Pictures rescue budgie

[Emma&pico]

View attachment 437965

new house!!! i worry maybe it's too big but everything says the bigger the better. the stuffed animal is to maybe give her some company, but i know she could chew it so i'm only having it in there when i'm with her to see if she's interested at all. if she is i'll get her a dog toy! or something

the bottom is a little barren, i want to get her some actual sticks for perches but it's been sooo cold i'm hesitant to go out lol. i want to make her some toys too but she still hasn't played or tried anything besides millet.

as for bonding we're still on not enemies but not friends terms which is honestly much more than i'd expected!!! she also understands when i'm trying to help it seems. she's a bit nervous with flying and jumping so when she wants to make a jump i hold a perch out for her and she'll step onto it if she needs the help.

the picture doesn't really show how big it really is lol, i could easily fit in. maybe i'll sleep with her tonight :3 and the wire at the side is attached to a heating pad, she doesn't seem to like the lamp. she's in the top left, if she's even visible

Wow looks amazing I hope she gets better soon so glad you got her to vets
If your in uk scarlet parrots and northern parrots have amazing stuff on their website natural perches toys you can shop by species too

 

[Scorpi0]

Nice new cage!!

Have you gotten the meds already? Hows her health doing?

 

[emlyie]

i got for a super good deal! i think it was down to 50 from 80? something like that ^_^

 

[emlyie]

Nice new cage!!

Have you gotten the meds already? Hows her health doing?

no meds yet! T_T she has some days better some days worse. trying to get her to bath every day especially as the last two days she's had some poop stuck to her. she just sleeps a lot




trying to change her diet too! but i'm offering both because i don't want her to stop eating. she doesn't seem that interested, she'll pick at it then move away instead of sitting and feeding. she's been eating way more grit too

as for our relationship, yesterday she had her foot on me! i was feeding her millet and trying to get her to step on, she held me with one foot and ate hahaha. she's comfortable with me being close too. i help her move around when she looks stuck. she won't fly though, hence why the cage is set up so she can climb and jump to everything. she also nipped me yesterday but i'm kind of happy about that! she's usually fine with me petting her very lightly but she must have been sleepy and not in the mood so she super lightly nipped me. i think she intentionally didn't hurt me, just told me to go away!!! i'm glad she feels like she can do that i want her to feel respected lol

 

[emlyie]

little paya update, she's still here! it should be the end of her 20 day treatment with the anti fungal but honestly i've not noticed any difference at all. her poops look good, she's still super skinny though and can't fly. she sleeps all day, doesn't play etc etc.

i'm starting to wonder if the vet might have been wrong? or if paya has something else as well as AGY. i'm wondering if she has air sac mites, i treated her for scaley face but as long as i've had her she's sneezed and made little squeaks every now and then. it's also pretty visible when she breathes. i've bought some droppers for that too.

i'm waiting for my scales to arrive so i can weigh her more accurately, that should take 3 days. if no change i'm going to call the vet and ask about orally dosing her with the anti fungal as maybe she hasn't been drinking enough of it in her water ? i'm not sure bleeehhh i absolutely don't know more than a vet does, but i feel like she was quick to call it AGY when i brought up a bunch of other things. she also prescribed antibiotics when most things online say AGY is resistant to antibiotics as it's fungal. i just want her to get better and she's held on for so long now

 

[Lizzz_a]

little paya update, she's still here! it should be the end of her 20 day treatment with the anti fungal but honestly i've not noticed any difference at all. her poops look good, she's still super skinny though and can't fly. she sleeps all day, doesn't play etc etc.

i'm starting to wonder if the vet might have been wrong? or if paya has something else as well as AGY. i'm wondering if she has air sac mites, i treated her for scaley face but as long as i've had her she's sneezed and made little squeaks every now and then. it's also pretty visible when she breathes. i've bought some droppers for that too.

i'm waiting for my scales to arrive so i can weigh her more accurately, that should take 3 days. if no change i'm going to call the vet and ask about orally dosing her with the anti fungal as maybe she hasn't been drinking enough of it in her water ? i'm not sure bleeehhh i absolutely don't know more than a vet does, but i feel like she was quick to call it AGY when i brought up a bunch of other things. she also prescribed antibiotics when most things online say AGY is resistant to antibiotics as it's fungal. i just want her to get better and she's held on for so long now

View attachment 440088

Hi, I have a rescue budgie who was mis-diagnosed with a bacterial infection when it turned out to be AGY.

