# Anxious, sick, and lonely



## nairobi (May 3, 2015)

This might be a long post so bear with me, I'll put a tl;dr at the end too for those of you with less time on your hands.

So about a week ago my sister and I adopted our first budgie from a girl who couldn't keep it any more, she said she had two budgies and one of them died, which forced her to find another home for her other one. We were so excited to give this little bird a new, loving home, and brought her in straight away. At first the budgie, Luna, seemed stressed, as one would expect, having just lost her partner and now moved to a strange place, but I kept her covered and spoke to her softly for a few days in the hopes that she would settle in... Fast forward to the Tuesday after (we brought her home on the Friday), I decided to look up signs of illness in budgies so I could be more aware of anything should it come up, and recognized the dreaded tail bobbing in our new friend. 

We took her to the vet immediately and were told she was extremely sick and has probably been for a long time. Apparently the conditions she had been living in with her previous owner were comparable to us sleeping on the floor every night, and this was apparently her life for the past two years. Naturally, I was furious and horrified, and we've been trying to make things easier for her since. She's on antibiotics that I give her every night, but she has been trying to bring it back up afterwards, and sneezes or coughs for a few minutes after I give it. On top of that, the past day or so she constantly chirps when I'm around, but it sounds distraught and scared, so I have her half covered and kept warm in another room. I have music and other budgie noises playing for her on and off, which she happily responds to, but I don't want her to get stressed when she can't find the mysterious flock.

The vet said that if she was going to recover from her illness, we would know within 72 hours of her first treatment, but while some things have improved, others seem to be getting worse. Her posture has straightened, and she is less fluffed now, but her cere went pale (it was dark brown which I've been told is related to breeding moods?), the feathers under her mouth are slightly discoloured, and she seems constantly distressed. I'm trying everything to make her new home comfortable but I can't afford another vet bill. She still has the rest of the week left on her course of antibiotics, so I'm hoping things will brighten up after that, but otherwise I'm totally at a loss. She's a beautiful little girl and it breaks my heart to be so useless in helping her and giving her the luxurious life she deserves.

I'm posting here because I absolutely just don't know what to do. She has been chattering today but then sounds sad afterwards, and I can't tell if she's happy or not. Do any of you have experience with anxious budgies, confusing sounds, or birds trying to regurgitate their medicine? If so I'd love some help with making her more comfortable.

Tl;dr: adopted a dying budgie unknowingly, now trying to make life better for her but I have no idea how to. 

Any help would be appreciated.

Much love, 
Nairobi.


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## kcladyz (Apr 8, 2014)

If here cere changed to light sounds like she is coming out of breeding condition. it sounds like she is getting better. her anxious behavior is probably a combo of being sick and in a new home. I am very proud that you took her to a vet and you are doing all you can. Are you allowed to mix the medication in her food/water? if so that may be less stressful. I do not know if this helps but i add vitamin drops to my birds water, it seems to help a lot when they are sick. you can get it at petco/petsmart. I am no expert and there are more experienced people here than me, I am just suggesting what seems to help my birds. My birds will not eat vegetables so i give them drops in water. I would also see if your bird will eat vegetables. Good nutrition should help i would think


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## Budget baby (Jan 1, 2013)

Nairobi, firstly I want to say THANKYOU for taking in this poor little budgie.
Ok , you have done wonderful so far with Luna taking her to the vet was a huge positive, was it an avian vet you took her to?
Some budgies will vomit after having medication. If I were you I would ring the vet and tell him what she is doing, perhaps another sort of antibiotic would be better. Also get some probiotics sprinkle these over her food . 
The chir[ing when you are around her is most probably a good sign, she wants to be with you her flock, place her cage where she will see you and hear you have the cage covered on three sides to help make her feel safe. Budgies like to hear and interact silence to a budgie is assign of danger. 
her cere changing colour is normal as well she has come through her being in condition.
Her feathers will discolour from taking medication and eating her food. Do you offer her vegies and egg and biscuit mix? 
Offer her a bath, or slightly mist her with a spray bottle that has tepid water in it don't soak her gently mist around her.
As Luna was used to having a budgie friend she will missing her partner and grieving.
You are doing extremely well and with time I am sure Luna will improve. Please let me know how she is again soon.


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## Jonah (Feb 3, 2013)

Welcome to talk Budgies Nairobi. I agree pretty much with everything Heidi and Cathy have posted. You seem to be doing everything right, especially keeping her warm while she is sick. You can soak millet in pedialyte and give it to her, the electrolytes will help her. Also, as Cathy mentioned, pro biotics are good, and will be a big help as Anti biotics unforunately kill off their good bacteria also. Organic Apple Cider Vinegar with the "mother" in it is very useful when used regularly for digestive tract health and also for it's bacteria fighting abilities. 1/4 tsp added to 4 oz of water is a good mixture to give as her drinking water every third day. I think with your great care for her, she will recover...we will all be pulling for her...:hug:


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## nairobi (May 3, 2015)

*Thank you*

Thank you all so much for your advice, you've made me feel so much better about this whole situation! I've just moved her close to my desk so that I can talk to her and she can see me, like you guys suggested.

