Hi,

I got my budgies a week ago now and they seem to be settling in alright, they are chirping and eating!

 

my concern is that one of them seems unwell, he has loose poos, it seem quiet and is generally not a lively as the other bird.

 

I was told when I bought them that they were 9 and 10 weeks, but I am not sure, after doing some research one seems to be about 10 weeks, the other I suspect is younger.

 

I have kept them on the same seed diet they had at the breeder, I have offered them fresh food but I removed that a couple of days ago after I noticed the upset tummy.

 

They have been chewing on the shell grit, paper in the cage and the cuttle bone, they have also chewed on the gum tree perch, I have called my vet and he said to keep them both warm, and to keep an eye on them.

 

Am I just being a nervous new mum?

Hi CasB,

 

You're allowed to be nervous, it's because you're a caring and loving owner.

 

It does take some birds longer to settle, especially when they are young as they may still be getting partially fed by a parent or older sibling and they have to then fend for themselves. That is why we quarantine new birds for a minimum of 4 week to make sure they are healthy.

 

For the moment i might stay away from fresh food at the moment especially green leafy ones because the can change their droppings. You will find the they will try and chew on anything in their cage, what they are chewing on sounds safe.

 

If in doubt and you are really starting to worry take them to your vet or ring the breeder (sometimes they are really nice and helpful) I know there is a fee but if it gives you peace of mind or he does have something that is treatable it might be worth doing.

 

Good luck, I hope he gets better soon

I called the breeder and he told me to bring him back, it was his son that sold them to me and it seems he was younger than either of us though, he is going to nurse him and call me when he is well, he has given me another budgie and a huge bag of seed because he feels bad!

 

I just hope he pulls through, it was possibly only because his cage mate was feeding him that he hasn't lost any condition but the other bird seems to have stopped feeding him, so he started to get weak. hopefully I have handed him over to someone that know what they are doing in time for him to pull through.

thats a nice breeder. glad he is sorting it out.