Hi everyone

 

Lulu's just been put on antibiotics as all her droppings are sticking to her, and she has too much bacteria in her system. Still waiting for lab results as to exactly what it is.

2 things, as her droppings are stuck to her, she's pulling out her feathers, presumably out of frustration trying to clean herself. I'm wondering if I can clean her to prevent this. I tried wiping her with a warm water using a soft cloth but nothing would budge! Any ideas what I should do?

The other thing I've noticed is that 2 times tonight she's looked like she's been trying to regurgitate food or something. I really don't know what she's doing but she's like stretching out her neck opening her beak. So still very worried about her

 

Bethan

Hi me again

 

My budgie did this too. This could mean that it has a crop infection and is not able to eat food properly. The antibiotics should help with this. Are they in her food or in her water? If you can get someone to show you how to use a crop needle it looks painfull but can help. If you hold her and gently squeeze her crop does it feel full of seed or empty and full of gas or fluid. If so you must see an avian vet asap. let us know what happens

 

Angela

Hi me again

 

My budgie did this too.  This could mean that it has a crop infection and is not able to eat food properly.  The antibiotics should help with this.  Are they in her food or in her water?  If you can get someone to show you how to use a crop needle it looks painfull but can help.  If you hold her and gently squeeze her crop does it feel full of seed or empty and full of gas or fluid.  If so you must see an avian vet asap. let us know what happens

 

Angela

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Thanks for that, um what bits her crop? (feel stupid for not knowing...) Is that the top of her body, like by her breast bone?

By the way, antibiotics are in her water.

yes it's hard to explain but the crop is above the breast bone and below the bottom beak/neck. Can you handle your bird if so get it in one hand with it's head inbetween your index finger and middle finger so it can't bite you rather like a harness on one of those fast theme park rides so that your tips of fingers are touching the chest of the bird. and you can see its chest and legs then gently feel down below it's beak towards it's chest if you feel little lumps then it has food in it's crop this is an area that it stores food then regurgitates it up to eat later.

 

when your bird stretches it's neck out and opens it's beak it could be just trying to clear a bit of husk in it's throat. If it shakes it's head and you find spital on ti's head and around it's bib thats the spots under it's beak then you may have a problem. All budgies stretch and open their beaks at some time and they also seem to bob their head this is regurgitaiting their food. you should only worry if she is doing it a lot and if you find regurgitated seed on the floor of her cage this then means she may be being sick. then you need a trip to the vet.

Edited June 15, 200519 yr by angel121

yes it's hard to explain but the crop is above the breast bone and below the bottom beak/neck.  Can you handle your bird if so get it in one hand with it's head inbetween your index finger and middle finger so it can't bite you rather like a harness on one of those fast theme park rides so that your tips of fingers are touching the chest of the bird. and you can see its chest and legs then gently feel down below it's beak towards it's chest if you feel little lumps then it has food in it's crop this is an area that it stores food then regurgitates it up to eat later. 

 

when your bird stretches it's neck out and opens it's beak it could be just trying to clear a bit of husk in it's throat.  If it shakes it's head and you find spital on ti's head and around it's bib thats the spots under it's beak then you may have a problem.  All budgies stretch and open their beaks at some time and they also seem to bob their head this is regurgitaiting their food.  you should only worry if she is doing it a lot and if you find regurgitated seed on the floor of her cage this then means she may be being sick.  then you need a trip to the vet.

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Thanks for that, your explanation's very helpful.

 

This is the first time i've noticed her doing it, so hopefully thats a good thing, and there's no sign of regurgitated seed and she hasn't been shaking her head. I'll try feeling her crop though she's very hard to catch!!

Medicines in the water aren't the most effective way of getting them into the bird, because budgies don't drink much water anyway. Anything that makes the water look or smell different may prevent them from drinking it too. If you can get oral meds, that would be best. If not, make sure your bird has no other source of water (like vegetables or fruit) for the entire course of the antibiotics. If the droppings are sticking to her, she may not be getting enough fluids anyway. I'd just keep trying to clean her off with warm water.

