# Very stubborn sick budgie



## ChirpChirp (Oct 13, 2015)

This is my first post and I have a lot of things to ask you guys !

I had a budgie for 11 years and he died earlier this month, I think it was from a liver tumor; he was a strong little guy (he's the one in my avatar; his name was Angel !) and he never had to go to the vet, he was always very healthy. A week after he passed, I decided to adopt a new budgie to ease my pain a little (I was crying constantly). It's a little girl I named Pixie and she's quite the princess. The only thing she would eat at first was millet and she didn't drink at all. I bought a new, bigger cage for her because she didn't seem to like my budgie's old cage. The one I got is the M01 vision cage.

REF









I have a few problems: at first, she didn't want to eat from the bowls at all so I had to handfeed her and give her water from a spoon. I left some millet for her (which she devoured) and tried veggies but she didn't touch them. She actually got around to eating in the bowls during two days, then my mom bought her a ladder so it would be easier for her to get to the bowls and since then she hasn't gone down to eat at all. I feed her the Hagen Gourmet seed mix, which my last budgie ate during his 11 years of existence. Angel always had honey millet and regular millet at his disposal but I actually ration it with Pixie because if I give it to her, she will eat it aggressively fast and ditch everything else. I'm now back to handfeeding her and giving her water from a spoon.

The thing is, a week and half ago, she started to show symptoms of a respiratory infection. At first, I thought she was just stressed from the move but today, her state worsened. She's sneezing a lot and wheezing, making squeaky noises when she breathes; she actually scratched her head so much she has some missing feathers near her right eye. Yesterday, she was chirping and flying around the house a lot, she was still doing this in the morning but she's slept most of the afternoon. I took an appointment with the vet for tomorrow, which is pretty far from where I live.

I hope she'll get better and I want to do everything I can do to help her. What do you think I should do so Pixie will eat better ? She doesn't want to try veggies even if I sprinkle them with seeds or eat them in front of her. Angel always wanted to eat whatever I was eating (and wanted me to feed him directly from my mouth hahaha) but she only seems to want millet and nothing else. She will rather starve then eat veggies; in the mix I give her, there are pellets but she never takes them, she spits them out if she ever happens to pick them up. She eats from a vitamin block (orange-flavored one) but she doesn't touch her mineral block or her cuttlebone; what should I do for her to get all the nutriments she needs so she gets better and avoid getting sick again ? I'm a student and I can't really afford many vet appointments...


----------



## Budget baby (Jan 1, 2013)

Hello I am sorry your new Budgie is experiencing all of these issues. It can be very stressful when things don't go a they should.
Do you know how old your little girl is? Was she eating normally before she came home with you? Budgies are very picky and quite stubborn regarding food, they get used to eating one brand of seed and will tend to want only that. Do you know what brand she was eating? Converting her to anew diet will take time and patience don't give up.
She does sound like she definitely needs to be see by an avian vet as soon as possible.
Cover her cage with a blanket and place a steaming kettle or bowl filled with steaming water underneath, add a couple of drops of eucalyptus oil to the water this will help with her breathing. and keep any drafts out . Please let us know what the vet has to say .


----------



## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Hi and :welcome: to Talk Budgies!

I'm glad you are seeing an Avian Vet tomorrow with Pixie to get the proper diagnosis and treatment plan for her. :hug: 
Until then, using the steam treatment Cathy recommended will be a good way to help her breathe more easily.

Avian Vets have special training to determine the cause of symptoms resulting from illness or trauma.
When you rely on unskilled individuals, you delay 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 recover than it would have if you
seek prompt professional diagnosis and treatment at the first sign of illness.

Having your new 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.

How old is Pixie? It takes time and patience to introduce new foods to a budgie. 
During the time she is ill, let her have a quality seed mix and millet to keep her energy up so she can get well. Once she has recovered then you can begin introducing pellets and vegetables to her. The Diet and Nutrition Section of the forum has good tips which will be helpful at that time.

Additionally, you may want to consider giving her ACV once she is well. This is a natural priobiotic which promotes digestive health.
http://talkbudgies.com/articles-holistic-natural-remedies/103936-apple-cider-vinegar.html

Pixie will use her cuttlebone when she needs to. Sometimes it takes several weeks or even months before a budgie begins to use one.

