Poofed feathers

[Rie]

G'day I'm new here and i have a little fella named Gus. He would be about 2-3 months old now and we're getting along great, but lately i've been a little worried about him. he sits with his feathers all fluffed out sometimes. i've heard that this can be a sign of illness. His activity level hasn't really dropped as far as i can tell, he still loves chewing his gym and playing with his toys. any thoughts?

[Amy]

Budgies will naturally fluff up their feathers so it's nothing to worry about!

If you still tink he isn't well take him to an avain vet.

I'm 94% sure he's fine and fluffing up feathers is normal.

He may be just cold and if so, make sure he's in a warm room.

I hope he's alright!

[miss_missy]

nothing to worry about im sure if he is not showing any signs of illness, that is. My pegasus fluff's up all the time, keeps them warm and shakes there feathers, i also think peg's like's to watch himself all poofed in the mirror. lol:cool:

[Budgiekin]

Hi Rie! Glad you joined us!

I agree with Amy and Missy, budgies will sometimes sit like this. However, if you are noticing other signs that aren't usual for your little guy, then it would be best to take him to the vet.

Speaking of vets, it is not a bad idea to bring your little fellow to a vet for an initial checkup anyway. In fact, the benefits of doing this are twofold: one, your budgie has an exam to check him out (check his breathing, heart beat, inside his beak, weigh him etc.); two, you establish an early relationship with an avian vet. The latter has benefits you may not appreciate until later when your budgie is actually acutely ill. There is nothing worse than trying to find an avian vet when your little fellow is already sick. That can waste precious time (as budgies often deteriorate quickly when they are ill).

Also, I should mention too that many young birds are actually "dewormed" when they are young, just as a precaution. The treatment consists of using a very safe medication (called Pyrantel pamoate). Even if fecal parasite examinations are negative, some vets will recommend it. This is because the gastrointestinal tract transit time is so fast in birds that worm eggs do not concentrate in the fecals (like they do in dogs and cats). Having said that, it is not only possible, but quite likely, to miss roundworms from a fecal exam. Here's a link that talks about some interesting topics, including deworming budgies:

http://www.exoticpetvet.net/avian/budgietiel.html

One thing I would like to ask you about is your sweetie's droppings. Do they appear to be normal? (i.e. they have the inner white portion which is the urine and the outer greenish/brownish portion which is the feces)? They should be nicely formed, not runny or have a disproportionate amount of feces or urates.

Sorry my answer is so long! I like to try to share as much information as I can. I have had many visits to vets for my budgies!!

Do you have any pictures of your little sweetie? We love pictures here!!

Let us know how your little guy is doing!

[Budgie_Birthday]

What is an avian vet? We have a vet literally right down the street. It doesn't take us more than a minute to get there. (in car) Would it be okay to bring my future budgie there? :S

[Budgiekin]

An avian vet is someone who specializes in birds. Because avian (bird) anatomy is so different from dogs and cats, it is definitely ideal if your bird sees an AVIAN vet. Many medications that are given to dogs and cats are not suitable for birds. Also, whenever medications are given to a bird, the dosages have to be measured VERY carefully. Further, if a non-avian vet were to be giving a bird a relatively simple exam (i.e. to check their heart rate, breathing, palpating for abnormalities, they wouldn't know what is "normal" for a bird, nor would they likely be aware of the kinds of illnesses and diseases that are common in the little fellows so they wouldn't really know what to look for.

Many, if not most "small animal vets" (like those who see dogs and cats, even ferrets etc.) have little or no experience with birds. I like to think of it like this: if you were having hip replacement surgery, you wouldn't go see a plastic/cosmetic surgeon. The same applies to your budgie. Make sense?

[Budgie_Birthday]

Thanks for the advice. But how am I supposed to find avian vet? I haven't heard of any bird specialists near me. :budgie:

[Budgiekin]

There is a website you can go to to search for an avian vet. Here's the link:

http://aav.org/vet-lookup/

(I must forewarn you that not all places even have avian vets, which is very unfortunate. . . . it is a field that many vets choose not to get into as it is highly specialized and does not have the same "money-making" ability as other fields).

[Budgie_Birthday]

Thanks so much. I just found about 20 minutes or so away from me. Theres not a problem with that is there? :p

[Budgiekin]

That sounds perfect Budgie_Birthday. In fact, I have to travel almost 40 minutes to get to my avian vet (and during rush hour, it's even worse! - it's closer to an hour!).

[Budgie_Birthday]

That sounds perfect Budgie_Birthday. In fact, I have to travel almost 40 minutes to get to my avian vet (and during rush hour, it's even worse! - it's closer to an hour!).

Ok good. I don't want my budgie to bleed to death while I am in the car! (whats worse: I can't drive! what if I am the only one home!) :eek:

[Amy]

Oh that would be a disaster! Maybe your neighbour could drive you?

[Budgie_Birthday]

:p Maybe. I'll have to think that one over.

[Rie]

thanks everyone for your reassuring advice. for those interested his poos do look normal and he does them at a fairly regular rate that doesn't seem excessive.