# Baby Budgie Stands Hunched Over



## EchoGSD (Mar 27, 2018)

Hi, I tried to search for this topic, but didn't really come up with anything.

I got a new baby budgie last Saturday. I have two other budgies and had a fair number of indoor birds as a child (but that was a... few years ago). I also have poultry, so I am not new to birds. Anyway, I was looking specifically for a handfed budgie, and this is a pretty rural area, so the options are extremely limited. I had to drive about 3 hours to get this one. When I arrived, they were unable to tell me how old their babies were. I suspect it is younger than I originally was told although the breeder said that they are completely weaned onto seeds (it is almost fully feathered). I decided to go ahead and bring it home, (I even have handfeeding formula on hand for sick poultry and have handfed baby birds when I had them as a child).

Anyway, this baby (while originally very scared) seems to be doing well. I have not been able to get it to eat any formula, but it is eating seeds well, active, alert, and not fluffed. It does not perch much, but can, as I saw it perched on the feed bowl (although I am also scattering food on the bottom of the cage for now). My actual question regards it's stance. It stands far more horizontal than the older two I have, and seems to "hang" it's head. It can stand upright, but just doesn't seem to choose to do so most of the time. It has been long enough since I had baby indoor birds, that I do not remember if this is normal for fairly young babies. I can take it to a vet, but that is no simple feat, the avian vet is 2 hours away, and I fear adding to the stress load at this point, especially since it is otherwise acting healthy.

I will attempt to get a picture showing this stance tomorrow.

In the meantime, here's a picture of it cuddling with my hand. :loveeyes:


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Hi! :welcome: to Talk Budgies

Your baby budgie is adorable. :001_wub:

Yes, it is normal for baby budgies to prefer to be in a more prone position. 
Many very young ones like to be in secure corners of the cage as it reminds them of their nest box.

That said, because English budgies have been bred to have a bigger, puffier heads, some actually have heads that are too heavy for their body to hold upright comfortably. The head is too big for the body.
Until your budgie gets older, you won't be able to determine for sure if that is the case in this particular bird.

A great deal has changed with regard to best practices in caring for budgies over the past years.

Please take the time to read through the Site Guidelines, all of the How To Guides, the FAQs, the Budgie Articles and the stickies located at the top of each section of the forum.

Truly, the very BEST advice anyone can offer you is to take the time to read ALL of the stickies throughout the various Talk Budgie forums as well as the Budgie Articles we have posted.

These are great resources for Talk Budgie members and have a wealth of reliable information which will assist you to learn the best practices in caring for your budgies for their optimal health and well-being.

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If you have any questions after reading through everything, please be sure to ask!

Glad you decided to join us and looking forward to seeing you around the forums.

:wave:*[/COLOR]


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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

Hi there and :welcome: to the forums! 

Your budgie is beautiful  

FaeryBee has given great advice and resources!

You've come to the best place to learn all about budgies! 

Since you're new to the forums and to budgies, be sure to read through all the links provided above, as they include the forum's many stickies and articles to ensure that you're up to date on the very best of budgie care practices. 

If you have any questions after reading through everything, please be sure to ask as we'd love to help! 

We hope to see more of you and your little one around the forums! What's his name? 

Cheers! :wave:


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## EchoGSD (Mar 27, 2018)

Pictures didn't post. Please see below.


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## EchoGSD (Mar 27, 2018)

Thank you for the responses. I have read most of the stickies on this site.

Anyway, there is definitely something wrong with this bird. I had him out a little longer tonight (just a few minutes), and that gave me more time to see the issue. Here is a picture showing how "he" typically stands.









Here is a picture showing how he was "standing" after the stress of getting that picture.









He is still active, alert, and eating (seeds) very well. I will be sending these pictures to my vet tomorrow to get an idea if he thinks I need to rush him down there or give him a few days to get over some of the stress. I suspect that the best I can hope for is that this is an injury that will heal (he did fall while the breeder was holding him and they clipped his wings). My other thought is wry neck (do budgies get that?). Some chickens that get it do hold their heads like that. In chickens it can be caused by either disease or a vitamin deficiency. He is not good at perching at all.

Also, any idea on his age?