To familiarize yourself with the forums, please take the time to read through all of the How To Guides, the FAQs and the stickies located at the top of each section of the forum.
You'll find most of your basic questions are answered after you've read through all of them.

I'm looking forward to hearing all about your budgie and hopefully seeing some pictures hoto: soon!!

TalkBudgies.com Rules and Guidelines
How-To Guides - Talk Budgies Forums
Frequently Asked Questions: Talk Budgies Forums - FAQ
List of Stickies - Talk Budgies Forums

http://talkbudgies.com/general-budgie-talk/295033-prepared-veterinary-care-expense.html 
http://talkbudgies.com/emergency-room/225585-my-birdy-first-aid-kit.html
http://talkbudgies.com/your-budgies-health/102714-quarantine-really-important.html
http://talkbudgies.com/general-budgie-info-[articles]/227841-50-common-budgie-dangers-watch-out.html

http://talkbudgies.com/how-guides/175818-how-post-pictures-photobucket.html
http://talkbudgies.com/housing-budgies/24411-cage-sizes.html
Essentials to a Great Cage-Talk Budgies Forums

Examples Of Pictures To Post And Not Post - Talk Budgies Forums
http://talkbudgies.com/mutations-ge...king-mutation-gender-identification-help.html

Helpful Links - Talk Budgies Forums
Budgie Articles Forum - Talk Budgies Forums

If you have any questions after reading through everything, please be sure to ask!

Glad you decided to join us and looking forward to seeing you around the forums.

:wave:*


----------



## ChirpChirp (Oct 13, 2015)

Thank you for responding so fast ! I will put a blanket on her cage and try the steam technique right now. I put a seed bowl close to where she usually perches and she's been eating from it so at least she's not too unwell to do it.

She's quite young but I couldn't exactly say how old (her cere is still a whitish blue and her eyes are entirely black); I got her from my local petshop and I think the employee who handed her to me wasn't extremely qualified regarding the budgies. At the petshop, she was very active and lively, she was one bossy budgie. I think they were feeding them only seeds, she didn't have much trouble eating the Hagen Gourmet Mix from my hand, she only had trouble with it when it was in the bowls.


----------



## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Sending love and healing energy for little Pixie.

Please give us an update on her condition after her vet appointment tomorrow. :hug:*


----------



## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

Hello and :welcome: to the forums  

I can't add anything to what Deborah has already said, but I add my wishes that Pixie has a good prognosis after the vet visit 

Please keep us updated! We'd love to see pictures of your little girl when you get the chance. 

:wave:


----------



## ChirpChirp (Oct 13, 2015)

We went to the vet and Pixie got diagnosed with respiratory infection, like I thought. Additionally, she has mites near her eyes and throat. We got antibiotics (enrofloxacin) for the respiratory infection and some ivomec for her mites. I disinfected her whole cage and accessories with vinegar to get rid of the mites, I also sprayed an anti-mite spray we bought at the local petshop (I wiped it a bit so she won't swallow it).

I think she's going to be alright now, the vet examined her and said she was very healthy despite her current afflictions. I hope she gets better soon.


----------



## Budget baby (Jan 1, 2013)

Now you know what the problem is that is good. You can still use the steam and eucalyptus oil to help her breathing it can't hurt her in any way. Glad the mites have been sorted out too.:budgie:


----------



## KayleighHoudini (Jan 18, 2015)

ChirpChirp said:


> We went to the vet and Pixie got diagnosed with respiratory infection, like I thought. Additionally, she has mites near her eyes and throat. We got antibiotics (enrofloxacin) for the respiratory infection and some ivomec for her mites. I disinfected her whole cage and accessories with vinegar to get rid of the mites, I also sprayed an anti-mite spray we bought at the local petshop (I wiped it a bit so she won't swallow it).
> 
> I think she's going to be alright now, the vet examined her and said she was very healthy despite her current afflictions. I hope she gets better soon.


That sounds like a happy end already, reassuring that the Vet said she's a healthy bird, regardless.

By chance, did you ask the Vet about the steaming and the eucalyptus drops?


----------

