Pictures Hey!

[Mysdrym]

Last Friday, I came home from work to find a parakeet in my front yard. It stopped me in my tracks because the only thing I really knew about parakeets was that they were people's pets, not wild like sparrows and cardinals.

Being a dog person, I tried talking to it and approaching slowly, but the bird just flew away, and I thought that was it. I did put some extra seeds out to hopefully get it back, but there are a lot of wild birds that come to my house, so more seeds didn't necessarily mean I'd see the parakeet again.

However, the next morning, I came out to find my neighbor setting up a trap to catch the parakeet! I guess she just hid in a tree overnight. I'm amazed she made it that long, because I have a small hawk that frequents my yard and it nabs other birds more than we'd like. I helped him catch it and ended up putting it in a dog carrier because I didn't have anything else.

The dog carrier was for pomeranians, and it was kind of dark, so I got her a cage after I put out some missing signs. I've been looking for her family since Saturday, but so far there's been no luck. If no one contacts me after the ads I put in the paper expire, I've decided to keep her.

In the last week I have looked up every little thing she does to make sure she's not sick or hurt, and checked what I can do to keep her happy and healthy. I still have a lot to learn, but she's started chirping and perching on one foot, which I read means she's relaxed.

I've come to this forum among others and the answers have always been helpful, so thank you!

I do have a couple questions though.
1) I got her one of those things you hang on the back of the cage to keep away/get rid of mites. I've had her since Saturday, but yesterday (Wednesday) was the first time I saw her itching her toes. Today, she was tapping her toes and I saw that might mean mites. With the thing hanging on the back of her cage, do I need to do more, or will that take care of any mites? I've also put some lettuce in her cage, because I read that can help with zinc deficiency, if that's what's making her tap her toes.

2) I've put water in the cage for her to bathe in 3 different days, but she never does. I know they are very cleanly birds, so is there a way I can get her to take a bath? She's very shy and I still can't really pick her up without scaring her.

 

[Sarahmoluccan]

Welcome! Thankyou for saving her! She's such a pretty little budgie Ideally she should have a wellness exam by avian vet. She was sprung on you so I understand if you're not prepared to do that yet. But I highly recommend doing a wellness exam whenever people get new birds.

I hate to negative but I feel compelled to tell you that getting a bird is a really lifestyle change. Safety wise, birds have very sensitive respiratory systems. So things like candles, air fresheners and anything with teflon are out. Definitely check the safety section of the forum. Safety Avenue | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum
I don't mean dissuade you as I think what you're doing is wonderful but I also want you to have all the info

As far as mites go, I'm afraid I thankfully don't have any personal experience with them. I've not come across this issue on the forum either. Best thing you do is take her to a vet. Also mite thing for the back of the cage is probably rubbish and not that effective. I sort of think as like flea collars in the sense they probably do more harm than good. Its just my opinion but I'm afraid I don't trust those things very much. One more thing I'll add is my grandma use to think my bird had "fleas" whenever he would preen himself. He didn't she just wasn't use to how he preened. Birds often preen themselves several times at perhaps you're confusing just normal behavior since you aren't use to it.

Birds pick and choose when they have a bath so I wouldn't be too concerned. And like I said earlier they often preen themselves and that's a form of grooming. Some birds like to be spray with a fine mist too. Although others hate it. But you could try that. You want to spray just above your bird so mist mimics rain. Also be sure to empty the spray bottle when you're done. And clean it every so often. This will help prevent any mold buildup.

I hope I've been somewhat helpful I'm not exactly sure what you know so I just wanted to cover some basics. Bringing a bird into your life is a fairly big commitment. But also really rewarding if you're up for it. If you change your mind about keeping her that's really understandable as she was thrust into your life. But no matter what you do, it was a very kind deed. As you most definitely saved her life. And if you decide to keep her that would be great too. And there are lots of people here who can give great advice when you need it I hope you enjoy your time here

 

[kifird]

Welcome to AA, thanks for saving that budgie! I doubt it would be mites, she may just be preening herself, my budgie does that all the time and scratches her head like a dog. A tip for the lettuce, you should cut it up into small cubes/slices for her to chew up. Budgies and birds love to chew on stuff.

