Discharge from Nares

[chompie_puppy]

Tonight when I covered my birds I saw Pistachio had discharge from his nares. I can't actually see the discharge, but it is wet and slightly yellowy brown right above his cere.

It isn't a vitamin deficiency since he has been eating his vegetables with my other budgies. He has had a variety of fruits and vegetables including carrots, spinach, capsicum, peas, corn, apple, strawberry and peach.

He is eating normally and I assume he is drinking normally too. I haven't seen him or Apple drink yet, but their veggies are always wet so they get a lot of their water from that.

He isn't fluffed up at all, and he doesn't have discharge from his eyes. His poops aren't runny and as far as I can tell he is fine... Except for the discharge. :(

I will make an appointment with the vet asap, but I won't be able to take him in until Friday because I have tests and assignments due this whole week! :(

I am worried sick about Pistachio! What could he have?
Should I seperate him from the rest of my flock?

Any advice would be great. :(

[Speedy]

Tonight when I covered my birds I saw Pistachio had discharge from his nares. I can't actually see the discharge, but it is wet and slightly yellowy brown right above his cere.

It isn't a vitamin deficiency since he has been eating his vegetables with my other budgies. He has had a variety of fruits and vegetables including carrots, spinach, capsicum, peas, corn, apple, strawberry and peach.

He is eating normally and I assume he is drinking normally too. I haven't seen him or Apple drink yet, but their veggies are always wet so they get a lot of their water from that.

He isn't fluffed up at all, and he doesn't have discharge from his eyes. His poops aren't runny and as far as I can tell he is fine... Except for the discharge. :(

I will make an appointment with the vet asap, but I won't be able to take him in until Friday because I have tests and assignments due this whole week! :(

I am worried sick about Pistachio! What could he have?
Should I seperate him from the rest of my flock?

Any advice would be great. :(

I am by no means an expert, but to me it sounds like he may have simply been sick. Some of the more experienced members will be along soon to provide more help than I can though :o

[tstmard]

I hope Pistachio is okay. Please keep us posted on how he's doing.

[Pippin's mom]

Oh no Chompie! I hope Pistachio will be okay! If it were me I would separate him from the other birds and treat him as if he is sick...you know what I mean...covering the cage....keeping warm....etc..

If there is any way though that you could get him to a vet sooner that would be best. I read that if a bird has nasal discharge of any kind they need to get to the vet straight away. Plus if he is sick the sooner you catch it the better. Keep in mind that Budgies don't usually show signs of sickness until they are VERY sick.

Could your boyfriend or someone take him in for you?

Keep us posted!

[chompie_puppy]

The wet browny stain above Pistachio's cere was fresh this morning and again when I got home from uni.
My boyfriend made an appointment for tomorrow at the vet. I will have to skip a lecture to get my baby there, but I don't want to take any chances.
I have asked a friend to take down any notes for me and I have notified my lecturer. I have the readings I need to do and I will print off the lecture powerpoint as well.
Shouldn't be a problem. :o

My poor little man! I wish I had extended quarantine for 60 days!

[chompie_puppy]

I took Pistachio to the vet on Wednesday. It was a new vet (but I heard he is one of the best) so I took him there.
The vet was excellent! He did a crop flush and tested Pistachio's poop. He couldn't find anything wrong with him. He said it is more than likely a vitamin deficiency since the veggies you buy in supermarkets really don't have much nutritional value to them anymore. So I have a vitamin supplement.

Pistachio weighs a very healthy 35g. The vet parted Pistachio's feathers to check for fat on his crop and tummy area. It was a healthy red colour. (It would have been a creamy pink if there was any fat there).

He also gave me a whole new diet plan for my budgies that will apparantly keep them as healthy as a caged bird can be. It incorporates A LOT of "wild" food I can find outside for free! :D

I have to change their seed brand since the company I buy from uses really old seed with no value in them. (He said it is like feeding them french fries all the time).

He also told me that plastic perches, rope perches and dowel sticks are really not a good option for my budgies (or for any bird). Instead I need to go out and find some native trees with really rough bark on it.

He emphasised that I need to provide foraging oppertunities for them 24/7. This is for their mental well being as well as giving them the chance to work for their food. Budgies who have nothing to chew on will chew on their seeds instead. This decreases their lives dramatically! (Since the fat sits on their liver etc.)

So I need to treat all my perches as disposable. They will peel off the bark and then I need to replace it. I have to add gumnuts, leaves, pinecones and anything else that is natural and destructable. He said that paperbark trees are a favourite amongst budgies.

So I will be revamping their whole cage! :D I can't wait!

He also gave me a bag full of fresh grass seeds. Like this:

http://www.budgieworld.net/images/PeteGrasses2a.jpg

However, it still needs to be green.

