I have recently posted about my budgie babies dying. They stopped and then this morning a perfectly healthy baby yesterday was now dead. I Cant get into the vet i would like until saturday. I have been told that it sounds like canker.I would like another opinion as i have read about it and they do not seem to have the symptoms?So please feel free to share what you think. I have lost babies ranging from 5 days to two weeks old they are fine one minute and dead the next. None of the parents seem ill although today i noticed one of the parents who is feeding had a small amount of yellow under her beak i am undecided wether it is from her feeding or a symptom of canker? Is there any signs that i should watch for in the babies?

If you had canker the symptoms would be vomiting so its very easy to spot. As you havent mentioned the vomiting I am guessing you dont have canker. Another hidden cause of loss of chicks of that age is polyoma virus and french moult. It just knocks off some in the early stages. Check your nestboxes for mite infestations just in case it could be that and they hide under any concave inserts.

Considering you are having a few losses it might pay to refrigerate the next dead chick and get it tested by an avian vet.

My Beautiful beautiful research mate neat may have just figured out whats going on. Thank god that it is not canker we think it is just a bacterial infection so i am giving them some antibiotics and see how they go. I will still take them to the vet just to double check but fingers crossed i dont lose any more bubies....

Edited September 25, 200816 yr by missylu

Here is a great link on Canker ---> HERE

i had a bird die of canker earlier this year. It is something that I did not know of, and my vet was quite surprised about, and it was not until the autopsy was it confirmed.

 

there is treatment available, but take a young one to the vet and ensure that it really is canker.

I Do and I don't have my doubts that is is canker

The only things that are throwing me off it is - there is NO VOMITING OR GREEN VENTS

 

Babies are dieing with either food in their crops ( or this could be the lesions) or empty crops

Missylu had a suprised visit today ( hadn't seen her in 5 weeks ) She showed me what was happening

and the baby that died this morning - I looked in its throat and there were traces of a black substance - in there

 

There were no signs of Blood on the toes or nails so that call almost rule out Polyomavirus.

 

 

We talked for a while As i dragged Missy away from her family this afternoon so I could talk to a few breeders and sorce advices of difference supplements ...

 

We went to a few vets that were all booked out and even with us begging for an appointment they still wouldn't see us .....

 

Missy will be seeing An avian specialist on the weekend lets hope we can find out what it is . ( I will be there with a note pad and pen :D )...

 

I am thinking that it is a bacterial thing not viral ( as only 2 - 3 of the nest that have deaths )

From the site i just gave before....

Babies may die in the nest at any age and show very little in the way of symptoms.

Edited September 25, 200816 yr by **Liv**

I know Liv, My first thought was FM, canker - Mega - And the parents being carriers as there are no visual signs!

But deaths in the nest can come from a few things, Bacteria - Viral - feeding issues etc

 

There are too many thing to rule out and not to rule out - So we went to see a long time breeder and Misslyu was

advised try the anti biotic until she can get in to see the vet - and get them tested

Edited September 25, 200816 yr by Neat

Who advised the antibiotic and what kind is it? Because with out a consult you don't know if the antibiotic you are giving the babies is effective against that type of bacteria. It may even select for resistance and cause super infections. Is it broad or narrow spectrum?

You may not even have a bacterial infection which will create resistance even faster. If you are not giving the right dose at the right frequency you may (and most probably will) be selecting for resistance. At least if a vet can see them, they can give a fair judgement as to what bacteria it could be, give you the right antibiotics for it or broad spectrum ones while they wait for a culture to grow and then maybe perform an antibiotic sensitivity culture.

 

Its epidemiology sounds like polyomavirus

 

It is best to separate all your infected clutches from your other birds.

 

It may even be something like SCIDs (I think that is it) like cot death in human babies. I forget how it works.

 

The no vomiting thing. You can't always tell if an animal has vomited. Diseases don't read the text book remember, they don't always show all the signs. They do what they want.

Yeah it is a broad spectrum -

 

The vets is on saturday - It will at least were told that supress what it is till the vet gets it a crop test feaces test and etc to work out what is happening .. Missy if another on dies between now and then put it in a bag in the freezer then take to the vets ...

 

They are in a breeding room and are egg/ chick & babies ( 2 if i remember correctly) are affected!

I am doing whatever i can to save the birds i cannot get in to see ANY vet until saturday so until then i will do what i have been told and hope for the best.

 

With canker they say that they cant eat and i have visibly seen her eating with no problems and i have had a budgie vomit before and i know the signs-she has none

Edited September 25, 200816 yr by missylu

Dont freeze the bird ( any dead bird ) for the vet...its the wrong thing to do.

As quickly as possible, the bird should be sprinkled with cool water and placed inside a plastic bag which must then be placed inside the refrigerator (We have been known to triple plastic bag). You may find it easier to place it inside a brown paper bag. It must be placed in the refrigerator, and NOT THE FREEZER, as freezing ruins the tissue for certain tests.

Edited September 25, 200816 yr by KAZ

Just another thought too, we had a vet do a great talk at our budgie club tonight and he said that many of his clients live a long way away and he has had everything from budgie poo to dead budgie mailed to him (with a cool pack obviously) so it's something to consider for the future if you can't see a vet in a hurry, express post will have the sample at the vet the next day

oh opps sorry, i thought i read here to freeze it .....must have confused it with the fridge

Budgies appear to be doing better today al babies are still going strong and have no signs of illness. Yellowing around parents mouth has now disappeared so i am now back to square one and waiting for this appointment hopefully they can tell me what it is straight away.