feedback on parakeet's odd behavior

[linda m clark]

My parakeet's behavior has changed dramatically in the past month from chirping and singing to just sitting on the perch with his head tucked under his wing and sleeping all day. His appetite is good and he drinks water. There are no physical signs of illness, but he's stopped interacting with his cage buddy (an English budgie). He just sits and sleep.
Does anyone know of any syndrome or illness that would cause this behavior? I think it's some kind of vitamin deficiency, but I'm reluctant to take him to the vet until I know more. Bird vets in Calif. are VERY expensive!!

[Joel]

Well Linda, what exactly does his diet consist of? Is he getting and eating fresh veggies, pellets, eggs, greens, calcium etc. and is he getting adequate daily natural direct bright yellow sunshine or proper indoor F.S. lighting? Is he clipped or fully flighted? What are the interior dimensions of his cage?

How do you know his appetite is good or not? Just nibbling on seeds may simply be just nibbling and not actual eating. Do you see the empty seed shells on the newspaper at the bottom of the cage? What kind of cage is it? Does it have a grate on the bottom? Do you sterilize the water vessels and food bowls frequently enough?

We need you to give every single minor detail you can about his diet, living conditions, cage location, stress level in your home, any new practices in your home, pets, children, smoking, spraying, chemicals of any kind, does he roam around the house outside of his cage at all, etc. etc. etc.......Knowing everything in detail may help us help you but a trip to the Avian Vet certainly sounds in order here.

Did you know his exact weight before and do you know it currently? Have you felt the breastbone and is it sharp or is there plenty of flesh/muscle etc. on both sides etc....How do the droppings look? Is he breathing steady and normally? Is his vent clean, nostrils clean, eyes bright?

Well I guess that is enough questions for now. Good luck and please don't wait too long to get to the Avian Vet if there is no improvement very soon.

[linda m clark]

Thank you for the prompt reply Joel.
My bird, Mario, and the budgie, Gaston, have been together for the past 3 years. They've been with me for the past two years in the same cage with the same conditions, food, etc. Nothing has changed. They are next to a window that gives indirect sunlight (no drafts). Aside from millett every Sunday and recommended parakeet seed from a pet store, neither of them will eat any fruit or vegetables, though I've tried multiple kinds several times. The bird exhibits the same eating patterns as before so I have no reason to assume it's not eating.

I haven't checked the breast bone, but I will do so.
He's started to breathe heavily in the past few days in the PM, but not in the morning. He eats gravel, there's a calcium block, cuttle fish in the cage.
Cage and water dish are cleaned regularly and thoroughly. I use corn cob for bedding. Droppings look OK to me.
I've owned other parakeets, but this is weird behavior. It's like he's depressed.

[Joel]

Well Linda, even though you did not comment on every question/remark I made I will try and give you my suggestions from what you DID SAY.

IF NOT TOO LATE, (IMO & IME) in order to get him eating a healthy diet and acting normally again (even better than before btw) I would immediately do ALL of the following things, not necessarily in any specific order:

First of all, to cover my butt and to make everyone here happy, my first suggestion is to get to the Avian Vet ASAP...........Otherwise/in addition, I would get him into a cage that has a grate on the bottom if your current one does not. I would make sure that he cannot pick at anything thru the grate and I would keep the grate very clean. I would continue offering daily the veggies and greens and a good pellet in addition to a fresh and clean quality non-vitamin-coated keet seed mix. I would give freshly cooked eggs often and additional calcium from the egg shells after they are properly prepared. I would make sure I sterilized his food and water dishes/vessels with Clorox every few days. I would allow him full flight in a long/large totally SAFE cage, outdoors if possible. If clipped, I would not clip any more until he was back to normal for some time. I would make sure he gets adequate direct bright yellow sunshine to hit his body everyday if that is possible, not indirect sunlight thru a window.. I would test the seed you are buying to make SURE it is of good quality & fresh (you might try some from somewhere else for awhile). I would probably try bottled water for awhile rather than tap water or water from a well or water that maybe running thru a filter that may need changing possibly? I would make sure his cage was in a draft free area with a solid top and solid sides if possible for an added sense of security and to limit stress further. I would immediately provide a heated area of the cage/aviary for him to go to when he needs/wants it. I would keep children and other pets away from his cage until he gets better (other than his current buddy bird). Btw, I would do these same things for his companion also..............I would stop the gravel immediately also and make sure the calcium block & cuttlebone are super clean and still fresh.

Your bird just may have a condition that is already advanced and he may need certain meds to save him or cure/manage his condition so seriously consider that Avian Vet first to rule out anything really serious/life threatening. Check everyday the seed shells under the grate to make sure they are being broken open and eaten and to see what else they are munching on. You may have to add some quality fresh vitamins to the water but change that frequently and don't overdose. Better if sprinkled on soft food but if they refuse to eat the soft food (eggs etc.) then I would try the water route.....Did you try specifically the fresh crispy Romaine lettuce (greenest part) or specifically greens peas, broccoli, corn on cob etc....?