My budgies absolutely love it! They love it more than anything else I have given them. In fact, a few strands fell to the bottom of the cage and I came home to find Monster scratching in them like a chicken! (They almost never go to the bottom of their cage).

I can pick them up anywhere (in parks, fields etc.)

Anyway, I'm just so excited about learning SO much! :) So sorry if this is a bit long.

[Speedy]

Don't apologise!! It is an awesome post!

So glad that everything is going good, looking forward to the photo's of your new set up :P

[Ollie'sMama]

What a great post....so full of useful information - thank you!

Can you tell me what kind of trees he mentioned for the perches, as well as some of the "wild" food?

[tstmard]

Glad to hear he's okay. Can't wait to see your new cage setup.

[atvchick95]

from the sounds of it , its a vitamin A defiency, My tweety had that when i 1st got him, gave him cut carrots (round) and once he started eating them (had to trick him for a while by sprinkling his food and other fav. treats on them) the brown stain above his cere was gone within the week

[Pippin's mom]

Great post!:D Thank you for sharing all that info. Glad Pistachio is fine!:D

Yeah I don't even like the store veggies for us anymore I can't wait to get our garden in! I also need to look into what plants native to our area they can eat..I know dandilions are good, but there must be more. You have me motivated!:)

[tstmard]

Yeah I don't even like the store veggies for us anymore I can't wait to get our garden in! I also need to look into what plants native to our area they can eat..I know dandilions are good, but there must be more. You have me motivated!:)

I can't wait to get my garden going as well. It's going to be my biggest yet.:D So would you go out in your yard and pick dandilions? Wondering because I read on here how you shouldn't put grass from your yard in there because of other birds and such so wouldn't it be the same with dandilions?

[califjewls]

Chompie you really should try some cook and serve foods for your bird. Such as Crazy Corn or Beak Appetit both are all natural ingredients and it is the ultimate foraging experience! My budgies and lovebird absolutely love their cooked foods and there feathers prove there health. I think you will find your bird loves it and its extremely healthy. Also I only buy organic veggies from the whole foods store or local farmers market. Don't buy store bought veggies.

[prettybird1212]

so should i go out and pick some dandelions....? hehe, I wonder if that would get them to eat greens and fruits. anyway great post. Please post the natural foods your vet said to pick them.

[califjewls]

I can pick them up anywhere (in parks, fields etc.)


You need to be very sure that none of the grasses, plants, branches, etc you pick outdoors have been sprayed with pesticides or it could be toxic. Thats why I am very cautious about what I pick outdoors.

[chompie_puppy]

I wrote a bit about the types of wild food you can feed your budgie here:

http://www.talkbudgies.com/showthread.php?t=19669

I suppose it might be different in Australia with picking plants from nature? You can basically walk out of my front door and into rainforest. They also don't spray the grass and plants here since it's a rainforest environment and they want the animals (koalas, kangaroos, possums etc.) to have a natural and healthy home. I see wild kangaroos every day while driving to university. :D

Don't get me wrong, I don't live in the bush! I live close to Brisbane which is a major city. But Australia has different rules when it comes to enviromental conservations. They seem to keep big spaces of forest and bush between clumps of houses. I think it's wonderful! :)

As far as the types of trees you can use for perches... Anything that is bird safe (non-toxic) with rough bark. They will really enjoy peeling off the bark and it really does keep their nails trimmed.
The vet also told me to not pick anything directly next to the road. These plants could be poisoned with exhaust fumes from cars. So you need to walk 2 - 3 meters in from the road before you pick plants.

[califjewls]

I suppose it might be different in Australia with picking plants from nature? You can basically walk out of my front door and into rainforest. They also don't spray the grass and plants here since it's a rainforest environment and they want the animals (koalas, kangaroos, possums etc.) to have a natural and healthy home. I see wild kangaroos every day while driving to university. :D


It sounds absolutely beautiful there Chompie! That is so cool to see kangaroos while going to school, I cant imagine. I see outdoor cats when I walk out my door..thats as wild as it gets in my neighborhood..lol

[Speedy]

It sounds absolutely beautiful there Chompie! That is so cool to see kangaroos while going to school, I cant imagine. I see outdoor cats when I walk out my door..thats as wild as it gets in my neighborhood..lol

We get them across the street from us :) Kookaburras, Corella's etc :)

It is awesome :P

[Pippin's mom]

I can't wait to get my garden going as well. It's going to be my biggest yet.:D So would you go out in your yard and pick dandilions? Wondering because I read on here how you shouldn't put grass from your yard in there because of other birds and such so wouldn't it be the same with dandilions?

I used to feed Dandelions picked from our yard to feed our tiels and Grey all the time. I just washed them well...never any problems.:)