# URGENT please help is my budgie sick?



## LuvBudgie (Jan 18, 2017)

Okay so I have got a female (presumably) baby budgie around 1 and 1/2 months old. I got her two weeks ago. Her tailfeather keeps bobbing up and down, and sometimes she makes this soft squeaking noise constantly. Today when i uncovered her cage she looked like she was tired, her eyes kept shutting, she was partly fluffed up, her tailfeather bobbed up and down, and so im very worried. Is this something to be concerned about? I don't know how much time i have if it really is serious though. She started making the squeaking sound a few days ago. Will she be alright? Two of my previous bird's cage broke open and they flew away, two of my other birds also flew away but the cage door was open :crying2: and this is my current budgie. I really don't want to lose her, I want to know that she's safe and healthy. I'm deeply considering going to the vet, but my dad says its 'nothing' although he hasn't studied budgies like i have. He refuses to go to the vet and he's the only one who can drive. I can't do anything as i'm only a teen. I need advice and quick! :crying2:


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Hi! :welcome: to Talk Budgies

Your budgie may simply be stressed or it may be ill -- but we have no way of knowing if that is the case simply going by your description.

Is she eating, drinking and pooping normally?
Have you given her time to settle into her new environment?

Calmly ask your father to please take the time to read at least this post on the forum. If you are a young teenager and have no way to get your budgie to the vet without your father's help, then you need to ensure he will be supportive of your efforts to give your budgie the care it needs to survive.

This is what pronounced tail bobbing looks like and it is generally a symptom of a respiratory infection.

[nomedia="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcnkdPOysyU"]Budgie tail bobbing - YouTube[/nomedia]

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.

Distinction between an Avian Vet and a Vet that "Will See Birds"

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.

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.

You'll find most of your basic questions about budgies and caring for them will have been answered after you've read through all of them.

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

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## aluz (Jul 24, 2011)

Welcome to the forums,

I'm very sorry that two of your budgies have escaped and now your remaining budgie might be sick.  From the description you have made of the symptoms it does seem that your budgie could be sick, respiratory infection is a likely possibility.
The moment we take a pet in, no matter how small or what species it is, we take on the responsibility to properly care for said pet, taking in account their welfare, safety and happiness. And this means providing vet care when needed. It's simply not realistic to assume a pet bird will never need medical assistance and this is part of the basic requirements when owning a pet, in this case a pet bird.

I hope you will be able to convince your father to have your budgie examined by an avian vet.
Good luck, I'm wishing your budgie all the best.


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## SusanBudgies (Dec 6, 2008)

LuvBudgie said:


> Okay so I have got a female (presumably) baby budgie around 1 and 1/2 months old. I got her two weeks ago. Her tailfeather keeps bobbing up and down, and sometimes she makes this soft squeaking noise constantly. Today when i uncovered her cage she looked like she was tired, her eyes kept shutting, she was partly fluffed up, her tailfeather bobbed up and down, and so im very worried. Is this something to be concerned about? I don't know how much time i have if it really is serious though. She started making the squeaking sound a few days ago. Will she be alright? Two of my previous bird's cage broke open and they flew away, two of my other birds also flew away but the cage door was open :crying2: and this is my current budgie. I really don't want to lose her, I want to know that she's safe and healthy. I'm deeply considering going to the vet, but my dad says its 'nothing' although he hasn't studied budgies like i have. He refuses to go to the vet and he's the only one who can drive. I can't do anything as i'm only a teen. I need advice and quick! :crying2:


I'm sorry to hear your baby is sick. Tail bobbing and squeaking are bad. Most definitely she needs to see an avian vet ASAP. You can find one here: http://www.aav.org/search/custom.asp?id=1803.

If she's 6 weeks old and you bought her at 4 weeks old, the breeder sold her too early. A budgie should not leave its parents until it's fully weaned around 6-8 weeks of age. (8 weeks is best.) If you can't afford an avian vet, can you take her back to the breeder?

In the meantime, keep her warm and quiet and prepare yourself for the worst possible outcome.


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## LuvBudgie (Jan 18, 2017)

Thank you all for replying!  Unfortunately I don't think there is an avian vet in my town, as it's a small town, and the nearest Avian vet is most likely in a nearby city. It takes around 2 hours to get there, but my dad isn't concerned enough to take me there :upset: However I might consider going back to the breeder and asking for advice if my father allows it. My mother is willing to take me but she can't drive. Now my budgie looks slightly better, she's more active, less puffy and makes less squeaking sounds than she did before, but the tail bobbing isn't giving up.

