not sure whether to get an appointment straight away as I dont want to take her out in the cold but I probably will at sometime today.

 

Laura x

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are some photos of batfink in the seperate cage, taken just now.

 

Laura

I would get an appointment right away. If you are using this cage to travel in take out the perches, lay a towel on the bottom where she can sit and cover up her cage so the lights and everything around her don't scare her. Keep us updated.

I hope your budgie gets better. I don't know what part of the uk you live in, but look on these websites, you might find an avian vet near you

 

http://www.birdcareco.com/English/Avian_vets/avian_vets.html

http://www.parrot-link.co.uk/vets.htm

 

 

Good luck :angel1:

Edited January 2, 200718 yr by Zebra

UPDATE.....

 

Hi my husband took Batfink to see the vet this afternoon. She passed watery feaces while she was there and the vet said she may have an infection and has given us some antibiotic liquid call Baytril. We are to give her 0.05ml twice a day.

 

She is eating millet and drinking water (spiked with a pinch of caster sugar) and she seems very bright in herself.

 

A nurse at the vets said cold tea to drink could help and I also read this on a budgie diarrheoa link from these forums. What do you think - I may start a new thread as I am not sure whether I want to give her caffiene.

 

Love Laura+Batfink