Hi all came across this forum via google.

 

I have a question re: my budgie right now at night they are all sleeping but one budgie is sitting there constantly lifting its toes on each foot like its trying to adjust to the bar, when i say lifting its toes its sort of lifting its index finger/toe on each foot constantly going up then down. Kind of like if a human was typing with just its index finger.

 

seems very weird and unusual so was wondering anyones thoughts on this?

 

I had this budgie for about 2 years.

 

 

 

 

 

We all do funny things in our sleep. Some people too and turn, some sleep without moving, some waves their arms around, some even sleep walk. Sounds like your budgie has one of those little idiosyncracies that we all have. Don't think of it as a problem, think of it as something that is endearing. Nothing to worry about in my mind.

 

We should all learn to love each other for our flaws, not use them to classify each other.

You dont use sandpaper perches do you ?

oh i have wooden perches its in the middle of the day right now and shes still doing it while just sitting there, should i be worried? in the 2 years ive had her I've never seen this before....

Check under the feet for signs of sores.

When a healthy budgie perches and is relaxed he perches on one foot a good sign to know your bird is doing good.

oh its definately not just perching on one leg its on two legs and still doing it :/

 

even when shes on one leg the one leg thats still on the perch is still lifting it self up and down constantly

 

 

You said you have wooden perches are they all one size the dowel type or do you have branch like perches and are different sizes. To me it sounds like your bird is uncomfortable. I would look for sores, any joint swelling or redness that could indicate any illness. Can you post a picture of the inside of your cage please.

 

 

Check under the feet for signs of sores.

Have you checked its feet yet ?

i will have a look at its feet when i get home, we have 3 difference perches all varying in diameter. the budgie itself seems fine other than this weird movement , eating normally, chirping.

 

maybe its nothing to be worried about but I just found it strange that this started happening out of nowhere :/

 

 

this is not my video but she is doing something like this:

 

 

 

I did a google and our experts that have a larger quanity of birds may know what your bird is doing.

Toe Tapping from what I read could be related to nutrition (what do you feed your bird) or feeling threatened (so does he stop doing it if you back away from the cage)

good news is that she seems to have stopped doing it lately or at least, not as frequently, i was really starting to worry that it might be some kind of nervous system issue :/

 

thanks for everyones input and help

 

 

Hi Yellow,

 

My budgie was doing the toe-tapping thing quite a while ago. Turned out she had scaly leg mites - we tried treating it with paraffin oil daily (smeared over the legs and feet - very messy) over a number of days, which gave her immediate relief at the time, but did not eliminate the mites. The itching recurred a few days after stopping the paraffin, so clearly the mites were still active.

 

It was only after we took her to an avian vet who treated her with ivermectin, that the mites finally stopped bothering her. I would encourage you to take your budgie for a checkup with an avian vet, and mention the possibility of scaly leg mites to him/her. If that's what your budgie has, the vet will be able to safely give the correct dose of ivermectin. It may just help your budgie get some peace from the itchiness!

Edited December 18, 201014 yr by Budgiesaurus