 

[Teckechick]

Thank you for saving this little one and welcome to the forum. I agree with everyone else it probably isn't mites but a vet check is always a good thing to do especially if you have concerns. When we got Aries our first bird I thought she had flees or mites. She just seemed to scratch a lot and we were new to birds but it was just that time of year and she was molting so she was very itchy. As Sarah said they will take baths when they want to so as long as your budgie has access to a clean water source he/she will bathe when they need too.

This forum is a great place to learn and ask questions it has helped us more times than I can count. The search function really helps too if are looking for something specific you can do a search for it and may find an answer to your question right away.

 

[Macawnutz]

 

[Mysdrym]

Thank you to everyone!

I tried to see if my vet could take a look at her last Monday, but apparently she isn't an avian vet--or she is, but prefers not to deal with birds--so I thought I would hold off on finding a vet I could take her to until I'm pretty sure no one's going to claim her. I have Tuesday off, so if I still have her this Monday (I don't see how anyone would not want to find her, she's such a sweetheart), I'll see what I can do about a quick appointment. There was another vet place I called that was really friendly, so I might take her there.

Luckily, I'm a bit sensitive to smells like that, too, so I don't use scented candles or air fresheners. I'll check if I have any Teflon, but I keep her in a room away from the kitchen, so would Teflon pans and whatnot affect her in another part of the house?

Yesterday I thought she was preening, but then today she was tapping her toes, and the stuff I was reading said that those combined can mean mites. And I'll see about getting an empty spray bottle. I don't want to use anything that's had bleach in it in the past or cleaning chemicals.

And thank you for the tip on the lettuce! Right now I have a big piece hanging near her millet seed branch for her to peck at. I'll cut that up. Should I put that in with her seed tray, or something separate?

Oh, also! I'm calling her Kiwi!

 

[Feather]

Welcome to the Avenue! Kiwi is adorable. Thank you both for trying to find her original owner and for giving her a new home.

You're going to want to find a Certified Avian Vet. Regular vets have little to no knowledge of birds and you'll mostly just be throwing your money away taking a bird to one.

Please take the mite disk out right away. They're very toxic and will almost certainly cause more harm than good. The active ingredient, Paradichlorobenzene, is the same as in mothballs. Birds have a sensitive respiratory system, and the last thing you want to do is poison the air in and around their cage. Can you get a video of this toe tapping?

Even if the bird is in a different room closed off from the kitchen, I still would not recommend using any non-stick cookware if you have it. Teflon is the most well-known brand name, but the chemical in question is Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). It can be found on more than just cookware and kitchen appliances. I think the most common non-food-related item is a clothes iron.

 

[expressmailtome]

Welcome, and enjoy the site!

 

[cassiesdad]

Welcome to you and Kiwi!

Kudos to you for "adopting" this little soul...sounds like she was definitely in need of an angel like you.

It's definitely a good idea to have her looked at by an AV, if at all possible.

IMO, ditch the mite thingy...there are nasty chemicals in those things, and IMO, should only be used upon advice of an AV.

I'll check if I have any Teflon, but I keep her in a room away from the kitchen, so would Teflon pans and whatnot affect her in another part of the house?

Ditch the teflon pans..fumes do travel...and even a small trace can kill.

I've put water in the cage for her to bathe in 3 different days, but she never does. I know they are very cleanly birds, so is there a way I can get her to take a bath?

I had quite a few budgies...none of them really were in love with full baths -like my U2 Milton is. Get a small spray bottle- very readily available- and spray a light mist up into the air around, but not directly on Kiwi....also mist up into the air and let the mist fall back on you...and make sure Kiwi sees this process! You are part of her "flock" now...so if she sees a flock mate getting wet, she'll realize the mist isn't going to eat or hurt her.

Right now I have a big piece hanging near her millet seed branch for her to peck at. I'll cut that up. Should I put that in with her seed tray, or something separate?

Budgies love their millet...I see no need to cut it up...she'll work on the sprig.

Enjoy...budgies are great birds!

 

[sunnysmom]

Welcome. Thanks for helping this bird. Yes, get rid of the mite disk. Birds should only be treated for mites (by a vet) if they definitely have them. It's not like dog and flea treatments. One way to tell is to put white paper on the bottom of the cage before bed. If in the morning there are little dark specks on it, it could be mites. You can try giving your budgies some chopped up vegetables or fruit too.

 

[Mysdrym]

I've removed the mite disc and thrown it out. I'll see if I can get that water bottle tomorrow. And she's not really doing the toe tapping thing at the moment, but I will try to get a video of it. Could the mite disc have had something to do with that? She wasn't doing it before I put it on her cage. It was there for a day.

