# Budgie “coughing”



## Rumpy (Feb 11, 2019)

Hey all,

Recently I noticed one of my birds (approx 4 months old) started making a strange coughing or hiccuping noise and opening his beak more than usual (eg to yawn).

This started to worry me as it persisted over a couple of days, and it's outside of his normal repertoire and characteristics to do this.

See link below, is this something I should worry about?






Any help is much appreciated thanks!


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

Hi Rumpy,
Is the bird still exhibiting this behavior? It looks almost as if he is trying to bring something up or has some reflux, what do you feed him? Is there anything that he could have swallowed that might be causing this? Do the droppings look normal? Some toys have tassels or fringe on them and if the bird chews on them and swallows some of the fiber that may cause a problem. The video was short but in looking at the abdomen it looks as if the breathing is slightly labored but that could be the result of what you are referring to as coughing. If this continues you should have the bird examined by an avian vet.


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## Rumpy (Feb 11, 2019)

Hi Cody 

Thanks for your quick response.

I’m at work now but when I left this morning he was still doing this yes.

The diet has remained unchanged - more or less only seed.

They both like to chew small pieces of newspaper inside the cage, could it be possible he’s swallowed some which has become stuck?

Droppings seem fine to me - I’ll report back when I get home tonight


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*How is the budgie doing today? Has the behavior stopped yet?
If not, you need to take him to an Avian Vet.

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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