# Bad eyesight/clumsy?



## Kokos (Jul 8, 2015)

Hi guys! 2 health questions.
1. I've had my little boy Kokos for 1 ½ years now. Ever since I've got him he's always been very calm and easy to cuddle with, he likes to nap, climb eeeeverywhere on everything and play with his toys in his cage more than flying around in the room.
Something I've always noticed is how clumsy he is - it's almost like he's not really aware of things that's going on sometimes? And I can easily pick him up from one side (by his left eye) but i I try to pick him up from the right side he's a bit more unsure/clumsy. It's happened that he sometimes fly/climb in his cage and misjudges the distance or something and falls to the bottom of the cage.
Now, this itself isn't a problem since the cage isn't very 'high' so he's never hurt from stuff like that, he rather seems a little surprised when it happens. 

I'm just worried he's got bad eyesight or some discease? Could it be something he's had ever since he was a baby bird?

2. This might be related to nr1, but I recently got him a little friend how was about 3 months when we got him. His name's Mango.
They USUALLY get along very well, but now it sort of seems like Mango has become the alfa of the two, which makes me afraid Kokos might feel 'bullied', sort of? Now, Mango is a very active guy. He likes to play, hang out, fly eeeverywhere, and be with Kokos all the time. The problem is, Kokos seem to be a bit annoyed by this. For some reason Mango is pretty big for a baby budgie so he might be a little too much for Kokos to handle? I sometimes see Kokos try to get away from Mango around the cage or outside it and Mango keeps following. When I take Kokos out of the room Mango keeps shouting after him, while Kokos doesn't really care (in the beginning he used to shout back).

I'm just a little worried that Kokos might not enjoy Mango's company as much as he likes living alone in his cage? They've been sharing cage now for about a month.

PS I saw Mango chase after Kokos today and when he caught up with him he put his foot on Kokos' back - is he playing or bullying Kokos?

I appreciate all thoughts and advice on this matter. Thanks guys! :green pied:


----------



## aluz (Jul 24, 2011)

Hi there,

When it comes to your Kokos' health, you will have better answers after you have him examined by an avian vet specialist. If he is unable to measure distances well and the crash landings on the cage are frequent, then there is the possibility of him having the eyesight compromised, Kokos can also have some kind of mobility problem in terms of his general motor skills.

Mango's foot on Kokos' back is a clear sign of dominance and since there is consistent bullying involved and Kokos is feeling stressed by Mango's presence and this clumsiness is increasing due to the fact he has to escape from Mango's chasing, then having your budgies housed on separate cages would be the best thing to do.


----------



## Kokos (Jul 8, 2015)

Thanks Aluz!
I've actually booked an appointment tomorrow at a local avian vet for Kokos to check out this, and also if he's stressed out atm etc. 
And I'm getting another cage this week for Mango. My thought though, does this mean they have to be in separate cages forever or just for a while? My boyfriend loves birds as well and he told me from the start that if Mango won't get along with Kokos he'll adopt him himself. So I'm just thinking if Mango's 'mean' behaviour is permanent, they would have to be in separate cages forever?

I mean, Mango seems to really like Kokos though, you know when he's not being all Alfa around him....hmmmm....and before the whole Alfa business Kokos seemed to really like Mango as well...


----------



## aluz (Jul 24, 2011)

You're very welcome! 

In this case time will tell. After both Kokos and Mango are each settled in their respective cages, you can allow them supervised out of cage time together and by doing so and watching how they behave and interact on neutral grounds (away from cages), you will have a better idea on how to proceed.
If the chasing and bullying persists, then you will know that they need to be kept on separate cages permanently and that it would also be best for them to have separate out of cage time.

It's really good that your boyfriend is able to take in Mango if things don't go well with them.

Best of luck for tomorrow's vet appointment!