Here's a video i made of her tailbobbing only except she isn't tail bobbing as strong in this video:





Please pray for my budgie in the meantime!


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## Kamilka (Jan 14, 2017)

Hello!

I'm so sorry to hear about your budgie! It is awful when you see your pet going through something like that.
I have been through that situation very recently as well, and I totally understand where the concern is coming from.
In my case - I wasn't able to bring the budgie to avian vet as well, however when I seen the poor baby in pain I took her to a normal vet and was able to get an antibiotic which made her feel a lot better! However as mentioned before Avian vet would be the best to see your budgie!
You are in the right place to find out anything about your budgies health! 
I hope that the little birdy will get better! As for now - make sure the birdy is warm (from my research I found out that birds loose a lot of energy trying to keep themselves warm - that's why they puff up their feathers), keep her in a quiet place to encourage rest, and ensure she has plenty of fresh water and food!
I'll keep my fingers crossed for her recovery!


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## SusanBudgies (Dec 6, 2008)

The tail bobbing doesn't look too bad. I suggest you drape a towel over 3 sides of her cage to keep her warm and quiet.


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## LuvBudgie (Jan 18, 2017)

Okay, I'll try covering 3 sides of the cage for now. She is originally supposed to have her cage outside, but these few days the weather has been terrible. I'm not sure if leaving her outside all day is good for her, or if it causes any illnesses. Is it recommended to leave her inside or outside most days? 

Thanks for helping me in this situation so far :001_smile:


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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

Hi there and :welcome: to the forums!

I agree that you should take your budgie to the vet whenever possible. If it seems you mum is more "on your side" regarding budgie care, you should have a conversation with her to establish what to do when/if your little one is ill.

Personally, even if she's looking a bit better, I would still take her in to the vet. Budgies are experts at hiding illnesses so she could be very ill; alternatively, it's important to establish a good relationship with a vet should you ever need them in an emergency, or for basic checkups.

The advice you've been given so far is excellent; you're doing all the right things to help her feel better.

Regarding the cage outside, you should never, never leave your budgie's cage outdoors and unsupervised! There are hundreds of dangers that could injure, traumatise, or even kill your budgie, even through the cage! 

However, on sunny days, taking her cage out for a little bit with you is just fine and a good way for her to get vitamin D 

Here are some links regarding cages outdoors and predators: 
http://talkbudgies.com/general-budgie-talk/295049-taking-your-birds-outdoors.html
http://talkbudgies.com/your-budgies-health/381249-warning-about-hawks-birds-prey.html

Be sure to read through the other links provided as well! If you have any questions afterwards, be sure to ask as we'd love to help 

Best wishes! :wave:


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## RavensGryf (May 8, 2015)

Excellent advice has been given . I also think it's a good idea to talk with your mom about how to get your little one medical help when needed. I wish your father understood that this is a living, breathing, feeling creature that you are responsible for. I wish you all the best.


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## LuvBudgie (Jan 18, 2017)

Thank you guys for all the support ! But when I left my budgie with me in my bedroom, even after i covered her cage with a blanket, she kept making a constant sound as if she was 'crying'. When i woke up, she was still making the same noise. What does the noise mean? I really don't want her to suffer :upset:


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## Kamilka (Jan 14, 2017)

Keep us updated on the progress!


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*LuvBudgie --

You've been contacted both by Private Message and Visitor Message now regarding your registration.

You must respond to the Private Message or as stated, your account will be deactivated.

Please provide the requested information immediately.

FaeryBee (Deborah)
Talk Budgies Administrator*


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## LuvBudgie (Jan 18, 2017)

(For the meantime my budgie is staying in my room). So once my budgie's cage is covered it still makes the squeaking/crying sound. When i wake up in the morning, it still made the squeaking/crying sound (although she presumably woke up before me) Is this a worser state than before? 

So far I'm only going back to the breeder. The vet is an option if the breeder says it's anything to concern. Hopefully I'll get to the breeder asap (my parents are often busy) and confirm whether or not this is serious. 

Thank you all for your advice, it really helps a lot for a begginer like me


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