My vet showed up on a list of avian vets when I googled them and technically she does have a certification or whatever it is that's necessary to treat birds, but when I asked her about it she told me she just doesn't like to. One of the other avian vet's assistants that I talked to when I was trying to see if anyone had reported a missing bird was really nice though. She's the one I mentioned before.

And I use some white paper tonight to see if she has mites.

Thank you all so much!

 

[Sarahmoluccan]

While its possible Kiwi could have mites, it's also very possible something else is bothering her if she is indeed truly itchy. Itchy can be a symptom of many different things. There's different tests you can do, thou as I'm not an avian vet I really can't provide much guidance with that. I think there's a skin scraping test that might be helpful. Urg! Sorry I can't really think what it is called. I'll try looking it up and see what I can find.

Its great that it sounds like you've made some headway in finding a vet. I don't know what you're financial situation is but if you're on a tight budget let your vet know that. Alot of vets will let you know what tests are more critical and what can be put on the back burner for now. I find conscientious vets are mindful of how much money you can afford, as long as you give them a decent size budget.

I have to say even thou you are a "newbie" at owning birds, you are really starting out on the right path. I love how conscientious you are and just from the few posts of yours I can tell you really care about Kiwi's wellbeing

 

[Peachfaced]

Are those sand paper things on the perches removable? I would get rid of them; they are very very abrasive on bird feet. Think about if you had to walk around on sand paper, how much it would tear your feet up.

*It could be part of the reason the bird keeps tapping her feet.

 

[Mysdrym]

Okay, I've removed the sandpaper things. I added them in because I thought they would help keep her nails trim and keep the perches clean. I will see if this makes her feet better over the weekend, though she already seems to have stopped lifting her feet.

I'm also taking out the Bird Gravel because I started thinking maybe I just bought the wrong stuff at the pet store and apparently Budgies don't even need it?

 

[Peachfaced]

Correct, they do not require grit/gravel like chickens and pigeons do. Parrots remove the hull before swallowing seeds, whereas other poultry swallows it whole and the grit helps break the hull off in their gizzard.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Welcome to AA. Thank you for taking the budgie into your home. Very cute female.
Have you checked here: Lost and Found Parrots / Birds - Parrot / Bird Reporting and Alerting Register You can also put a listing here. If you decide to do that make it generic.
Sounds like you are going to give her a wonderful home if her "humans" don't claim her.

 

[Sarahmoluccan]

Are those sand paper things on the perches removable? I would get rid of them; they are very very abrasive on bird feet. Think about if you had to walk around on sand paper, how much it would tear your feet up.

*It could be part of the reason the bird keeps tapping her feet.

Oh good catch!! I was too busy looking at how pretty Kiwi was to notice.

@Mysdrym that's good you remove them

 

[tka]

Welcome to you and Kiwi! She's super cute, and thank you for rescuing her!

She would probably like some variety in her perches. Natural branches of bird-safe wood are great - they're uneven so exercise different parts of the bird's foot and the bird can chew on them. Exercising different parts of the foot and letting the bird find a comfortable spot means that they're less likely to get sore feet and health problems like bumblefoot. There are lots of people on this forum who make bird perches, toys and so on - there's more information about AA vendors here: The Marketplace | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum

I do have a rough textured perch in Leia's cage but it's crucial to make sure that it's not the highest one in the cage. Most birds will use the highest perch as a sleeping perch, so it's really important that the sleeping perch is comfortable and the right size for them.

 

[Mysdrym]

Okay, I've added her to https://www.parrotalert.com/ . Thank you! How long should I keep that up, do you think?

@tka I will keep that in mind! I'm currently looking at better bird cages for her that would have more room for her to fly a little and allow for more perches/toys. When I got her this one on Saturday, I didn't expect her to be with me long, so it's a little small.

Thank you all again so much! Kiwi hasn't tapped her toes--that I've seen--since I got rid of the sandpaper, and hopefully she'll enjoy her bath tomorrow, after I get that spray bottle. I will keep you all updated!

 

[Peachfaced]

You're doing great. Thank you so much for rescuing her.

My budgies were pretty good about bathing. All I did was provide a short Rubbermaid dish, pour cool water in it, and slowly splash the water a bit or grab a little cup and drizzle water in to the dish. That seems to get them interested in bathtime.