----------



## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*As always, aluz has offered excellent advice. :thumbsup:

I'll be looking forward to your update after Kokos sees the Avian Vet tomorrow.*


----------



## Kokos (Jul 8, 2015)

UPDATE:
so now i've been at the vet! Actually, I booked the vet mainly since Kokos seemed to be a little sick (didn't eat, drink noramlly etc) and it turned out he was injured from flying around in his cage recently in the middle of the night. So the vet said that injury would heal itself in about two weeks, which felt good to hear. We got Loxicom to feet him morning and night for a week (pain reducive meds) but today he threw it up togetherwith seeds. I called the vet, they said they'd call back tomorrow with advice, but asked me to skip his medication tonight. Other than that, he's just cozy and sleepy mostly now. Aaaah I know the avian vet knows 100% what she's doing but I can't help but feel worried for my little guy. He's the love of my life, the most gentle bird I've ever met. I hope all that sleeping helps him recover soon.

Also, I asked about his motor skills. She just shrugged and said some birds have bad motor skills, lol. Poor Kokos haha. Lucky he's got me then, so he can be clumsy without worrying about predators


----------



## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*I'm very glad you've taken Kokos to the Avian Vet and that she is one you trust.

Sending lots of positive thoughts, healing energy and prayers for Kokos to have a full and speedy recovery from his illness.

Please keep us updated on his condition.

Best wishes!*


----------



## Pegg (Jun 7, 2011)

Get well soon KoKo!


----------



## shaz128blue (Feb 18, 2009)

I hope your little one get better soon, sounds like you have done all the right things. Please keep us updated x


----------



## mexicoandice (Sep 15, 2015)

I'm sorry your little Kokos is not feeling 100%. I hope he feels better soon, and that the injury heals quickly! Best wishes from Mexico, Ice, and Tia!


----------



## Kokos (Jul 8, 2015)

You're all so nice! That's just what I needed to hear right now.
So, he started getting sick and puking after the vet visit which I thought was the fault of the loxicom medication. Turns out I was wrong. Revisited today since he's become much worse, and turnes our she missed (!!!!) an infected part of his wing last time, sigh...  So he had to have an x ray to make sure the wing wasn't broken. Luckily for me, it wasn't. So here's the full medical deal:

About two weeks ago he got caught in a weird angle in his cage with his left wing. Directly after he got a small 'bump' on it/the back. I thought it was a minor injury, but took him to the vet when I noticed his lack of apetite etc, as mentioned.
She punctured this and said all was fine.
Now when I revisited, she said it could either be an infection due to injury (which we're treating right now) or a tumour. I highly doubt a tumour since I literally saw him get injured and get that bump (though I thought it wasn't dangerous, my bad!  )

So right now he's started taking a smaller dosage of loxicom and started with strong antibiotics. At the moment he wants to preen but is in too much pain to do it all around. I see him eat seeds sometimes but he eats pretty much millets (I have to bribe him with millets mainly atm since he won't have vegetables and seem to eat plenty of millets). As long as he's eating more than he's sometimes throwing up I'm satisfied.

I have to forcefeed him his medicine each morning now and forcefeed a little babyfood and water each night, since he won't drink anything himself - at all - right now.

Since this infection got to stay for an entire week, I can see he's got pain in his left foot, because he's having trouble lifting it up. For now he prefers to sit still and sleep.
I've bought a heat lamp which is directed to a corner of his cage at about 32 celcius. I put it up today, put him there together with a easily accessible millet and now he's been slow eating a bit but mostly slept for hours there. He looks more relaxed now than without the heat lamp. I also have a blanket a bit over the cage so he won't get the lamp light in his eyes or on his head.

Gosh! Can you tell I really care for this little guy?! Haha. He's the love of my life and so young, only a year and a half.

Do you guys think the treatment will work? My gut says yes - finally - but at the same time, I've heard that abscesses (which I'm sure it was) can spread when punctured if not treated with antibiotics right away. I'm just terribly scared the antibiotics won't work :S We'll see in about 10 days from now.
Also, his poop is a little dry but other than that looks normal, and when he pukes (about two times a day) there's about 10 small seeds coming up each time. I'm pretty sure he eats way more than that in a day.

