# Breathing Heavy?



## NashaKamalani

sorry if this isn't the right place to post this but,

I just got my bird on Friday (3/11), so he is very nervous and I understand that. 
He has started copying kissy noises I make, and does very very soft chirping sometimes.

_I have noticed that he's started to breath heavily, and do a lot of feather ruffling/stretching, and his back is usually turned on me. 
_

Here's a video of the breathing:





A lot of places online have said that heavy breathing is a sign of him being sick!
I wanted to see what the general opinion is, if this is nervousness or a sign that he needs medical attention.

More Info

He's been eating the Millet seeds only, he has had some water too. I have seen him poop.

When I first got him, he was frozen to the floor of his cage, but later that night he eventually moved to the perches. His breathing seemed normal at this point.

It was only this afternoon I noticed the heavy breathing, and a lot more stretching and ruffling his feathers.

Possible Illness Causes

1) The store clerk stroked him directly on the nose and beak a few times, this was right after she handled fish in the fish tank. She did wash her hands after the fish.

2) Someone turned the ceiling fan on yesterday, and he seemed to be cold. When I saw the fan was on I immediately turned it off because I know budgies shouldn't be in a draft.

3) It was a cold day today


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## shanebudgie

Greetings welcome to the forum.from what I seen on the video,I couldn't tell if he was sick,but it did looked like he was stressed and nervous.a lot of new budgie when you bring 1 home they will be nervous and scared the first few days or so.you can help easy his nervousness by covering 3 quarters of the cage ,leaving the front open.so it will help calm him from having to look all around.have you noticed any watery droppings or anything blocking his cere? Also is he eating well and active?.I'm sure someone will come in and offer better advice.but I hope this helps some.keep us posted and I hope he will be ok soon.blessings


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## Budget baby

Hello what a gorgeous little budgie. If you can psi some pictures of him front on would help us more. From the video I tend to feel he is nervous more so than sick. He is not fluffed up, or by the sounds of things having any bad signs.
Covering the cage is an excellent idea and does help. Play some budgie sounds from you tube, or music silence to a budgie is a sign of danger. the stretching and fluffing of feathers is normal budgie behaviour also.
http://talkbudgies.com/articles-general-budgie-info/314674-keeping-budgies-warm-winter.html
http://talkbudgies.com/new-budgie-arrivals/295169-yes-your-bird-scared.html


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## FaeryBee

*
Hi, and :welcome: Welcome to Talk Budgies

I need clarification, please. 
Are you indicating the store clerk hit the budgie on his beak? 
Why on earth would the clerk hit the budgie? 

The breathing your budgie is exhibiting is perfectly normal. 
He's a very pretty little fellow. 

Do make sure your budgie is not subjected to any drafts.

Right now your budgie is terrified -- he's in a new place and its scary for him.

Cover his cage on the top and three side and play calming music for him.

It is normal for a budgie to be very quiet initially.
He is going to need a couple of weeks to settle into his new environment. Please do not try to touch him during the first two weeks.

Taming and Bonding is all about helping your budgie learn to trust you and it takes a great deal of time and patience on your part. 
You should never grab your budgie or force him to be touched. 
To bond with your budgie, you need to build his trust in you.
He will have to learn over time that you will not hurt him, grab him and try to force him to allow you to hold him.

To build your budgie's trust, sit by his cage and read, talk or sing quietly to him for a period of at least 10-15 minutes, 3 or 4 times day. After the 2nd or 3rd day, rest your hand on the outside of the cage when you talk to him so he'll learn that your hand is safe and will not hurt him.

After a week, rest your hand inside the cage when you talk. 
Don't make sudden moves, don't try to touch him. 
Let his get used to the idea that the hand is now in his safe place and not harming him.

After 2 weeks, begin moving your hand slowly toward your budgie. If he becomes agitated, stop moving your hand and just hold very still until he calms down. When he's comfortable with your hand near him, you can offer him a bit of millet or a few seeds. In a few more days, you can begin your taming and bonding sessions.

Always work at your budgie's pace. 
Move slowly and talk reassuringly and calmly to him whenever you interact with him.

Most budgies once they pass the "baby" stage, do not like to be petted or touched. 
If your budgie does like to be petted, you should only ever pet his head, neck or chest area.
Stroking a budgie's back and/or tail stimulates its breeding instinct. Bonding means allowing them to choose to be with you.

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## Kittieful

Poor little guy seems scared. I agree with what everyone else said, only I would add that if bird sounds make him sad like they did with my two when I first got them, switch to something different, like music or television.


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## shanebudgie

Greetings I found tv works best for my little one,but each is different.but just might work for your budgie friend.they love tv,radio and even chatting with them at times.keep us posted and good luck.blessings


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## NashaKamalani

The store clerk stroked his beak and nose. i'm not sure if it's okay for humans to touch that part of the bird, and even if it is she did come up to us right after dealing with the aquariums.

I guess I'm just being an over protective mom, haha!

Thank you all for the advice. I'm doing my best to try to make life a bit more stress free for my new little burb, hopefully soon I will be able to show him I'm only here to love him. Slow and steady wins the race, as they say, and I'll make sure to take thinks easy with him to not cause additional stress.

I wanted to make double sure. 

Thanks everyone!

:budgie:

aw thank you. he is super pretty, i love him lots.

If more issues arise i'll post more video / pics 

Thank you!


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## despoinaki

I agree with the other members.. the new guy is just stressed. The only thing I wanted to say is.. that if there's any trouble with breathing, you'll notice that the budgie will have his beak open a lot of times. In this way they breath better, if they don't feel well. 
You can make him relax and begin to trust you if you don't make sudden moves towards him, talk him in a lower voice and generally, make him used to your presence. In a short time, you'll see, he'll feel a lot better.  Best of luck!


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## StarlingWings

Hello and :welcome: to the forums! 

Your budgie is very sweet  You've been given great advice and I'm glad you're going to work with him slowly and surely--you're absolutely right, it's the best way to create a long lasting bond built on trust. 

You're doing great so far! Keep up the good work 

Be sure to look through the links provided to ensure you're up to date on care for your little one, and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. 

Hope to see you around! :wave:


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