Posted October 11, 200519 yr Found one of my boys, who is about 5 years old unable to fly on the floor of the avery a few days ago. No sign of any injury or broken wing etc, no bleeding. I have bought him inside where he continually seems to topple on to his back, is having problems walking, I can help him up to lay on his belly but his legs seem to have a mind of their own. Could this possibly be a calcium defincency?? This is the only thing I can think of. There are no avain vets anywhere near me, so i am trying to "go it alone". All the other budgies in the avery are fine, no probs at all. Any tips will be greatfully appreciated. I have put a few drops of calcium into his water which I have to help him drink. He is still picking at his seed so doesnt seem to have lost his appetite. Any other ideas?
October 11, 200519 yr My first thought was a stroke. Eterri is on, I'll leave this to the expert. My thoughts are with you
October 11, 200519 yr My first thought was a stroke. Eterri is on, I'll leave this to the expert.My thoughts are with you Wow, super quick reply, thanks Lin. Never even thought of a stroke, or that budgies could have them. Intersting thought tho'.
October 11, 200519 yr I thought of a stoke too. Is both of is legs behaving the same (ie- not working0 or just one?) How long has this been going on? Maybe a trip to a normal vet would be better than nothing.
October 11, 200519 yr I'm really sorry to hear about your budgie. At five years of age, it's quite possible that he has a tumor. Difficulty walking is a symptom as this. From what I understand, the tumor presses against a nerve and this is what causes the budgie to lose the use of its legs or have limited use. It could be something else; as Lin suggested, possibly a stroke. It's really impossible to say, we can only guess. I doubt that it has to do with a calcium deficiency though. Keep him in a warm quiet room and try and keep him comfortable. Make sure that food and water are well within reach but if you use a dish for water, make sure it's shallow enough for him to get out of if he stumbles in. Because we aren't certain what the problem is, there's no way to know how to treat it or if it's even treatable. :/ You said there are no avian vets near you. How far away exactly is the nearest one? If it's impossible to get him to an avian vet, maybe you could call around and find a regular vet who knows at least a bit about birds?
October 11, 200519 yr I thought of a stoke too. Is both of is legs behaving the same (ie- not working0 or just one?) How long has this been going on? Maybe a trip to a normal vet would be better than nothing. 2days his legs have been affected, and yes, will ring my local vet, but-- dont have any faith in them, have had experience with them before unfortunately
October 11, 200519 yr I know you already said that there are no avian vets near you but I figured I'd post this link just in case there's one there you haven't seen before: http://www.vetafarm.com.au/avian_vets.asp If you don't trust the local vet, maybe there is a better regular vet that you could get to? I know how frustrating it is to deal with vets who don't specialize in birds though. Hopefully you'll have some luck.
October 11, 200519 yr I hope something can be done for the poor birdie. Thanks Bea, dont like his chances unfortunately, I rang our local vet, all she could offer was to "put him down". No way-- I dont give up that easy as you may remember from past experience, remember my splayed leg baby?? I'll keep going and see what I can do.
October 11, 200519 yr I know you already said that there are no avian vets near you but I figured I'd post this link just in case there's one there you haven't seen before: http://www.vetafarm.com.au/avian_vets.asp If you don't trust the local vet, maybe there is a better regular vet that you could get to? I know how frustrating it is to deal with vets who don't specialize in birds though. Hopefully you'll have some luck. I checked the link that you gave, unfortunatley none of them are any where near me, and as I replied to Bea, my local vet offered to "put him down". This is not an option for me, : thats for the local vet, (Laughing out loud). Is is possible that he may have been bitten by something, I do have a problem with mice, altho, as I said, cant see any sign of an injury. He seems to be improved this morning , unless I am being too optimistic, but is staying on his feet longer and is still eating, so heres hoping.
October 11, 200519 yr Bev I agrre with what nerwen and eterri is saying. It caould also be a virus efecting his inner ear causing a balance problem. Is he eating and drinking okay. What is his droppings like?
October 11, 200519 yr Bev I agrre with what nerwen and eterri is saying. It caould also be a virus efecting his inner ear causing a balance problem. Is he eating and drinking okay. What is his droppings like? Yep Daz, droppings are normal is eating and drinking, and his bite certainly hasnt been affected, he latched on to me last night, & wow, I have never been bitten so hard, I had to prise his beak off my finger, which is something he has never done before, he has always been a very placid bird, I actually have a bruise where he bit me the little bugger (Laughing out loud).
October 11, 200519 yr If it was a stroke, hopefully he can continue to live on a fairly good life. Just accomodate his disabilities for now and keep him comfortable (as I'm sure you already are).
October 14, 200519 yr If it was a stroke, hopefully he can continue to live on a fairly good life. Just accomodate his disabilities for now and keep him comfortable (as I'm sure you already are). I was able to eventually contack a vet and was given a product called POLYAID, its used to treat paralised wild life birds, and was worth the drive just to give it a try. The first few feeds went down okay, just small amounts by body weight, but, late yesterday as I was feeding him again he died while i was holding him. Vet said it is quite common for strokes to occur in budgies, I guess you learn something every day dont you? But, it was worth the try, I couldnt just NOT try. Thaks to you all for all the advise and encouragement.
October 14, 200519 yr Bev, how awful for you. I am glad for your little bird that you tried everything you could, and loved him til the end. My thoughts are with you
October 14, 200519 yr So sorry to hear this. I was really pulling for him but he's in a better place now and you did all you could. Take care.
October 14, 200519 yr I'm really sorry to here this. I think everyone here was behind both of you hoping he'd get better. You did everything you could. :fear
October 14, 200519 yr SOrry for your loss but Yes there is avain vet near you it is aboyut 1 and half aweay from you he is DR doug Black Moama Vet clinc
October 14, 200519 yr SOrry for your loss but Yes there is avain vet near you it is aboyut 1 and half aweay from you he is DR doug Black Moama Vet clinc Yep, only found out about Doug Black yesterday as well, will keep his contact for future reference. Thanks for that .
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