This weekend Nibbles has been sleeping a lot during the day. When I say a lot I mean falling asleep for 5 minutes waking up, having a preen and then falling back to sleep again. I've only noticed it this weekend. Normally he'll have 1 or two naps during the weekend, but this is just really abnormal for him. He's been asleep for most of today, every time I look at him, he's asleep

 

When we get him out he seems fine, but as soon as you put him back (give him a mintue or so) he's back to sleep again! We have been home all weekend, but we've been home for the whole weekend on other occassions and he hasn't been like this. He is also moulting at the moment, but it's not very severe, just about 20 pin heads dispersed around his body. He gets about 10 hours of sleep a night. No other symptoms, he just seems to be really tired.

 

Do you think he is sick and should be taken to the vet? Or is this something to not worry about?

 

Thanks,

 

Hannah

For me, any symptoms out of the normal, I'd probably take him to the vet. But I am over cautious.

My mum is going to take him to an avian vet tomorrow, I hope nothing is wrong :thumbs_up:

My mum is going to take him to an avian vet tomorrow, I hope nothing is wrong :thumbs_up:

 

Good idea if it will ease your mind. I'm sure he will be fine. Please keep us updated. I'll be thinking of him

Hope all is okay.

l'm hoping he is okay.

Well, news isn't great. He's sick, but should hopefully after 3 weeks make a full recovery. Will post more later, things are just a bit hectic at the moment.

This past weekend we noticed that Nibbles had been sleeping for most of the day time. This was very unusual for him, so we decided to take him to the vet.

 

My mum took him to a avian vet without me; I had to go to school. Thank god, because I doubt I would of been able to keep myself together! The vet was really nice, apparently. He tested his poop but all seemed normal- apart from the colour, apparently his poop was suppose to be black instead of the darkish green he's had for ever since I can remember

 

Anyway, he then took a crop sample and found that nibbles has a infection, he said it maybe be e coli or some other two infections starting with S? We'll be getting the results back for what infection it is hopefully tomorrow afternoon. He then preceded to do and x-ray, which found that he had 5-8 little pieces of metal in his crop He has heavy metal poisoning Luckily, we've caught it in time before things got worse The vet also gave him a crop wash, crop fed him and gave him an injection.

 

He's having to take 8 different supplements, as well as going back for two more injections in the next 3 days. Poor little guy. To add to this, his whole lifestyle has to change. He is no longer allowed and metal toys to play with ( ), not allowed to go onto the ground to play and is not allowed to do his 'but rub' as we call it, with his toys anymore. This will prbably decrese his happiness in his life. Before he could do almost anything he wanted and was such a happy little camper!

 

On top of all that, he has a bruised beak, something wrong on the skin of his foot- but that will heal by itself apparently, and has very low energy.

 

When I came home he seemed very quite and was sleeping a lot. Running poos because of the injection and looking very depressed. However, now he's singing away in the other room.

 

He's cage is looking very bare, only 2 toys. We had to take his favourite bell off his swing- which he seems sad about. He keeps going to ding it, but it's not there

 

The nurse said that I'm allowed to come in and she'll give me some ideas for toys etc. The vet said that Nibbles was a very brave little boy, I agree too I feel so bad, letting him get all these things wrong with him, but hopefully in 3 weeks he'll recover, but we have to keep him on a strict lifestyle to prevent a relapse.

 

All up- $730. That's only for today, injections etc will be more, so it'll probably come up to $1000, but I reckon it's worth it Ask my mum, and she might say different

 

I'll keep you all updated on his recovery,

 

Hannah

make sure you put a lamp next to him for the heat, that will help his recovery.

Edited February 22, 201015 yr by Houman

Hannah thanks for letting us know about all this in detial. Its very helpful to members to hear about these things.

Real sorry to hear how sick he was and is.

Also best hopes for full recovery.

I am so glad he was so valuable to you and your family to see him get the right treatments necessary to be a healthy "family member".

Keep us updated

 

 

Nibbles is now a gold plated budgie

Edited February 22, 201015 yr by KAZ

Poor thing. I hope he feels better soon. Please keep us updated.

bravo i am very exceptionally happy to hear your mother was willing to take on the responsibility of nibbles

it is people like your mother and yourself that these little feathered friends need in their lifes

they are so delicate and as can not tell us whats wrong its up to us to be awear of their change in personality

this not only helps in one bird situations but also in large flocks

its not hard to learn to know every bird you have and read its little personal trates

hope he recovers fully fast your a star :star: you and your mum

Hope he makes a full recovery...poor little guy

Thanks everyone I really appreciate it.

 

He went back today for a second injection, everything went well. Though, he is barely touching his food, and has only eaten about a dessert spoonful in the past 24 hours and is still very tired. Mum's on the phone to the vet now, so we'll see what we can do. I really hope he recovers :budgiedance:

 

Update: We just got the result back for what infection he has. He has staf locosis?? Not sure how to spell it, sorry :bliss: We also got him to eat some bread, he seemed very hungry so we are going to have to mix some of his normal seeds into his new seed and supplements in hopes that he'll eat it.

Edited February 23, 201015 yr by Hannah

Thanks everyone I really appreciate it.

