# Is my bird sick?



## Tiago (Dec 19, 2017)

Hello Friends,

I'm from Portugal and I'm a newbie budgie owner. I have two females and two males. One of the males 'Zé Maria', started to get with his eyes closed most of the time and lost 3 nails by now. He's taking the this multi-vitamin complex that I got from the Pet store and is still eating reasonably. I cannot tell if the beak is in good shape.. They have calcium rock all over the cage and is quite bitten. Should I take him to the Vet? I have no idea if he is getting sick.

Help will be much appreciated.

Thank you!

Multi-Vitamin:
VITAVEX (SUPER-VITAMINICO) 40ML | Orniex - Produtos para animais

Here is a picture of Zé Maria:
https://ibb.co/iv6nx6


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

Yes, you should take your bird to an avian vet as soon as possible. It is not normal for a bird to lose nails. The picture you posted is a bit dark but it looks like the bird may have a case of scaly face mites that can also effect the feet. If the vet determines that is the problem you will need to treat all your birds. The vitamins you are giving will not do anything to treat the mites if that is what is effecting the bird.


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## Tiago (Dec 19, 2017)

Hi Cody,

Thank you!

I will do that tomorrow morning righ away!
Here you have a photo of Ze Maria in a more clear light.

https://ibb.co/fXzw76


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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

Hi there and :welcome: to the forums!

You've been given great advice. Your budgie definitely has scaley face mites, which are treatable but need to be treated right away before it gets any worse. 

Taking him to an avian vet will be the best course of action. The avian vet should prescribe Ivermectin, which should be administered to ALL the birds you have to prevent spreading of the mites. 

In the meantime, keep everything super clean! Be sure to wash all cages and metal and wood toys with hot water/vinegar in the meantime. 

We look forward to seeing more of your budgies! 

You've come to a great place to learn even more about budgies! Be sure to read through the links provided above as they include many useful articles and "stickies" which will help you stay updated on the very best of budgie care practices! 

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

We look forward to seeing you and your birds around the forums! Please keep us posted on how they are doing. 

Cheers :wave:


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

The new picture you posted clearly shows the mite infestation, it also appears that the nails that are still there are awfully long and should be trimmed, you may want to ask the vet to trim the nails while you are there. Hope all goes well.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Hi! :welcome: to Talk Budgies

You've received excellent advice with regard to taking your budgie to an Avian Vet and how to treat the scaly mite problem.

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.

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.
Please take the time to read through the Site Guidelines, all of the How To Guides, the FAQs, the Budgie Articles and the stickies located at the top of each section of the forum.

Truly, the very BEST advice anyone can offer you is to take the time to read ALL of the stickies throughout the various Talk Budgie forums as well as the Budgie Articles we have posted.

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.

Site Guidelines
Posting on the Forums
Let's Talk Budgies
How-To Guides
FAQs Frequently Asked Questions
Budgie Articles
List of Stickies
Be Prepared for Veterinary Expense
Avian First Aid
Why Quarantine?

50 Common Budgie Dangers to Watch Out For

A Heartfelt Plea to All Members
When We Don't Want Eggs

Recommended Minimum Cage Sizes
Essentials for a Great Cage
Resource Directory

When you upload pictures as thumbnail attachments directly from your computer, tablet or phone, the forum automatically defaults to landscape.

To upload full-sized pictures with the proper orientation, please use a photo-sharing service such as Imgur and follow the steps in these instructions:
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By the way, all photos entered in any of our forum contests must be a full-size photo and not a thumbnail attachment so it's good to know how to upload them! 

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:*


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## Tiago (Dec 19, 2017)

Dear friends,

Thank you very much for your help and support. I really care for my birds, however, it's my first time against a disease.
I have already isolated Ze Maria and in a few minutes we are moving to the Vet. I have already called them, and they are ready and wainting for my visit.

I will report very soon.

Thank you once again!! :tb:


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## Tiago (Dec 19, 2017)

Dear friends,

All right, you are the best doctors indeed. Its the mites indeed.
The docter gave mt this medicine to rub in the birds beak, legs and any other affected area everyday.

What do you guys thinks about this medicine he gave me?
https://ibb.co/kmnF0R

Thank you very much.


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## lbeckman (Jun 26, 2016)

Is that in addition to ivermectin?


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## JRS (Sep 3, 2016)

Unfortunately no. 
That product appears to be simply an emollient - something that would be applied to help moisturise dry skin.
An emollient is only attempting to address the dry scaly appearance of the cere and legs, it does NOT address the source of the problem, which is an infestation of scaly face/leg mites. That product will not kill the mites.

As StarlingWings stated, the active ingredient you need is ‘ivermectin’.
I’m not sure what country you are in, but if you cannot order ‘ivermectin 0.1%’ for the treatment of birds yourself, then you need to return to the vet, ask him/her to look up ‘scaly face mites’ and prescribe an ivermectin product to address the source of the problem. 
Be polite but do not be intimidated by the vet. A general vet cannot know everything about every animal, but if they are a good professional vet then they should always be willing to listen to your thoughts and to do a little research, in order to understand the problem and expand their knowledge.
Good luck


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## lbeckman (Jun 26, 2016)

I'll also repeat what others have said: all of the birds need to be treated with Ivermectin whether they are showing symptoms at the moment or not.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*This product is available from Amazon.UK which I assume ships to Portugal.