She was hospitalized by the time I brought her in & got worse until i had the vet check for AGY and sure enough that’s what it was. Antibiotics made her worse. I wouldn’t have my budgie on antibiotics for a yeast infection unless the vet suspects a secondary infection. Here are some of the symptoms my budgie had.

She was fluffed up & had lost a lot of weight. Diarrhea & weakness was present. She lost her pitch. Her voice did not sound the same. She would spend the majority of the day sleeping and would appear to be eating a lot but was actually pretending to eat which budgies are notorious for. It’s been a long road to recovery but here is what I did to help her get better. She was put on an oral dose of 0.01cc of amphotericin b 2x a day (every 12 hours) for 30 days as well as Meloxicam 0.02cc 1.5mg/ml twice daily for 30 days for inflammation/pain. The amphotericin cost $117.50 for 5ml bottle & the Meloxicam oral suspension was $21 for a 7ml bottle. The amphotericin had to be kept refrigerated & I had to use gloves when administering. My vet also took an xray and her proventriculus was extremely dilated ( I had her tested for psittacosis and she came back negative). I made sure to put in Apple Cider Vinegar with “the mother” in her drinking water. Yeast does not like an acidic environment. Make sure you take away anything sweet from her diet as yeast feeds on sugar. No fruits until treatment is over and yeast is gone. I had to clean her vent area daily as fecal matter would get stuck there.

She was placed in a hospital cage set up at home. I moved her to a smaller cage during the duration of her treatment. Birds use a lot of energy to conserve heat when sick & they need to be kept warm. She was kept at 80-85 degrees during the entire duration of treatment and it helped a lot. Now this isn’t for everyone but I ended up having to crop feeding my budgie daily until I was confident she was actually eating on her own again & putting on weight. Her weight was dangerously low at 21g and I was afraid I was going to lose her. We came close a few times. I used Harrison’s recovery formula and made sure to mix Harrison’s Fauna Flora daily as well with her food to help restore her gut ph after the antibiotics and AGY infection.

Please do your research before attempting to crop feed your bird as there are a lot of complications that can arise if done incorrectly & food is fed too hot/too cold etc. Do not attempt it unless you know what you are doing. You can ask your vet to show you or have the vet provide supplemental feedings if that is an option.

I made sure to weigh her daily once in the morning & once before bed and kept a journal to monitor her weight. This is crucial. Please make sure to weigh your bird daily. You need to make sure you clean her perches & cage regularly. I had to clean her perches daily to make sure no poop was on it and I had to deep clean her cage 1x weekly to make sure the yeast wasn’t lingering anywhere to reinfect her. Keep your budgie away from any other birds you may have and have them tested if she’s been in contact with them as it’s contagious. Any toys that I couldn’t clean I replaced. I used F10SC which is a veterinary disinfectant but there are other things you can use to kill off the yeast organisms on your cage. I purchased the F10 off Amazon.

I’m located in the US & thankfully my vet had amphotericin b. There are side effects to the anti fungal but it’s the best medicine for AGY so the risk was worth it. I have mixed feelings about mixing meds with water. The proper dose isn’t always taken in etc. I would recommend you ask your vet about an oral dose of anti fungal instead.

I hope your bird feels better and recovers. It’s a long battle but they can get better with treatment. Treatment outcome is best when caught early. It took about 2k in vet bills and 2 months of treatment & I’m finally seeing positive progress. Veterinary care in the US is expensive.

