Young slimline or slim for short being a cock budgie of less than 3 month old, whilst not losing his appetite had become rather lethargic over the past few weeks. This to the annoyance of Gin an 8 year old cock budgie who has had many friends come and go. I examined Slim and found that under his fluffed up feathers he was holding lots of excrement, so an immediate dash to the vets. After a good clean up it was concluded that he is not cleaning himself properly. On his return he ploughed into a millet spray and after a few hours has perked up enough to be giving back to good old Gin the budgie banter he dishes out

Hmm...did the vet do any tests or give you any medicine or advice? A build up of droppings can be really serious.

It is good that your took him to the vet when you suspected that he wasn't well.. but I'm not sure about the vet's conclusion that he just wasn't cleaning himself properly. You said Gin had had "many friends come and go" Have you lost others to illness? Your birds are both very attractive. The yellow/green looks a lot like mine. Good luck with them.

Make sure to get him to an avian vet. It doesn't sound like the one you took him to is very experienced with birds. Only avian vets have had bird-specific training. It's often a bit of traveling to get to an avian vet but definitely worth it. More often than not, taking your bird to the dog/cat vet is a waste of money. I'd only recommend that if it's a last resort.

 

Your vet telling you that your budgie isn't cleaning himself properly is kind of like if you broke your arm and your doctor merely concluded that you weren't moving your arm properly. If your budgie isn't cleaning himself there is a reason behind it. Maybe he feels too ill to do it. Maybe his droppings are of a consistency that it's too difficult to keep himself clean. Whatever is causing this isn't normal and simply looking at your budgie tells your vet just as little as it tells you. Tests need to be performed before a proper diagnosis can be made so this is the type of thing you want to look for (and ask about) when you go to another vet.

 

I wish you the best of luck. Also, I would separate the sick bird from the other if you haven't already done so. It's easier to keep the ill bird comfortable this way and much easier to monitor his droppings, food consumption, etc. Signs of illness in a budgie are extremely general. Most problems have the same symptoms, hence why tests much be done to rule certain diseases out. The problem with the droppings plus the fact that he is lethargic are red flags that should be taken very seriously. It's likely that you've got a very sickly budgie on your hands so please have him seen by an avian vet as soon as possible. And let us know how it goes please!

I agree. Droppings should never stick to the vent feathers, so it isn't really an issue of him cleaning himself anyway. It's worrisome that he is so young and has this problem. I think you should get a second opinion.

ya maybe go to another vet and see if they say the same as the first vet did

Thanks to all for your replies and advice, to which I have taken all of this onboard. Slim is better though i have had to clean him today, I have found an avain vet in my region and will call and book an appointment first thing tomorrow. Cannot seperate Slim from Gin at the moment as they snuggle up together at night and I think budgie company is far better than being alone.

If the vet says that Slim need some treatment, antibiotics or whatever, let him know about Gin, both will need to be treated. Please let us know what happens

When you take him to the vet, take both birds. Even if the vet only sees one of them, it will be less stressful for your birds to have each other. I have 10 budgies, 9 of which have never ever been alone without other budgies around for company. I take a "companion" budgie to the vet for company if I ever need to take a single bird in, as they really freak out if they are put in a cage alone. Since yours seem so bonded, they may do better if they are not seperated. Vet visits seem stressful enough to them as it is. :dbb1:

Well i found a vet who specialize in birds and although the avian vet was on holiday the duty vet managed to seek advice and they decided to hospitalize Slimline, incubate and anti-biotics. Whilst I was not keen on this they did emphasize that this was best for him, unfortunately Slim passed away that night and I am now asking myself if I did the right thing leaving him over as I think the stress was all to much for him.

I have requested an autopsy for the sake of lonesome Gin, this was his first youngster friend as previous mates (budgie and a cockatiel) have all been older than him and had long lives both dying of old age.

Meanwhile i will have to spoil Gin and keep him well stimulated

 

Slimline aged 3 months

I'm very sorry to here that he passed .. he didn't really look or sound like a healthy bird.

I'm very sorry to hear Slim passed. :bluebudgie: But it can be serious when they are sick enough the droppings stick to them. It sounds like he was sick for a bit before, and was seriously ill enough that the vet wanted to keep him there instead of sending meds home with you. Although it's possible the stress of being at the vets affected him, it is unfortunately probably not likely that was the cause. :ausb: Please don't feel guilty about leaving Slim at the vets. I know you are sad enough as it is. Did the vet tell you what the problem was? Did they give you meds to give to Gin? Again, so very sorry.

Sad to hear the news