# Puffed up but active budgie.



## BlueBirdNYC (Aug 26, 2016)

I've been keeping my eye on a budgie in my local pet store. He came in about 2 weeks ago. He was puffed up and I thought maybe that could have been from the stress of the new arrival. I've been checking in on him and he's been puffed up every time I come in, but he's active. Hopping around, playing with the other budgies. Thoughts on this? I nicknamed him "Tubby" ....& I let the store know and asked them to keep an eye on him. They put ivermectin in the budgies' water the first week, but Tubby is still puffed up like a little blue snowball.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*The concern about illness is when a budgie is fluffed up and lethargic.

Some budgies do tend to like to be more "fluffed" than their counterparts. My little Solomon seems to fluff his feathers more than the other budgies and I know for a fact he is quite healthy.

Samara is also more "fluffed" on a regular basis than Seffra.*


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## BlueBirdNYC (Aug 26, 2016)

FaeryBee said:


> *The concern about illness is when a budgie is fluffed up and lethargic.
> 
> Some budgies do tend to like to be more "fluffed" than their counterparts. My little Solomon seems to fluff his feathers more than the other budgies and I know for a fact he is quite healthy.
> 
> Samara is also more "fluffed" on a regular basis than Seffra.*


Thanks for the clarification. I'm keeping an eye on him and the store staff is as well.

I'm just not sure about him. He's eating ... although fluffed while eating.... and he's partnered with other budgies.... I think he found a friend who loves to preen him. I've seen that a lot...(him being preened) and he cozies & huddles next to his buddie when he sleeps. Would a friend budgie be so cozy with him if he were ill? Do budgies shun ill budgies...? Or do they nurse them...?

I wish I could bring him home. He's so cute and I love a fluffy fluffed-up budgie. I can't bring him home... (for myriad reasons)... but if I could, I most certainly would. (& take him to the vet immediately.)

I trust that the store will watch his activity level, but I'm going to pop in again in a few days. (Was nearby and went in today... he was sleeping fluffed up, so that didn't tell me much. He was next to his friend.)

Thanks...!


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Some budgies will "nurse" their budgie friend(s) when they are ill while others use the opportunity to dominate or even hurt them.

Unfortunately, without a vet being involved, we have no way of knowing if the little fellow is fluffed because he's young, cold, ill... etc.

I'm glad both you and the pet-store staff are keeping a close eye on him and I'm hoping he just likes being fluffy.*


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## Birdmanca (Jan 24, 2008)

He could be cold. I have one budgies that puffs himself up when the weather is cold for several days in a row. Also, it could be something else yet. But do see how he reacts during cold spells.


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## BlueBirdNYC (Aug 26, 2016)

FaeryBee said:


> *Some budgies will "nurse" their budgie friend(s) when they are ill while others use the opportunity to dominate or even hurt them.
> 
> Unfortunately, without a vet being involved, we have no way of knowing if the little fellow is fluffed because he's young, cold, ill... etc.
> 
> I'm glad both you and the pet-store staff are keeping a close eye on him and I'm hoping he just likes being fluffy.*


Yeah, fingers crossed that's the case. They mentioned something about getting a heater fixed soon, so perhaps he's cold. We'll see. ... Thanks for answering because I learned some new things about budgie monitoring & behaviors.​


Birdmanca said:


> He could be cold. I have one budgies that puffs himself up when the weather is cold for several days in a row. Also, it could be something else yet. But do see how he reacts during cold spells.



This could be the case because they said they're having heater problems (although I didn't notice it.) We'll see. I trust they'll keep an eye on him because they're a small store with a consistent small staff, and not a big box with multiple employees. Thanks for your thoughts...!​


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## BlueBirdNYC (Aug 26, 2016)

*Puffed up but active budgie. Has tiny eyes.*

A couple of interesting things with this guy (at least I think it's a guy) ---

- he as unusually tiny eyes. I've never seen such tiny eyes on a budgie. They seem half the size of a typical budgie eye. Is this a normal trait that happens sometimes? Has anyone come across this?

- he is still bonded to his other male budgie friend but I noticed the other budgie keeps putting his foot on the more docile bird's back. I didn't see any bullying, & Tubby ( as I've nicknamed the puffy looking budgie ) doesn't try to get away from this bird. I didn't see any chasing or attacks, on the contrary, Tubby seeks out his friend, looking to be preened & I think I saw feeding. But the foot on the back thing was happening and it didn't exactly look like an attempt to mate either. Not that I could tell. .... What might this leg behavior be about?

Thank you. . .


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## Therm (Aug 2, 2015)

I think the thing with the back is a dominance thing.


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## ReneBC (Mar 26, 2016)

I agree with Therm, Fido and Berty both did that to each other, back when they were introduced to start with, looked very much like they where trying to figure out who was the "boss" with the other little things they did, also, no real fighting that I saw at least


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## RavensGryf (May 8, 2015)

I agree it can be a show of dominance. In parrots (budgies would be here too), it is also a mating gesture. One of my males does it to his male buddy during certain times of year, and he feeds him as well, just as a mated pair would do.

I've noticed a difference in eye size in budgies too. I guess it's individual genetics . My late Pix had the tiniest eyes. Recessive pied, so he had cute little black dots  as compared to his late buddy Twigs, who also recessive pied, had larger eyes.


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## BlueBirdNYC (Aug 26, 2016)

This puffed up budgie was sent off to the avian vet. They're going to let me know his diagnosis. They said if he is treated and back to normal (not puffed up all the time), that he'll be returned to their store.

I think it's good that they have these policies and that they're willing to be transparent with customers about such things.

While I commend that they finally sent him to the vet... I think they waited a bit too long. I believe they treated him with antibiotics on-site, but when he didn't respond that's when they sent him to the vet. 

Also they let me know that all incoming budgie inventory, remain in quarantine at their warehouse before they are sent to the stores. (This is a smaller regional chain.) Not sure how this character made it through the process... but he did. 

My neighbor got her budgies from this store and they're now 9 years old, so that's comforting. She hasn't had any health problems, but she has had flock issues. (Which is natural.)


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