Hey all!

 

I'm looking for some advice for my new young budgie. His name is Maslow (I was told it was a 'HE')

 

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b330/mskandy3/Massie.jpg

 

I picked him up yesterday and the owner said he is 5-6 weeks old. He was sitting on the floor of the cage very quiet and just stared at me when i walked up to the cage and seemed to stay away from the other birds. His mother had pulled all the feathers out of his head and he was the rattiest bird in the cage and i felt for this little brid so much, i took him.

 

I just want to know if he sounds healthy to anyone as he is very quiet. He has no problem being handled or stroked and I had to teach him to sit on the perch for the first time. He's already learning to sit on my finger when i place it in front of him. He's just learnt how to fly but his landing is off and he runs into things. He only chirps once when he seems to get confused, ie misses his landing, otherwise he doesn't make a sound. He started eating seeds today but yesterday he only ate soggy bread and grass.

He is sitting on my shoulder now with his head tucked under his wing. Is it normal for him to be so placid and quiet? Or do you think he may be cold or sick?

 

Appreciate any feedback

Thanks

Edited November 21, 200717 yr by Elly
Picture was changed to a link because it is over the board regulations of 450x450, you can resize and repost or leave as link, thank you for understanding...

New and baby budgies can be quiet. So can sick ones. The best indicator of the health of your budgie is to check his bottom. A poopy bottom means he is sick or not eating well. Also feel his keel bone ( chest bone ).....if it feels bony and thin, then the budgie is losing weight regardless of its age. Feel his crop ( under his lower beak ) and see if it feels like there is food in there.....an indication of eating properly.

Budgies are well known for "pretending" to eat, so you need to be sure he actually is eating.

Some very young baby budgies also get "depressed" and dont eat well.

Sometimes the little budgie at the bottom of a for sale cage...the one sitting looking pathetic and scared....is often NOT the best budgie to choose and take home.

He doesnt look good in that photo

 

Cheers Kaz

Edited November 21, 200717 yr by KAZ

Hmmmm......

 

When i got him, he had watery poo with whole seeds in then. Then i gave him some clean grass and he ate that. Then he started eating soggy bread. He's definately eating beacuse yesterday I got worried that he was over eating because he wouldn't stop. Then his poop became more solid

 

This morning he wasn't eating again then would only eat the seeds and his poo is runny again. He's eaten some more bread this afternoon and now had been eating seeds for the past 15 mins. Do you think he maybe was just a bit starved when i got him and just needs to get a few good feeds?

 

Also he always puffs his feathers up

I'm not sure if his chest is too bony or not as i haven't had a budgie for years

 

Do you have any advice to help him if he is sick or depressed? I'd be sad too if my mum pulled my hair out

 

Thanks again

He doesnt look like a healthy budgie and I would be worried. Does he feel light to you and does his keelbone protrude ? Could he be pretending to eat ? Looks like they eat but they just chew and let the food fall from their beak. When I speak of depression in a young budgie I dont mean he is sad as he was plucked, but depression as it ...no vitality and spark...no excitement to be alive. Depression as in looking frumpy and sick. Your choice of course, but if you cannot take him to a vet, put him in a warm cage ( cage with a lamp ) like a brooder for chickens and watch him very closely.I hope he was a free budgie. Let us know how he gets on.........also sitting fluffed up isnt normal for a budgie...its a sure sign of a sick budgie.

He doesnt look like a healthy budgie and I would be worried. Does he feel light to you and does his keelbone protrude ? Could he be pretending to eat ? Looks like they eat but they just chew and let the food fall from their beak. When I speak of depression in a young budgie I dont mean he is sad as he was plucked, but depression as it ...no vitality and spark...no excitement to be alive. Depression as in looking frumpy and sick. Your choice of course, but if you cannot take him to a vet, put him in a warm cage ( cage with a lamp ) like a brooder for chickens and watch him very closely.I hope he was a free budgie. Let us know how he gets on.........also sitting fluffed up isnt normal for a budgie...its a sure sign of a sick budgie.

 

I'm pretty sure he's eating. There's definately less bread than when i put it in there and he's still eating from the seed bowl since my last post. He seems to eat a lot in fact and hunts around for food. I'll keep him warm and keep an eye on him. I'm hoping he's just a bit malnourished and will be okay soon

 

Thank again

Keep a close eye on the little man, and don't hesitate to ask for any help.

We have some great info to browse through in our FAQ section

 

http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/faqs/

 

A few of our members put them together with all of our best information.