 

I hope everything turns out fine.

thats interesting angel121 and very clearly written.

its given me new thoughts on rocky re the sicky bit

budgielover see my post about my rainbow that died it will give you some ideas i think. It may be under jack and ben or my sig i don't remember

Edited June 15, 200519 yr by angel121

i can't find it

ill look later when i haven't got a little brat - i mean darling clambering over me!! (Laughing out loud)

Well poor lulu did not appreciate me trying to do that at all. I couldn't really hold her in a way to check and decided it was becoming too traumatic for her. Might try again in the morning.

is it possible to do it in the dark?? that way its a little less traumatic for lulu

is it possible to do it in the dark?? that way its a little less traumatic for lulu

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I tried covering her in a cloth like I saw the vet do to make it dark. But she was wriggling around so much I couldn't hold her the right way.

wait till its dark and turn the lights out budgies can't see very well in the dark and you can just pick them off thier perch. Try holding her in your hand with your finger and thumb around her neck and your three remaining fingers holding her body but she may bit eyou this way so be prepared. If she is fighting them thats a good sign she can't be too ill or she would not put up such a fight. Try watching her give her some millett and see if she eats it. if she does and then does not stretch her neck out after a while maybe half and hour then there's a good chance she is eating okay.

 

It would be good to be able to hold her then you coud put her antibiotics straight inton her beak. Maybe practice with your other bird which is not stressed but make sure to wash your hands you don't want to cross contaminate if lulu has a bug.

Is there some one who could help you while you're holding her like angel121 describes? If so then they could hold a wooden pencil near her beak and she can bite that instead of you.

Julie

Well you're certainly right about it being better in the dark. Whilst she still struggled, she was easy to catch and a lot calmer. I couldn't feel anything like described though, I don't know if thats a good thing or not. i wondered if it may have been partly as she's got so many soft baby feathers at the moment? Cos all I could really feel was feathers!

well is very late here in nz so gotta go, will keep you updated

Is there some one who could help you while you're holding her like angel121 describes? If so then they could hold a wooden pencil near her beak and she can bite that instead of you.

Julie

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Thanks for that, good idea!! fortunately seemed to have managed holding her now, and luckily she's not too much of a biter, more a wriggler, and fortunately it doesn't hurt when she does

good keep us posted and try the black tea but no other greens or wet food budgies get moisture out of veg so only feed her seed and black tea no water after 24 hrs replace tea with water and see if her poop is drier. Sometimes hens can be stressed if moved from one place to another and can take a while to calm down also if they are moulting especialy the first moult then they will be more stressed this can also cause loose stools and the tea and probiotics will help with this.

 

Keep us posted.

Well have finally heard back from the lab, but unfortunately made no progress. Apparently the bacteria is all normal gut bacteria, nothing nasty like salmonella or ecoli.

She could have psittachosis disease (guessing spelling here). i think thats just a general bird disease, but does anyone know anything about it?

Otherwise it could be a secondary symptom, eg maybe there's something wrong with her liver.

Given she's only been on antibiotics a few days, I'll wait till after the weekend before I bring her back as they may not have kicked in yet.

Any further ideas what could be going on would be appreciated!

It may be an idea to ask your vet for some pro biotics, they help balance up the birds gut floras, whereas anti biotics, although they kill off infection, will cause an imbalance in the gut floras. This is because they destroy the birds need stomach bacteria as well as destroying the bad. A pro biotic will help put the correct balance back.

Hi bethan

 

Did you try the black tea? it does work. and in england we can buy pro biotic over the counter if you can where you are go and get some it is good to keep it in the cuboard just in case. It should be used regularly i give mine it once a week.

Edited June 17, 200519 yr by angel121

No I havn't tried black tea yet. I wasn't sure if I should or not given her antibiotics are given through her water. I'm going to the pet shop tomorrow so I'll try get some probiotic.

is this something I'd give to her whilst still on antibiotics? Or instead of?

 

Thanks heaps for all the advice, much appreciated!