Well it is getting late and my mind is already starting to slip some and I still have birdies to handfeed and other chores so I better get moving. Good luck and I hope you take my "proven to me" suggestions to help your bird recover and become his old self again and maybe even a step up better than his old self.......Talk to ya later......

[TheLoneTiel]

Joel gave some excellent advice, but...

I would not recemend putting him outside. Right now, he is obviously sick. Getting some sunshine will probably not make that much difference, and any sort of breeze will do far more harm than the sun will do good. The stress as well from going outside will negatively affect him as well. Wait till he is in full good health before taking him out.

Dont get him a new cage right now. Again, too much stress for a sick bird like him to handle. I would seperate him from his buddy, putting his buddy in a seperate cage. With luck, your other bird wont get sick from him, but it may be too late already. Like Joel said, he needs some security. Put a towel over the top, the back, and one side of the cage.

Do not make any drastic changes in diet. He needs more than just 'keet seed, but stress from your constant changing soft foods, less seed, any thing is going to cause more stress than he needs.

All in all, get him to a vet ASAP. Birds dont show symptoms of illness until the disease is very progressed, so you have to take care of it as soon as you can. They go down hill very quickly. They cant look like a sick bird in the wild or they are immediatly targeted by preditors, but it doesnt help us in captivity.

[Joel]

Hi Lone Tiel (& Linda again),

I agree with you in part, that is one of the reasons why I suggested solid top and sides so in addition to safety etc. the solid top and sides will also eliminate drafts and breezes. Breezes, may even be refreshing though and probably NOT cause a problem unless strong enough to blow the feathers apart which of course we don't want. She may even put a clear plexiglass or polycarbonate covering on half of the front of the cage also....... I would also suggest putting in a nestbox as they sometimes like to go in there for even more security, darkness and warmth if positioned in the right place so the sun hits in early in the morning. I think that a change just may be beneficial as that may take her mind off her condition somewhat (works for me) and I definitely feel the fresh air & sunlight will benefit her quickly. Heck, there may even be an air purity problem in the house that no-one knows about or something in there that it is allergic to? Just a possibility??

I think the new cage will only cause a little bit of stress for only a couple days but again she should maybe ask the vet about that if the vet knows anything about that?? Not sure if they teach stuff along those lines in birdie med school? If she does put the sick bird outside I would make sure the cage has a double bottom to protect the feet from critters. Very IMPORTANT.

I think the companion bird is already probably sick or carrying the problem of the other one but maybe not. I am not sure if separating them will cause more mental harm/stress than good?? I think if it was me, I would keep them together but that is also a good question for the well experienced Avian Vet....Maybe it would be best to separate (????), just can't be sure on that. Whichever way she chooses, she should watch and change back if necessary after first checking both birds out at the vet.......

If Mario recognizes Linda quite well, then I really don't think the changing of soft foods etc. often will cause any harmful stress as long as Linda does it slowly and quietly while maybe talking softly to the little tike. I too would not eliminate any of its regular foods at the moment but adding new healthier ones at this stage, I think is ok.....JMO....

Well good luck to your little bird Linda and please do take the Lone Tiel's advice and get immediately to an Avian Vet if at all possible.

[SavvyMoon]

Linda,
This is a snippet from a much longer post pretty much describing the same kind of behavior several weeks ago, from MY bird - an eclectus.

if you ever have a bird that suddenly seems to be ill, and can't figure out what it is... switch them to bottled spring water (NOT distilled water) and KEEP them on it. See if that makes a difference.

You can read the whole thing in the Eclectus section.
Since I switched my bird back to bottled water, and ONLY bottled water, he's been like a whole new bird. He's not so quiet anymore, he's starting to talk again, playing with toys, and just generally feeling much better.
And the whole time while he was "feeling badly"... he still looked good, and had no other signs of illness.

Savvy*

[LordVampyre]

should all birds be on bottled spring water? or is tap alright or does it depend where youre living?

[Monica]

It depends on where you are living... I use to drink well water, and my birds would get the same. Now I live where we get city water, and I give them a mix between bottled water, and city water (well, they get one or the other at different times... depends if we have any bottled water or not). It would most likely be better if everyone gave their birds bottled spring water as it would ensure a healthier bird all around!

[SavvyMoon]

yes Monica is right... it does depend on where you live and if the water you get from the town or city you live in is heavily chlorinated or flouridated.

Well water is "all natural", but it should be tested at least every other year (even for human consumption!) because it could be polluted and/or very heavy with "natural" toxins or minerals. You just never know...

I would probably guess that *most* birds can tolerate tap water just fine, with no problems at all.
But if you should ever come across a situation when you can't figure out what's causing a bird not to be 100% well... then it's a good idea to try the switch to bottled water.
Some birds are more sensitive it seems.

Savvy*