Budgie has buttery oil on feathers

[Cedwyn]

Hello,

Earlier this evening I was cooking macaroni and put the pot in the sink and filled it with water. Our budgie is a free flying bird and I had gone upstairs for a few hours. I came down to find our budgie had taken a dip in the pot. When I recovered him, he was hanging on the outside of the pot, very weak. I assume we flew into the pot of water, swam (?) to the side and used a lot of his energy to get out?

Now he is with me and I have been using a combination of a hairdryer, towels and keeping him near my mouth/body (strangely enough, he wont let me move him away from my mouth, he is a friendly bird, so I assume it is comforting to him. And maybe instinct to be somewhere warm + safe, extremely fascinating.) to keep him warm and attempt to dry his feathers.

It has been a few hours and I am seening an improvement, however it is getting late and I don't know if I can stay up all night with him. Plus he still is pretty weak and has trouble keeping his balance while on my finger. He has tried to clean his feathers but they are mostly stuck to the feather shaft. Think a duck covered from an oil spill. Because his feathers are this way, he cannot fly, and I think this is in part the reason he has trouble balancing?

Any help on how to keep him fit and in the best condition/cleaning the feathers would be appreciated!

Thank you

[i blame history]

i suggest looking in to this before you take my advice, because i really probably do not know what i am talking about, but when you mentioned a duck covered in oil from a spill, i instantly recalled the dawn dish soap commericals... these wildlife groups advertised dawn dish soap as being the only thing they safely clean the ducks with because it is gentle enough to clean them and not harm them. but for a budgie, i have no idea.

[Enna]

Will he let you take him into the shower. If so make a nive warm shower for him. * Might be cold for you but do it anyways* and give him a long shower and try and help scrub the butter stuff away. then try drying him off again. Let him cuddle with you all he wants. If his cage is in your room place a towl on the bottom of his cage and add food and water there. let him on the bottom cause if he looses balance on the pearch he might fall to the bottom and we don;t want him hurt. Try a cheek him in the night to see how he is doing. If he is ok in the morning try another show to get more stuff off or bring him to the vet so they can and help

[Budgiekin]

Hmmm, poor little guy! I don't see the harm in using a very mild soap (as scent free as possible) like Dawn to take the buttery residue off. Just be careful not to get it in your little sweetie's eyes or nostrils.

I would also probably bring your little guy to a vet to just check him out to make sure he's okay.

[avril]

bath him in a very mild soap solution as they do with the birds that have been in an oil slick.
The thing is to DRY him thoroughly when you have given him the bath as it is the cold that usually kills the birds from stress.

Keep him in his cage covered and out of drafts and just check on him. Birds do take baths so the water and soap willdo no damage just makesure it does get into his eyes.
Good luck and keep us posted