Sick Parakeet On Bottom of Cage

by Amanda
(Vine Grove Kentucky)

Hello, I just bought three budgies (parakeets) and have had them for a week. I have been working with one budgie who was just starting to come to me. The person I bought the budgie from said he was partially trained and I finally got him to stand on my finger three days ago. Well tonight I put my finger in there and he came to me a few times. Later this evening my son came to me saying he was acting funny!

I had to pick him up because he was flopping around in the cage. He let me pick him up and pull him out of the cage and he snuggled into me. He also went on my shoulder. I held him in my hands for awhile as well, I finally had to stick him in the other cage and he was at the bottom of the cage. There was some white in his water. I believe he is sick and he doesn't want to fly he perched himself for a few min but he then fell to the bottom of the cage!

He also chirped in my ear when he was sitting on my shoulder, one second he seemed fine then the next not!

Any advice would be great.

Thank you.

Vet Suggestion for Treating Sick Parakeet

Hi Amanda,

I am concerned about the symptoms you describe in your parakeet. The list of potential problems that might be causing them is quite long and includes the effects of a change in diet, improper temperature levels, stress associated with his recent move or other factors, parasitism, infectious disease, and more. Some of these conditions are potentially life threatening if they aren’t addressed quickly, so I recommend that you see a veterinarian who has experience with birds as quickly as possible. If possible, bring your bird to the office in his normal cage so the doctor can evaluate your set up in addition to performing a physical exam and any diagnostic tests that might be necessary. If you don’t know of a local bird doctor, the Association of Avian Veterinarian’s website can help you find one.

In the meantime, thoroughly sanitize everything in your birds’ cages and keep them impecably clean. Provide fresh water every day. Replace their food with a new batch of their favorite type (pellets are better than seeds but this is not the time to make a diet change). Make sure the cages are in a draft-free location and warmed to around 83 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit.

Best of luck,

Jennifer Coates, DVM

Comments for Sick Parakeet On Bottom of Cage

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Apr 13, 2016
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I feel your pain... NEW
by: John Nagel

I too, am an animal lover. I am so sorry for your loss. I lost my best friend, Tinker, a Maltese whom I had for 8 years. I cried everyday for almost 2 years. The pain was unbearable. I wanted to the Vet to do it outdoors, and I held him as he put him to sleep. I did not want his last image on Earth to be a cold exam table and a bright light above. I held him and he slowly passed away. As I am writing this I have started to cry, I can still feel the day. We give them everything we can, the most important thing we can give is love and a full life. I will pray for you this evening and I hope that eventually, the hurt will subside till the day you don't cry and when you think of them, you smile instead of cry. Be strong, there are a lot of us our here....
In fact his picture is still on the wall behind me, I named my business Tinker Productions and even included a picture of him with his favorite little football in his mouth in my tour book which I wrote. I have sold my tour book throughout the world and what a fitting tribute that Tinker is world famous...and I am smiling again.
God Bless and Be Well
John M Nagel

Nov 28, 2015
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My fragile beautiful Parakeet White Prince just died NEW
by: Anonymous

I bought two parakeets from PetSmart on November 10th (2015). I was thinking I wanted to save two more birds to give them good life and care. I put both of them in a new large cage to separate them form my other two parakeets about two years old. The first week the new comers are fine. I named them White Prince and Yellow. I opened the door of their cage. Yellow instantly flew out and flew around the room. White Prince followed.
I fed them seeds, pellets, apple, pear and carrots. I changed their water few times a day. Yellow loved to visit my two years old parakeets outside of their cage. November 22nd I got the Organic pellet I ordered and started feeding all four. I also keep the room temperature at 74, and covered them with double, triple layers of blankets to keep them warm. Yellow wanted to join my two years old parakeets and didn't want to return to her cage. I didn't have choice but had to let her in. White Prince was left in the cage by himself. He was eating and happy and started coming sitting on my shoulder and chewing my hair. When I said "up" he would jump on the wooden bar or my finger. Everything went so well.
Three days ago (11/25). He slept in his fluffy hat about 13 hours. I thought he just enjoyed the warms. The next day (11/26) he was playing, walking on the carpet picking up seeds and also sitting on my finger and shoulder when I called him. Yesterday (11/27), he had been sleeping more than 14 hours. I sensed something was not right. I took him to an avian vet I had known for years. The Vet (Mark) weighted White Prince. Mark told me White Prince is under weight, only 22 gram. And White Prince is also a very young bird about eight weeks or three to four months old.
Mark looked White Prince's dropping, checked his heart and lung. They all sounded normal. But he couldn't draw blood from White Prince to have a blood test because White Prince’s vein collapsed. Mark gave me antibiotic Doxycycline, and Harrison Juvenile formula. I gave White Prince the antibiotic, formula (1 c.c.) and Pedialyte mixed with water (twice) last night. Covered him with four layers of blankets and heating pad under another layer of blanket to keep him warm. Mark wanted me to keep the temperature between 85 and 90.
The last time I checked White Prince was around 10:36 p.m. I slept next to him to keep an eye on him and keep the heating pad on. When I checked on him at 2:09 a.m. White Prince was gone. I feel so so sad.
I should realize he is just a young bird, and all the adjustments he had to make, the new cage, the new food, the new environment, the new bird companions, to follow Yellow flying around the house to show his was capable of doing that, to please me who tried to tame him. All he did just want to survive in this demanding harsh world. And that including to please me. He is such a fragile little creature he just couldn't handle it. Last night I was holding him in my hand covered with warm and talked to him said how sorry I am for his passing. I also told him he will be in my heart always. I will see him at the other side. I told him he doesn't need to live in this harsh world anymore. I told him I was wrong wanted to tame him. Birds should live a life without worry and should be free. Birds do not need relationship with human. Birds just want to be birds. I told him I am so sorry. Birds don’t need what human created for them. He doesn't need to "please" me anymore. The food I thought was good for him that created for him is not what he wanted. He should have fresh grass, fruit, vegetable, natural grains, drinking from a pond, little river and water stream. The humane way that I thought was kind to him was not what he should have. His fragile body lying in my hand, I couldn't stop crying.
I lost my lovely dog Rocky in 2011 (12 years old, died of CHF), I lost my another lovely dog Max in 2014 (adopted in 2011 a month after Rocky died). Now I lost White Prince who only had been with me for 17 days. The sadness and sorrow are just unbearable. I love all animals and really care about them with all my heart. Now I realized even more about what we said we meant "humane" way to treat animals. How humane we really are?? I don’t think I can ever have a "pet" again. The word "pet" shouldn’t even be existed. I want to watch all the living creatures flying freely, roaring freely in this life, then I will see them really free in next life.

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