Budgie tumors?

[Animist]

I have three parakeets, and I am hoping to find help. I live in Illinois, and I just moved here from Texas. I can't find a good avian vet here. The only vet I've found is not actually an avian vet, but said she would treat my birds anyway. A few months ago, one of my birds died in her care because she was treating an advanced respiratory infection with tetracycline in the water.

I was reading about parakeets yesterday and learned that they have a tendency to develop tumors on their chests around five years of age. I have no idea how old Sunshine is since she was a mature adult when she was abandoned at a pet store in Dallas, TX about two years ago, but when I was looking at her today, I noticed that she was a lot fatter in the chest area than my two new parakeets that were abandoned at a store here in Rockford a few days ago. I don't trust that particular vet to tell me if my bird has a problem or not, so how do I find out if my bird has a tumor?

Sunshine has been eating Ecotrition brand seed mix and fortified egg food since I've had her. The two new babies, Chipper and Nipper (also adults), have been on a diet of Zupreem pellets and millet since they were weened from hand feeding, according to their previous owner. I'm trying to ween Sunshine onto Zupreem as well, but she isn't taking to the pellets very well. Could she just be fat? Sometimes she appears to breath a little laborously: her tail bobs more than Chipper's and Nipper's do. She's just come off of tetracycline shots every three days for a month to treat a RI, and she gets Bene-Bac regularly. Any suggestions or comments?

[shosh]

tumour: cancer, is the #1 killer of budgies. Hard to tell from your description and I'm not a vet. Regarding vets: you should call around. They don't need to be AVIAN vets, but they do need to have a special interest in birds. IE: very few avian vets are actually BOARD certified, but many know a lot about birds and are very capable.
As for your baby, don't force her onto pellets. That can be very stressful and if she's been a seed eater all her life, she isn't apt to change. besides, seeds aren't a big EVIL....budgies are naturally seed eaters so it certainly won't hurt them as long as it's a good quality seed and the diet is supplemented by veggies and dark leafy greens.
As for the possibility of a tumour...laboured breathing is probably NOT a good sign...If the chest appears larger than the others and continues to get larger, it could mean a lymph tumour...those progress rather quickly. I don't think it has to do with being fat. But I am reticent to offer an opinion since I haven't seen the bird and am not a doctor.
Really your best bet is to find a vet..make some calls and perhaps there is a local bird organization in your area or even call some bird BREEDERS who could direct you to their preferred vet. Breeders need to use good vets so they could steer you in the right direction.
Good luck and keep us posted....

[Animist]

Thank you for your advice.

I wanted to get her to eat pellets as well as seeds, not instead. The reason I want her to have pellets is that I read that wild parakeets only have access to seeds during a limited portion of the year, and that The Association of Avian Veterinarians recommends a diet of:

50% cooked beans, whole wheat bread, cooked rice, pasta, and seed
45% fresh broccoli, carrots, yams, spinach, dandelion greens, other green/orange fruits and veggies
5% eggs, tuna packed in water, well cooked meat

I can't get her to explore the possibilities of fresh foods, though they are offered daily. I've only rarely gotten her to try 100% juices with no high-fructose corn syrup in them.

[Monica]

You should try sprouts, parsley, carrot tops, broccoli, kale, and similar types food. Also, get some healthy legumes and grains, either cook or sprout, and mix in 4-6 minimum types of veggies, with maybe some fruits. The idea is to offer a variety that looks more enticing!

There's also fatty lipomas which appear yellow at the skin. Of course, she may also just be fat and in need of good exercise that gets her winded a few times a day, as well as a healtheir diet! But then there's also a possibility of goiter (Thyroid Hyperplasia or Dysplasia), which is a deficiency of iodine in the diet.


Therefore, you may want to consult with an avian vet.

[Animist]

Thank you, I hadn't offered sprouts yet since none of the birds I've ever offered them to ate them, but maybe she will. I'll pick some up and give it a try.

[kali]

i have nothing to offer but GOOD LUCK!!

[Monica]

With sprouts, you are supposed to either buy a parrot specific sprout mix, or go to a health food store and pick out several varieties of dry seeds to sprout. Then, using a sprouter (there's tons of types of sprouters out there on the market! I've got canning/jelly jars with mesh lids), you sprout the seeds, which usually takes 2-3 days.

You feed these seeds when the tails are *JUST* beginning to emerge! Therefore, they still look like seeds and not some long unknown food.