I just need some reassurance right now - I've been worried SICK for a week and I'm still not in the clear. Has anyone here experienced something similar with their birds? Is there anything else I can do for him? Does it sound like a hopeful situation? :'(


----------



## mexicoandice (Sep 15, 2015)

I'm so sorry that your budgie is so unwell!:hug: I can't give you any other advice except maybe to make sure everything he needs is close by him so he doesn't have to move too much. I hope someone can give you more/better advice, and I am sending prayers your way.ray:


----------



## Kokos (Jul 8, 2015)

Thank you! I will try to put everything as close as possible without him feeling crowded


----------



## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

I'm so, so sorry that you're going through this with little Kokos :hug: It must be heartbreaking to see him so weak and sick and I do agree that you're doing as much as you can for your little guy.

I've never experienced anything like that, thankfully, but it sounds like he's very weak right now so keeping him eating and drinking like you're doing is great. You can give him some of this, it won't interfere with his meds. The electrolytes in the solution will ensure he keeps up his energy as much as possible. You can give it to him with millet or just as it is or even mixed with the baby food. http://talkbudgies.com/your-budgies-health/295617-guardian-angel-pedialyte-pedialyte-recipe.html

Best of luck and I'm praying your little one makes a thorough and rapid recovery! ray:


----------



## Kokos (Jul 8, 2015)

Hi again! That's great advice  I live in Sweden and don't have time to order online, so I'll probably make it myself following that recepie. So basically you just mix it all like that and like, cover the whole millet in it? Won't it go bad more quickly? How much should I apply on the millet? 

Update: So I tried the soaked millet thing, but my little diva wouldn't have any of it. After a while I had to put in a normal one beside it, which he started eating instantly. Hmm...


----------



## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

He probably didn't like the "wet" feeling of the millet. In that case, you can just give it to him instead of water. It will keep him hydrated and his blood sugar at a normal level :thumbsup:


----------



## Kokos (Jul 8, 2015)

Alright! I'll try giving it to him tonight instead of the water  Great advice!


----------



## shaz128blue (Feb 18, 2009)

Poor baby, sounds like you are doing everything you can. 

I used to give cold camomilla tea with a drop of apple cider vinegar to my Honey to help her joints that helped her loads too xxx


----------



## Kokos (Jul 8, 2015)

What recepe did you use for the tea and apple cider shaz128blue?  I don't want to give him an overdose in the water by mistake. I've heard apple cider vinegar is like a magic posion for almost anything haha.

StarlingWings - Thanks a bunch! I gave the mix to him through the force feeding as I do with water normally and all went fine. Afterwards, he's had the best apetite he's ever had in DAYS! I don't know if it's the antibiotics starting to kick in or if that little formula was exactly what he needed


----------



## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*The electrolyte solution which Star recommended helps to stimulate your budgie's appetite and encourage him to drink more. 
It sounds as if it was helpful. :thumbsup:

When you are giving an antibiotic, you should not use Apple Cider Vinegar until the complete course of antibiotic is completed. The ACV can render the antibiotic ineffective.

Take a look at this thread regarding Apple Cider Vinegar

http://talkbudgies.com/articles-holistic-natural-remedies/103936-apple-cider-vinegar.html*


----------



## Kokos (Jul 8, 2015)

FaeryBee - thanks for the link!  And also thanks for the warning! I had no idea ACV could work against antibiotics like that, the more you know.

Btw, does anyone know if you can make Probiotics by recepee yourself or if that's something you've gotta buy?


----------



## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*


Kokos said:



FaeryBee - thanks for the link!  And also thanks for the warning! I had no idea ACV could work against antibiotics like that, the more you know.

Btw, does anyone know if you can make Probiotics by recepee yourself or if that's something you've gotta buy?

Click to expand...

I answered that question in your other thread. 
http://talkbudgies.com/your-budgies-health/364721-somethings-wrong-foot.html*


----------



## Kokos (Jul 8, 2015)

Hehe you're the best <3


----------