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## Goldenwing (Oct 4, 2017)

I have no suggestions as to what is going on with your bird. He does look young to me and is very beautiful! Good luck with you feathered friends and :welcome:


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## Hunterkat (Mar 29, 2017)

I'm very sorry that I have no suggestions other than to take him to an avian vet. I can't tell how old he is from these pictures, but if the stripes on his head go down to his cere he's 4 months old or less


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*I'm so sorry to see how bad your little fellow's condition is. 

"Wry neck" or torticollis is possible and, as you said, can be caused by nutritional deficiency or by ingesting toxins/contracting botulism

Have you told the breeder about this budgie's condition yet?
Do you know what kind of diet the breeder was feeding the budgie's parents?

I hope your Avian Vet will have some good suggestions for you with regard to how to best care for this little guy.

Please be sure to update us on his condition.
:hug:*


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## EchoGSD (Mar 27, 2018)

Thanks for the responses. And yes, "he" is a super cute little guy.

Unfortunately my vet is out today. He'll be back tomorrow, so I'll talk to him tomorrow morning. I'm honestly suspecting bacterial infection (I, unfortunately, have some experience with that with susceptible chickens who were exposed while incubating). He is still active and eating very well. He was weaned onto seeds, so that is what I'm providing him for right now (my others eat pellets). Although, his poops look good, which kind of reduces the chance of bacterial infection. (He did have green diarrhea the first day.) He's full of spit and vinegar, actually. :laughing2:

I have not contacted the breeder. Not sure there is much point. There seemed to be a little lost in translation (literally). I think it is mostly the mom's thing, who doesn't know a lot of english, so the daughter translates for her. From a financial point of view, he wasn't that expensive. I suppose I could check to find out the diet of the adults. I left with the idea that it was probably seeds. :dunno: I don't want to say too much, but I got the impression that they like their birds, but haven't really researched them much.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*That is really too bad about the breeder.
I really hate it when people who have no idea what they are doing decide they are going to breed their birds. It doesn't bode well for either the adults or the offspring. *


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## EchoGSD (Mar 27, 2018)

Yeah, I'm REALLY not happy with them right now.

I was able to get him down the the vet today. The vet looked at the pictures yesterday, even though it was his day off and suggested bringing him down. Of course, not much could be done because he stressed pretty quickly, but we're testing him for a bacterial infection, and the other two options he mentioned were metal poisoning (which he tried to get an x ray to check for, but since he was stressed it didn't happen), and a virus. Obviously, I'm hoping for bacterial infection. The vet said that the metal poisoning IS treatable (but I doubt it's that anyway to be honest), but because of his size it is very difficult to do. A virus, obviously, is a death sentence.

What upsets me the most about this, is that I noticed the neurological issues the first night he was home. I assumed they were due to stress. (I didn't see them at the breeder's house because he was being held.) So that tells me (and the vet and I discussed this), if they were paying attention at ALL they should have noticed that something wasn't right. And now, I have a bird that is putting my other two budgies and all of my poultry at risk. Of course, he is, and has been, quarantined. But this isn't a commercial poultry facility, and it is impossible to truly quarantine a bird in a home. (Technically it's impossible in a commercial facility too, thus the bird flu euthanizations). If people would just pay attention to their animals, this type of thing wouldn't happen.

And, unfortunately, I'm not sure how I can get a hand raised bird in this area from a "safe" source. I could have one shipped, but then, how do I know how the birds were actually kept? I would say the cost is getting up there too, except that I have now probably spent just as much on this bird, and he will likely die.

Anyway, this rant became a bit all encompassing (probably more than you even realize). But as you may imagine, I'm a little upset right now. (And I'm operating on about 3 1/2 hours of sleep between driving 2 hours, one way, TWICE to take him down and pick him up. So I've got a bit of a hair trigger.)


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## Blingy (Feb 26, 2018)

Hi EchoGSD, I've been following your story and I just wanted to say I'm so sorry you and your sweet baby are going through this. It's just so unfair. I'm pleased to read that you say your baby is full of spit and vinegar though as hopefully that will see him through whatever is wrong with him. A huge good on you for getting this baby the vet care he needs. I'm crossing everything I have that your little feathered friend will come out the other side of this and live a very long, happy life. Please keep us posted and know that you are not alone. We are all here for you and you are in our hearts and thoughts.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Sending many prayers and much healing energy for your little fellow. :hug:

Please let us know what you find out from the vet with regard to his condition.*


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## MidnightIris (Sep 14, 2013)

Hi!
Such a cute little pic!!


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