 

[emlyie]

hi thank you so much for writing that out! it really is so so so helpful. i really appreciate it and i'm very glad your birdie is doing better

paya has a lot of the same symptoms. i didn't own a scale until a couple of days ago, however she's gone from 25 to 28 grams which is still very underweight but it's an improvement! she been having 0.1 /0.01 (i don't know without looking at the syringe i'm bad with numbers) of amph in her water though i don't see her drink very much. i emailed the vet about orally dosing her though he wouldn't really answer my questions, just told me to bring her back in i'm just a little skeptical as i honestly feel the anti biotics made her worse? (at the time i was too scared to not give her anything at all, so i went through with the anti biotics as in the UK we don't have access to amph.) she told me i could orally dose paya with amph, the medicine took just over a month to arrive and when i emailed it was a different vet. i asked about orally dosing though the vet i spoke was very weirdly vague? he kept telling me to bring her back in and discouraging me from orally dosing her, it felt like he wasn't really listening to me though maybe that's just me. it sounds selfish but i'm 20 and i've just lost my job, i don't drive and the nearest vet is a few towns away - i don't want to take her back in over something that could be an email but i also feel he doesn't want to answer over email. i've been googling it but it feels better coming from an actual vet

she sleeps all day and eats a lot though i hadn't considered she'd be pretending to eat. she's also on a bad diet - she has been since she came and i've tried to swap her but she just picks out her regular seed and i'm too afraid to take them away incase she starves completely. i'll be sure to keep fruit and sugary foods away, although she has zero interest in them anyway.

she doesn't vomit, her poops look really good now which is the only thing i'm noticing that's changed. they still seem to have bits in them though, i'm not sure if that's normal but it's not whole undigested seeds like it was when we went to the vet. my house is very cold, so i've been keeping her on me almost constantly and she seems to appreciate that a lot. same with the cleaning too, i'm checking her constantly and cleaning her up. her eyes are also much more open now, she doesn't hang when she sleep's either.

i'll look into the food you suggested, but is it crop feed only? i'm scared of hurting her but if it's best for her then i will speak to the vet. i'm a little hesitant about the vet as she didn't really look into any of the other things i brought up about paya - just said AGY and gave me anti biotics.

i do have another bird who has acv in her water just incase, though the two never come near each other. just shout across the room :")

so, i'll look into the food you mentioned - and orally dosing her. it won't harm her to do this after she's taken it in her water? and i'll get into a good cleaning routine too. i clean the cage probably three times a week but i'll start doing it daily. sorry if any of this sounds inexperienced or like i'm pestering you for information - i've never had a bird and i've been thrown in the deep end a little bit. my family also don't support me taking her to the vet - "you could buy five budgies for the price of a vet visit"

 

[emlyie]

i forgot to mention i also treated her for scaley face mites and yesterday i gave her air sac mite treatment too. she's clicked when she breathes ever since i got her, plus done some little sneezes. that's another thing i mentioned this to the vet that she didn't really acknowledge - she was an incredibly lovely woman but i just felt she generalised a little bit? i don't know more than a vet AT ALL and i hate to sound rude, but i think a lot more should have come from the vet appointment instead of being sent away with anti biotics

the clicking seems to have gone away though i think it's probably too soon to tell. she also definitely had scaley face - when i got her she'd itch to no end. now it's very rare to see her scratching and the crust on her legs is gone. the vet also didn't acknowledge this

 

[orphansparrow]

Wow. You’re going through a lot - I’m sorry. You sound like a great bird mom with a great attitude. I’m sorry your family isn’t supportive of you taking her to the vet. I read every one of your posts and I hope someone here has some advice for you. I’ve never had a budgie but they are absolutely adorable.

 

[Scorpi0]

Updates? Hows little Paya doin?

