Sunday, December 5, 2010

Budgerigar Health


You always have to keep a close eye on your budgie's health. Be sure to weigh him regularly, as weight loss is one of the easiest ways to find out your budgie is sick.

It's very important that your budgie has a balanced and healthy diet of seed, fruit and vegetables and pellets (without preservatives, artificial flavourings, added sugars or colorings).
Budgerigars need plenty of time out of their cage in order to stay healthy and fit. Many budgies don't grow older than 5 or 10 years because most people give the wrong diet to their budgies, or keep them locked up in their cage.

How to recognize a healthy budgie?

A healthy budgie has bright clear eyes, a slim acrobatic shape and strong shiny bright feathers.
Healthy budgies also have a shiny beak (non-flaky or crusty cere). Another good sign is when they're very lively and enthusiastic and fly about all day long, chattering happily.

How to recognize a sick budgie?

If your budgie sits huddled up on the floor, you can be sure he is ill. Or when he just sits on the perch with his eyes closed, using both his feet to rest. It's always better to take your budgie to the avian vet quickly in that case, although they don't always know the answer. My mum was told once that one of our budgies had cancer and that he wouldn't last longer than 2 weeks. Today it's almost one year later, and he is the healthiest budgie of the whole flock!

Other symptoms:

  • poop change, runny/lack of droppings
  • poop stuck to vent
  • decrease talking/activity
  • picking/plucking at feathers (not regular preening)
  • feathers dirty/stuck together/ratty
  • discharge from eyes/nose/beak
  • abnormal breathing
  • dull/swollen/runny/cloudy eyes
  • falling off perch
  • hunched over
  • lumps/bumps/sores or swelling
  • weight loss
  • not eating
  • weak/fluffed up
  • tail bobbing
  • bleeding
  • convulsing
  • runny/inflamed cere
  • vomiting (not the regurgitation they do as part of bonding)
Symptom list (c) budgiecare.org

3 comments:

  1. So informative!

    What's the easiest way to weigh a budgie? I can't really imagine one sitting still on a scale for more than half a second...

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  2. There is an easy way to tell if your budgie has lost weight, by feeling his chest bone. It's not supposed to be razor sharp in your hands. If it is, it means your budgie is underweight and you'd better go to the vet asap.

    If your budgie is not tame, you could put him in a box and weigh the budgie in the box. Afterwards, you subtract the weight of the box :)

    I think a budgie normally weighs between 30-40 grams. English budgies may weigh a bit more.

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  3. Thanks ^^ Your knowledge never ceases to amaze me!

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