Sick Budgies

[Akala]

:budgie:
Should I try to rescue a sick Budgie even though I don't have really any experience? Because I don't want to end up heart broken if he/she dies. If I did would you guys help me nurse him back to health with your advice?:budgie::budge:

[Budgiekin]

Whether you bring this little budgie home is certainly a personal decision. It is obvious from your post that your heart is in the right place. ;)

Where is this sick little budgie?

While we certainly can't guarantee that this little one will become healthy again, and that avian vet care is probably what this little sweety needs, we can offer our support if you do end up bringing him/her home with you.

Please let us know what you decide to do. I would love to hear that this little budgie went to a great home with you and lived to be healthy and happy. ;)

[Akala]

I have seen numerous ones at my local pet stores, all fluffed up, and some have scaly face, and some are wild caught. I think I will try to nurse them back, but some of them are even beyond the brink sadly. I will post pics around Christmas so I can choose which one to buy. I just wish that birds weren't so disposable to some people, then they wouldn't be in these positions.

[Robin's Nest]

It is one of the reasons I have to stay out of pet stores. :( Rescuing is noble, tricky, expensive, and heart rending. One of the best things you can do (and should do) is report this store to the authorities. It is against the law to sell sick birds. I am curious - how were you able to determine that some of the budgies were wild caught? With as easy as it is to breed budgies, it would be very expensive and a lot of trouble for a pet store to send out to have them wild caught in Australia. I cannot imagine a store would do that for an animal they sell for usually under $20.00. A bird bred by a breeder may or may not have a band, depending on the breeder, so absence of band would not mean wild caught.

You may want to volunteer at any avian vet so you can learn some basic techniques, giving medication, etc. Your best bet at nursing the sick ones back to health is going to be a close relationship with an avian vet, access to meds, a good bank account, and the absolute ability to maintain 100% tight quarantine from your existing flock. You need a vet that can look at the bird, determine the illness(es), give you the medications, administer the necessary tests, and guide you best as possible in bringing the bird back to health. Even the most qualified of avians vet will not have 100% success rate. Whether the bird makes it is dependent upon so many factors.

That's the hard part - losing them - whether after a short or long illness. It just breaks the heart in half. :( Doing things such as reporting the store to the proper authorities, following up, calling the tv station, sending letters to the headquarters, and not taking no for an answer will be the things that can be done to help the most birds the quickest. It is simply illegal to sell sick birds. And depending on exactly what is going on in that store, it could be criminal.

[ronsig]

Are you planning to buy these sick birds from a pet store? Unfortunately, that means they will be replaced with more sick birds..:(

Do you have an avian vet nearby? Unfortunately, avian veets are expensive since they have the extra training.
It is nice of you to be so concerned for these birds.

Sigrid

[Akala]

I guess you are right about them being replaced, I just hate to see these guys in this sort of predicament. Well I can't truly say I know they've been wild caught. But the ones I always see are green like the ones in the wild, and they are fluffed up,aggressive, sometimes malnourished, and some look like they have parasites, but I've never been able get a close enough look to check for parasites. I really want to help, and it's not like they are a bother by any means just because they're sick. I have seen some store clerks pick up a dead Budgie off the cage:mad: and just put it in the freezer. I have even seen very.extremely ill ones done this way.:(

[ronsig]

I guess you are right about them being replaced. Well I can't truly say I know they've been wild caught. But the ones I always see are green like the ones in the wild, and they are fluffed up,aggressive, sometimes malnourished, and some look like they have parasites, but I've never been able get a close enough look to check for parasites. I really want to help, and it's not like they are a bother by any means just because they're sick. I have seen some store clerks pick up a dead Budgie off the cage:mad: and just put it in the freezer. I have even seen very.extremely ill ones done this way.:(

This is terrible:mad: I think you have to report the store to the humane society.
Honestly, I would not support that business by paying them for their sick birds. I do feel bad for the birds, but this is a case for the authorities. This is cruelty to animals.

I don't think they are wild caught. Budgies breed easily. They are probably from a breeder who breeds as many as they can, like "puppy mills" in dogs. They don't really care for the birds.

Sigrid

[Renae.]

Put in the freezer, for real? :rolleyes:

That's disgusting and shows how much they care about their birds. If it were me I'd say something.. I just couldn't help it. It makes me so sad, but it's indeed true they'll just be replaced with another sick bird who may be only slightly ill until it gets later and later.. and the budgie ends up on the bottom of the cage and the cycle continues and continues.

If you were to get however many, take them to an Avian Vet, if you can't afford it, see if they have payment plans (Avian Vet I see sadly doesn't do it) and have them see if their health can be back to normal. Unfortunately though, the others left there have to suffer then. If only there was a law that every pet shop was inspected, I mean, fully insepected - checking every single bird, their foods, toys etc etc. Never going to happen, we can only wish.

Anyway, if you do get them kudos to you! it's just heartbreaking leaving the store having known you've left so many others behind that shouldn't be there.

[Kiraine]

Please, don't support their cause by paying for the birds. You'd save one or two but would give them easy money and they'd just keep doing what they do.

Report them and make sure action will be taken! That way, no more birds will suffer, and even many of the current ones might get saved in the progress. ;_;

[Akala]

Maybe in other countries it's not like this, but in America especially pet stores are horrible,terrible places. I couldn't speak up (well I could've) because I was only 12 at the time. I will report this now, but since the sighting occured so long ago, will they still take me seriously? If you guys don't mind, I think I am going to get a job at one of my local pet shops, and I will take pics to show you the inhumanity there. While I'm there however I will try to make the poor animals more comfortable.:o:budgie::budgie::budgie:

[pal0m1n0]

I saw a Marketplace show recently about puppy mills and they mentioned some companion animal association that did some undercover work, going in with hidden cameras.

[Robin's Nest]

I'm confused:o

In your initial posts you were talking about seeing numerous sick budgies at your local petstore and your desire to nurse them back to health and our ability to help support you in that task. :) You added,

"I think I will try to nurse them back, but some of them are even beyond the brink sadly. I will post pics around Christmas so I can choose which one to buy."

So I am confused, as this all sounds present tense - that there is presently a store that you have seen sick budgies that you are contemplating buying and nursing back to health. Which is a noble, albeit expensive and heart breaking endeavor.

In the most recent post you stated that the sightings occurred long ago. Naturally, if there are no current violations, then no - you cannot report a store for something that happened long ago and you have no proof other than your statement.

Based upon your present tense statements of seeing sick birds and wanting to nurse them back to health, you do have something to report, you can prove it, and people will believe you. You may not get immediate action, and you may have to work hard to advocate for the birds, but based on your initial post and the present danger that you see these birds in, there is no time like the present to report them to the authorities.

Let me add one thing about pet stores. It has been my experience that they cannot be lumped into one bag as all being bad, or all being good. It is only fair that each store be judged on its own merits - on how they take care of their animals if they sell live animals. There is even a great difference between stores that are in the same chain. Some can be run well with knowledgeable people, others not so much. Not all pet stores in America are bad; not all are good. The best thing I can do is let my money speak for my loyalty. I only need to see one instance of mistreatment of live animals, and that store will never, ever, ever get one more dime of my money. Period. That is the power of the consumer, and it should be used often and wisely.

[Akala]

I agree, I go into pet stores alot and the only times I have seen CRUELTY was in the past. However I have seen sick birds not being abused but just not being properly cared for, because the workers don't know how or don't care. I agree that I can't lump them all into bad or good. But the ones in my area are pretty bad. I mean I will post a picture of the one I want to get as a pet, and it doesn't have to be sick, but I want to post a pic to just show you guys is all.