I will look into getting some pro-biotics, but unfortunately Australia doesn't have many nice big pet superstores like the US, so it might be difficult but I'll surely do my best to find some. I'll call her vet tomorrow and ask about the medication, he is an avian vet and asked me to keep him updated on her condition, so he's obviously very compassionate which is wonderful. 
She does love veggies, especially kale (picture for proof), but also seems to enjoy broccoli 
I don't know if they like listening to people sing, but I have been singing some songs for her and I want to believe that it makes her feel better. I can dream, right?!

I'll try all your suggestions, you've been such a kind and helpful community and I'm so grateful for that. I'll keep you all updated on her condition in the next few days.


Love from Luna and Nariobi


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## deriksen (Dec 5, 2014)

She's beautiful! You're doing great and she's lucky to be in a new home where she is taken care of.


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## Budget baby (Jan 1, 2013)

You can buy probiotics via the net, ebay I get them from my vet or a pet shop that stocks it. I also buy my egg and biscuit through ebay as my guys tend to only like one brand. There are recipes here on the forum for birdie bread and egg and biscuit mix. Have a look. I am sure she loves your singing my guys love my singing.


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## milipidi (Jan 23, 2013)

Ditto what has been said above. Taking on a sick bird is alwqys stressful and I hope she is soon well on the road to recovery. Best of luck.


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## marya (Apr 14, 2013)

*Thread: Anxious, sick, and lonely*

Poor little bird. She is beautiful.Glad she has found a good person to look after her.I am sure she will soon be better.


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## eduardo (Jul 24, 2011)

*She is a beautiful bird, I hope she recovers quickly.*


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## kcladyz (Apr 8, 2014)

How is your beautiful baby doing?


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## nairobi (May 3, 2015)

She's not much different from yesterday, but I've ordered some probiotics and we're going to give her a bath/shower today, which will hopefully be nice for her


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## nairobi (May 3, 2015)

Update on Luna: she finished her course or antibiotics on Friday, it's great not to have to force them down her throat any more and I think she is much happier for it. We've got her a really nice big new aviary type thing that we'll gradually move her into, she'll have space to stretch her wings and it might even have room for a friend. Along with that I've now got to take on the task of taming her so that I can bring her out to play etc. For whatever reason she's really not interested in being touched, should all budgies be tamed (even if they don't want to be)?


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## sunnydyazz (Jul 14, 2014)

Hello Nairobi, Welcome to TB. You did a very noble job by taking her in and providing love and care. I'm really sorry to know about your bird's condition but glad that she's on her path to recovery. Pale cere and discoloured feathers are signs of Vitamin A deficiency. Due to this deficiency, the budgie can become lethargic and you can sense foul smell from her nose, also the feathers lose their shine. Offer her a variety of foods - fruits, vegetables like spinach, carrot, beetroot, sprouted moong etc. Carrots are a rich source of Vitamin A. Also feed her additional calcium and vitamin supplements. Keep a cuttlebone or a mineral block in the cage. Good luck and wishing for a speedy recovery for her. :budgie:


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## PrincipePio (Jan 21, 2014)

Hi there, and welcome to Talk Budgies! You did a great service to Luna by bringing her to a loving home and getting her vet care!

It sounds like she is doing much better (chirping, alert, etc.). It's really hard to give antibiotics, but it's worth it in the end (I give them to my Sammy so often as he's a sickly bird). 

There are a couple more things that you can do to make sure that Luna is thriving:

You can measure her with a kitchen scale every day (put a tupperware on top, tare the scale, and put her inside the tupperware with the lid gently propped on top). This will tell you if she's gaining weight, which is a great sign.

You can also put on some budgie sounds on YouTube for her, which she will probably love. If you can see her singing and calling to them, it's a great sign, as a sickly budgie wouldn't take much interest.

Sounds like the fact that she's eating veggies means that she's on a great road to recovery! Incorporating probiotics is a great step as well as giving her mineral blocks and cuttlebones. 

If you need help keeping her warm, I would suggest a hot water bottle on half of the cage. I actually use a small heating pad clipper to half of Sammy's cage year round (at night during the winter and any time he's sick). I have one that only turns on when the temperature of the pad drops so that it isn't on all the time.

Best of luck with little Luna!


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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

Hey there, dropping in a little late, but welcome to TB all the same! :wave:
Luna is gorgeous--and a Texas Clearbody, too, absolutely stunning :wow: 
It sounds like you've been doing all the right things, and I agree with previous posts--sounds like she's taking an upward turn! I'm so glad she made it and I'm even more glad that her new forever home will be someone who is as caring and dedicated as you. 
I know and hope that she will continue to improve so she can live a long and healthy life, and so far, it seems like she is! :clap:
Chirping and improved alertness is always a very good sign, as well as eating. :thumbsup:
Please keep us posted, and if you ever have any questions, feel free to ask


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