# Potential testicular cancer...What should I do?



## Dragonfruit (Apr 7, 2021)

Hi! This is 小白, one of my first budgies. He was rescued about three months ago, and since about a month ago I noticed a little lump on his abdomen (didn't pay a lot of attention to it and thought my mind was tricking me). Recently, I found his bluish white cere is turning pink. Called a vet immediately, and she said the sign of cere color change and abdomen lump matches testicular tumor. She also said there are excess mass (muscle?) build on his chest which could be something up with his hormone. However, there's no much she can do. I was referred to a larger avian vet hospital but the appointment line is sooooo long that I might have to wait for one or two months. The diagnosis + surgery probably cost thousands of dollars and the risk is high. 小白 is acting normally on a pellet + veggies diet. But I'm so lost and anxious right now and don't know what to do.

The other side story is: a bunch of people on reddit think 小白 is a female due to his previous cere color, but my vet thinks 小白 is a male.

I attached the white cere picture and pink cere picture of 小白 below. What do you guys think?








[before]








[after]

TL;DR: budgie cere changes from bluish white to pink/brown, lump found on abdomen. Vet said potential testicular cancer but waiting for the appointment from a better avian vet for formal diagnosis.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Did the vet actually exam your budgie or was this diagnosis done by telephone?

Your budgie is a female and the cere is changing to a scaly brown because she is in breeding condition. She looks to be fairly overweight in the picture you posted.
What are you feeding her?
How much seed is she getting per day. A budgie should only get 1 1/2 teaspoons of a good quality seed mix in addition to pellets and vegetables.
*
*A Healthy Diet for your Budgie*

*Quality Seed Mix*

*CuttleBones, Mineral Blocks and Manu Clay Roses*

*Obesity can be a real problem for budgies so you need to be aware of how much she is eating. Have you weighed her?

Obesity in Budgies

I highly recommend you take your bird to an Avian Vet for a proper diagnosis and treatment plan.

Avian Vets have special training to determine the cause of symptoms resulting from illness or trauma.

This is important as "regular" vets will often overlook symptoms that are quickly obvious to an Avian Vet.

When you rely on anyone who has not had training in Avian diagnosis and care, you may be delaying effective treatment. 

This can prolong suffering that may be avoidable.

The bird will often require a more intense, prolonged treatment with a poorer chance of full recovery than it would have if you seek prompt professional diagnosis and treatment at the first sign of illness.

If there are no Avian Vets near you, please find an Exotic Pet Veterinarian with experience in dealing with small birds.

Having your budgie examined by an Avian Vet allows you to develop a good relationship with the vet in case your bird needs care for an injury or illness in the future. Additionally, it is always helpful for the vet to have a baseline for your bird to refer to should it need future treatment.


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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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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

Dragonfruit said:


> Hi! This is 小白, one of my first budgies. He was rescued about three months ago, and since about a month ago I noticed a little lump on his abdomen (didn't pay a lot of attention to it and thought my mind was tricking me). Recently, I found his bluish white cere is turning pink. Called a vet immediately, and she said the sign of cere color change and abdomen lump matches testicular tumor. She also said there are excess mass (muscle?) build on his chest which could be something up with his hormone. However, there's no much she can do. I was referred to a larger avian vet hospital but the appointment line is sooooo long that I might have to wait for one or two months. The diagnosis + surgery probably cost thousands of dollars and the risk is high. 小白 is acting normally on a pellet + veggies diet. But I'm so lost and anxious right now and don't know what to do.
> 
> The other side story is: a bunch of people on reddit think 小白 is a female due to his previous cere color, but my vet thinks 小白 is a male.
> 
> ...


The bird in the first picture sitting on the chewed up swing is a female, is the bird in the second picture the same bird, the blue color appears to be different and looks more like the blue on the bird hanging on the cage bars in the first picture. Either way that bird is a female starting to come into breeding condition, as FaeryBee has indicated. There may be fatty deposits on the chest not a tumor. A testicular tumor does not stick out of the chest area, and anyway the birds are female.


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## Dragonfruit (Apr 7, 2021)

FaeryBee said:


> *Did the vet actually exam your budgie or was this diagnosis done by telephone?
> 
> Your budgie is a female and the cere is changing to a scaly brown because she is in breeding condition. She looks to be fairly overweight in the picture you posted.
> What are you feeding her?
> ...


Thanks!
The vet visit was done in person. But quite frankly I’m not sure if the vet is experienced in enough to make proper diagnosis. I’m currently waiting for the appointment from a bigger vet hospital, and their avian vet is hopefully more professional and experienced.

My budgie was on an all seed diet with the former owner. I switched them to pellets a month or so ago. They get very occasional seeds for fun. Two months ago one avian vet suggested that my budgie might be underweight. And now I look at the picture and definitely agree with you. I will try to get her exercise more. Thanks so much for the detailed input!


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## Dragonfruit (Apr 7, 2021)

Cody said:


> The bird in the first picture sitting on the chewed up swing is a female, is the bird in the second picture the same bird, the blue color appears to be different and looks more like the blue on the bird hanging on the cage bars in the first picture. Either way that bird is a female starting to come into breeding condition, as FaeryBee has indicated. There may be fatty deposits on the chest not a tumor. A testicular tumor does not stick out of the chest area, and anyway the birds are female.


I agree with the overweight part. Quick question about the sex: she is definitely way over 1yo by the time I took the first pic. And is it possible for older female still has such a white cere?
About the tumor, there is a slight lump right beside her/his vent. My other male budgie definitely doesn’t have that. And that plus the cere color change is what got me worried. Couldn’t get a great picture of it cuz it’s sort of subtle. But my vet suggested the bump could very possibly be some kind of fluid.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Both birds pictured are females. Yes, the older budgie can have a white cere. I specifically limit the daylight hours of my budgies to help prevent my female from coming into breeding condition.
Re: the lump next to the vent on the male(?) -- is the male a different bird or one of the two females pictured -- I'm very confused! The avian vet should be able to tell you if it is subcutaneous cyst (fluid filled mass).*


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## Dragonfruit (Apr 7, 2021)

FaeryBee said:


> *Both birds pictured are females. Yes, the older budgie can have a white cere. I specifically limit the daylight hours of my budgies to help prevent my female from coming into breeding condition.
> Re: the lump next to the vent on the male(?) -- is the male a different bird or one of the two females pictured -- I'm very confused! The avian vet should be able to tell you if it is subcutaneous cyst (fluid filled mass).*


It is the same bird. I was just unsure about her sex. But thanks so much! I’m in less stress now knowing that might not be a testicular tumor since she is a female


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Please be sure to update us on your birds' condition after you have taken them to the vet. What are your budgies' names?*


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