As you can see from the ingredients, it contains the necessary ivermectin.

Beaphor Anti-Parasite Spot-On Treatment for Small Birds

If you order from Amazon based in the US, the appropriate product to use for mites is SCATT (spot-on treatment).

Vetafarm Products Scatt 50 ml Spot On Treatment

You can also order SCATT from ladygouldianfinch.com They ship internationally as well:

LadyGouldianFinch Scatt Spot On

As indicated, when one bird has mites, ALL of your birds will need to be treated.

http://www.talkbudgies.com/articles-budgie-disease-illness/340426-common-avian-parasites.html*


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## Tiago (Dec 19, 2017)

Hello friends,

Sorry for not responding soon, been quite busy with my job.

So, I have applied 1 drop of Ivermectin in each bird's back neck in 24th December, and 31st December. They look much better. ZÉ MARIA's legs look almost new!!

I'm so happy you could help me saving them!!! I even gave them a new home!  Thank you very much to you all.

Will it take long to ZÉ MARIA gets full recovered?

The avian vet that gave me the medicine you advised, gave me this budgie nest and told me to attach it to the cage to see where it goes. I've noticed in the last days, that ZÉ MARIA is putting one leg in one of the females back, but no jumping on her back. They feed and love each other all the time. Could ZÉ MARIA have some kind of a problem on jumping on her due to the missing claws? Or I am overthinking and this is a normal status before mating?

Please check out the images! 

https://ibb.co/cGEFU6
https://ibb.co/hfCDGm
https://ibb.co/c3Cr2R
https://ibb.co/mx9tGm

Once again, thank you very much to you all!!
Very glad to be a part of this forum.


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## iHeartPieds (Jan 9, 2017)

I'm glad to hear your birds are doing better. Please remove the nest box immediately. Budgies do not need hidey houses or boxes to sleep in and having a nest box or anything that resembles it will encourage accidental breeding. Additionally it seems your cage is below the minimum size for 4 budgies. The minimum for two budgies is 30 x 18 x 18 inches. Have a look through all the stickies and articles on the forum to ensure you are giving your birds the best care possible. I've linked a few down below for you. 

Essentials to a Great Cage
Cage Sizes
When We Don't Want Eggs!
A Heartfelt Plea to All Members
A Healthy Diet for your Budgie


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*I agree 100% with iHeartPieds.
It really concerns me that the vet would recommend you attach a nest box to their cage
when you are new to owning budgies and do not have the necessary knowledge and experience.

The last thing you want to do is encourage breeding behavior! 

Please read remove the nest box immediately and be sure you follow the advice in the links iHeartPied provided.
Before breeding any species, it is important to learn as much about the animals, their personalities and the best practices to follow for responsible and ethical breeding prior to making the commitment to take on the responsibility.

This forum never recommends colony breeding.

Please also refer to the links below:

http://www.talkbudgies.com/budgie-breeding/106210-cage-colony-breeding-differences-dangers.html

http://www.talkbudgies.com/budgie-breeding/400692-guidance-breeding-advice-threads.html

*


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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

You definitely need to remove the nest box. Budgies don't need a nestbox to be happy and they don't use it for anything other than breeding. 

Since you have no experience with breeding budgies and are trying to discourage breeding behavior, be sure to take out the nest box immediately!


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## RavensGryf (May 8, 2015)

I absolutely agree with the above posts regarding taking away the nestbox, and the reasons why. I hope you will take this into consideration. Please read the information in the links as well.. It’s all true!


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## Tiago (Dec 19, 2017)

Dear friends,

I'm sorry for not being able to come here often. I have learned a lot with your advices.
I've been away from home in business operations around Europe. In one of them, I've been able to buy IVOMEC, that is the name for Ivermectin in Europe.

My house keeper removed the nest right away you told me, luckily, no action happened! 

However, yesterday, I came to check the most active female in this situation.

She is drooling, with millet around the beak. She stays in the bottom of the cage very puffed up and very still.

Any ideas of what this could be? Could it be the mites again?

https://ibb.co/im26Fx

Thank you!


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

Please take her to the vet right away, a bird that is at the bottom of the cage very puffed up and still is quite ill and needs professional treatment.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Your budgie needs to be seen by an Avian Vet immediately.

If there are no Avian Vets near you, then take her to a regular vet and ask that person to consult via phone, fax or skype with an Avian Vet (even if it is in a different country) to determine the best diagnosis and treatment protocol for your little girl.

Please be sure to update us regarding her condition. Sending prayers and healing energy for her to have a full recovery.*


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## Tiago (Dec 19, 2017)

Dear friends,

Thank you very much for your help and advice!
Moving to the VET this afternoon with my girl.

I will report as soon as possible.


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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

I hope everything goes well! :fingerx:


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