 

He went back today for a second injection, everything went well. Though, he is barely touching his food, and has only eaten about a dessert spoonful in the past 24 hours and is still very tired. Mum's on the phone to the vet now, so we'll see what we can do. I really hope he recovers

 

Update: We just got the result back for what infection he has. He has staf locosis?? Not sure how to spell it, sorry We also got him to eat some bread, he seemed very hungry so we are going to have to mix some of his normal seeds into his new seed and supplements in hopes that he'll eat it.

 

Did you say "new seed & supplements"? Does that mean you had changed his diet? If so was that before or after he got sick?

That was after. The vet gave us this sterile seeds and this oily stuff that goes in to grease his bowel and help the metal pass out quickly, as well as these two powder supplements that has vitamins and minerals etc in them, as he has a mineral deficiency. He isn't eating it anyway, so we gave up and put his normal seed in with out any supplements. He's barely touching that though. Last night he had quite a bit, but since last night he's barely touched it. Which leads me to my update:

 

Nibbles is not to good this morning. He's all fluffed up and keeps sleeping. His poo's have gone to a black colour which is good, but everything else seems to have gone down hill a bit We've got a light on him providing him some heat, and he's in a roughly 27 degree c room. My mum ave him a bit of cooked oats and added some of his antibiotics to it, and he ate most of it, however, it hasn't seemed to do much good.

 

The vet is closed today, which leaves us a bit stranded I have however, taken the day off from school to stay with him, but there isn't much I can do that we haven't already done. I might try and see if I can make him a bit warmer. Any other suggestions?

 

I'm really worried I hate seeing him like this. I never thought he'd get really sick, and now that he has, I just can't seem to believe it.

Edited February 24, 201015 yr by Hannah

Hannah, you and your Mum are truely good people to stick by poor Nibbles right now. I'm sorry he's doing so poorly. The bacteria the vet told you about is Staphylococcus and it's good that he's eating the cooked oats with the antibiotic in them. Do you have any idea how he got the metal pieces in his crop?

 

Keep us posted as to how he is doing. Heavy metal poisoning in a human is a long road to recovery but I'm not sure about birds. Are the injections gold injections?

Edited February 25, 201015 yr by birdluv

Thanks

 

Well, it could of been anything really. Most probably one of his bells that he always put his mouth and regurgitated etc on. Or it could of been something that he picked up from the carpet in the place we went for a holiday too, or even our carpet. But he's no longer allowed to have any metal toys, so I'm going to have to go on a search for toys without metal bells etc, and in the holidays I'm going to try make a play gym to keep him off the ground (:

 

I'm not sure what's in the injections sorry. I really wish I could take the time off school and go to the vet with him and ask the vet questions etc, but the only day that I can get off is today, and that's the day the vet is closed

 

We've currently got a bar heater about a 1 meter away from where is in his cage. It's about 30 degrees in his cage, so hopefully he'll perk up a bit. Other than that nothing much has changed

Edited February 24, 201015 yr by Hannah

Thanks

 

Well, it could of been anything really. Most probably one of his bells that he always put his mouth and regurgitated etc on. Or it could of been something that he picked up from the carpet in the place we went for a holiday too, or even or carpet. But he's no longer allowed t have any metal toys, so I'm going to have to go on a search for toys without metal bells etc, and in the holidays I'm going to try make a play gym to keep him off the ground (:

 

I'm not sure what's in the injections sorry. I really wish I could take the time off school and go to the vet with him and ask the vet questions etc, but the only day that I can get off is today, and that's the day the vet is closed

 

We've currently got a bar heater about a 1 meter away from where is in his cage. It's about 30 degrees in his cage, so hopefully he'll perk up a bit. Other than that nothing much has changed

 

Be careful about bar heaters........a lot of them have teflon which is toxic.

Great, I better go check that. Thanks for the heads up.

 

 

Edit: I don't think the bar heater we have has Teflon, however, we've replaced it with one similar to this:

 

 

Are those safe to use?

Edited February 24, 201015 yr by Hannah

Great, I better go check that. Thanks for the heads up.

 

 

Edit: I don't think the bar heater we have has Teflon, however, we've replaced it with one similar to this:

 

 

Are those safe to use?

I think that one would be safe

maybe get him a plastic bell (is there such a thing??) instead of the metal one. hope he doesnt take long to recover.

Great Thanks Kaz!

 

I'm going to look into plastic bells, but I've never seen one before, so I'm not sure if that actually exist Thanks, so do I.

 

Having the heat next to him has perked him up a bit since this morning. Though he's still quite puffed up and sleeping quite a bit, he's trying his best Nibbles is having his last injection tomorrow for the heavy metal poisoning, but my mum's going to talk to the vet and see if it's necessary, because yesterday morning he was really good and happy and after his injection yesterday he's been pretty sick. Shouldn't he be getting better not worse? But we'll see what the vet has to say.

So sorry to hear about poor little Nibbles! I've never seen a plastic bell either, but maybe you could try one of those toys that is supposed to be for cats (but budgies love them)? There are 2 kinds, the one that's a plastic ball & the other like a plastic cage, with a metal bell inside. That way he would still have the bell to "ding" but it would be (hopefully) safe inside the plastic!

Thank you

Yeh, I have something similar to this:

That I might replace all his bells with, I have about 6 of them. There is the outer cage, then another plastic thing in the inside with the bell inside it, I think that would be pretty safe. It's just a matter of attaching it with out using metal clips etc.