 

Cheers Kaz

I hope your new friend will be better soon :angel1:

Good luck with your new friend. Like Kaz has told you, I’m sorry to say that your method of choice was just the opposite of what you should choose & you’re not the only one that has picked the sadess & quietest bird in the cage. But sadly that kind action can be filled with bad results. You should always look for the most active & healthy type bird, even then you can end up with problems. Seeing that your bird had been plucked, it may just be in shock & with a bit of kindness & time it may become healthy. If you want to feed it wet bread I would choose wholemeal & only provide a small amount, as things like that can go bad quickly & make your bird sick.

Nice looking bird apart from the messy head

 

All the best my thoughts are with you and your bird no bird deserves to die

 

sadly it's not always the case

 

Goodluck :mellow:

I agree with Kaz whole heartly and I feel he should go to an avian vet now for a check-up he really doesn't look healthy and he seems very young to be away from his parents. Please keep him quarantined at least for 30 days and maybe longer until he is completely healthy. You have a big heart...I tend to do the same thing.

Hey everyone,

 

Thanks for the heartflet wishes! I know i may have invested in a little heart ache but after seeing him, I could never have left him there. Last night i kept him warm and he seems a little better this morning. A bit less puffy. He's eating seeds a lot and his poo is getting more solid. I got him out and his energy levels are a bit higher and he's starting to chirp a bit more. He had a drink when i gave it to him aswell. He still likes to sleep a lot but i'm hoping each day there's a little more improvement. Also he prunes himself a bit.

 

What's the best way to clean his bottom. It's a bit dirty and if he's unwell, it's best he doesn't do it himself i assume.

 

Thanks all

Hey everyone,

 

Thanks for the heartflet wishes! I know i may have invested in a little heart ache but after seeing him, I could never have left him there. Last night i kept him warm and he seems a little better this morning. A bit less puffy. He's eating seeds a lot and his poo is getting more solid. I got him out and his energy levels are a bit higher and he's starting to chirp a bit more. He had a drink when i gave it to him aswell. He still likes to sleep a lot but i'm hoping each day there's a little more improvement. Also he prunes himself a bit.

 

What's the best way to clean his bottom. It's a bit dirty and if he's unwell, it's best he doesn't do it himself i assume.

 

Thanks all

You can clean his bottom with some warm water on a cloth...better than bathing him fully right now in case he's not up to it. Before you clean him, do the sniff test to his bottom ....if there is a smell....he may have a bacterial infection or an ecoli infection. If no smell, he's okay.

Keep us updated on his progress.

Cheers Kaz

Thanks Kaz,

 

I checked him and his bottom is actually clean now and he has cleaned most of the feathers around it. He's doing lots of pruning and there's no smell at all. His poo is solid with the little white bit so it's looking healthy. Thanks for the advice. I think keeping him warm has done the trick. He also drinks from his water bowl in the cage.

 

Cheers Kandy

l hope for all the best for your budgie. he is lucky to have you

Sounds good. You extra care seems to have done the trick.

That's good he is better, he is really lucky you took him home :angel1:

Thanks everyone for your kind support and wishes!

 

He seems to be getting progressively happier and more active!

 

This forum has really been a great help!

Good news that he is thriving with your care. Take a look at our FAQ section re diet. You may want to try him with some soft food ( egg food ) and other things. Not so much of the bread and grass. More photos when you think he is ready. His feathers will grow back fairly quickly

Thanks

 

I got him some egg mix today but he doesn't seem interested but loves his seed. Haven't fed him anymore bread today and I bought some vitamins that i put it his water and he's been drinking that also. Plus he's been sitting on his highest perch by himself and climbed up there himself. I'm still keeping him warm until he seems completely better. Thanks for the heat tip. I dont think he would have made it otherwise.

 

I hope his head feathers grow back. There is no sign of new growth yet but he's gorgeous regardless

 

Kandy & Maslow:)

Eggfood is boiled mashed up egg with other things in it like a little grated carrot, some finesliced spinach, silver beet etc, sprinkle some seed through it and you will find he will eat it. You probably bought the egg and biscuit mix, which is fine, but can be made from sweet milk arrowroot biscuits discarded from biscuit factories and has a little too much sugar added....I think his feathers will grow. I have had plucked babies myself and their head feathers grow back quickly.

I have a young tiel who was plucked by his mum. She plucked his head only and he looked like a vulture - no head feathers at all. But after I separated him, his head feathers grew back and he is a handsome boy now :hap:

l'm so glad to hear that he is doing much better, that is great :hap:

Hi guys!

 

These are new pics of Maslow. He still gets a poopy bum when sleeps but he's even more lively today and there's no smell at all. Do you think he looks much better?

 

 

Edited November 22, 200717 yr by mskandy

He is looking a little better. He looks more alert. :hap:

Definitely lots of improvement…good luck keep up the good work.