 

[emlyie]

little lady has gone from 25 grams to 35! though i'm yet to weigh her today. i think she's english, so we have a long way to go until 50(?)
admittedly i'm beating myself up because i realised a lot of things i could have been doing sooner. i've been keeping paya on me at all times, if not on me then she's in my bed in a little hut with pillows. i got a hot water bottle with a soft cover on it for christmas, so that's hers now! i refill it every 5 hours even in the night. i pick her up and take her to her water bowl around every 2 hours? she has maybe 5/6 drinks a day now much rather than 1 or 2. i just feel so guilty because i never thought to warm her using myself because she wasn't super comfortable with me up until one day where she just decided i was okay. she'd know i was helping her but she didn't want to spend any time near me. she is still sleeping almost constantly but even just looking at her she looks miles better. no more poop butt too! but i'm still checking constantly.

three days ago? i started giving her the medicine orally. i put it on a tiny piece of millet, 0.03(?) or .3 i suck with numbers. i tend to put a little bit more on there though as it's on the shells. i spoke to the vet and she said if paya is putting on weight and visually looks better (which she does) to leave it for just a few days and get back to her. she's also drinking ACV in her water

when i'm not there she has a shoe box in her cage that the water bottle fits into perfectly.
i'll try to get a picture of her later, she's sleeping right now

i just feel so guilty constantly because i always feel like i could be doing more. if it were easier i'd be back and forth to the vets every day & i'd spend thousands if it meant she'd be okay it's just so difficult with the circumstances

*money was a worry but i had my late christmas money which i'm keeping aside if she needs something so in the next week if she needs the vet it will be much easier. the past month has sucked because i left my job & i literally .... had £2 left yesterday . ... but i got a job yesterday. i spent my last £20 on the air sac mite medicine. i'm starting in march though - i don't want to be away whilst paya is sick especially since there's been so much improvement with be being so hands on

 

[emlyie]

Wow. You’re going through a lot - I’m sorry. You sound like a great bird mom with a great attitude. I’m sorry your family isn’t supportive of you taking her to the vet. I read every one of your posts and I hope someone here has some advice for you. I’ve never had a budgie but they are absolutely adorable.

thank you so much this is really sweet of you to say : ) it's been so scary & i've lost so much sleep over her lol i cry sometimes because even if she doesn't pass away because of sickness there will be a day where she passes away : (

 

[emlyie]

orange face lol

 

[emlyie]

vets today paya has been having some fits ? i'm not sure what they are. i think it may be due to the medicine but i'm really not sure, they started on friday but i didn't understand what it was because it was really similar to when she falls and spooks herself. two on sunday, the soonest appointment was today so we're leaving soon

yesterday was all clear, i stopped the medicine on sunday night and i'm going to see what the vet says today. it is the same vet however the closest avian vet is at full capacity and only had an opening on thursday, the vet i'm going to has two vets that specialise in exotics and birds so hopefully more is done this time

i'd really like them to keep her in for a night or two just to monitor her. sunday was horrible, she was in my hands for both and i burst blood vessels in my face crying. i felt so bad for crying so loudly i was just so frightened i love her so much. she's okay before and after, eating and sleeping but the last one lasted for around 5 minutes & she could barely lift her head afterwards

 

[Emma&pico]

vets today paya has been having some fits ? i'm not sure what they are. i think it may be due to the medicine but i'm really not sure, they started on friday but i didn't understand what it was because it was really similar to when she falls and spooks herself. two on sunday, the soonest appointment was today so we're leaving soon

yesterday was all clear, i stopped the medicine on sunday night and i'm going to see what the vet says today. it is the same vet however the closest avian vet is at full capacity and only had an opening on thursday, the vet i'm going to has two vets that specialise in exotics and birds so hopefully more is done this time

i'd really like them to keep her in for a night or two just to monitor her. sunday was horrible, she was in my hands for both and i burst blood vessels in my face crying. i felt so bad for crying so loudly i was just so frightened i love her so much. she's okay before and after, eating and sleeping but the last one lasted for around 5 minutes & she could barely lift her head afterwards

I am so sorry I hope you get some answers at vets

 

[emlyie]

unfortunately paya is still riddled with mega bacteria, the seizures may be a side effect of the medicine

however it's a case of one or the other - she could potentially die to the side effects, or she will definitely die to the mega bacteria. i cried in the vet office, the vet actually cried too, she is such a sweet bird and if the vet had told me there was a way to save her but it cost more money than id ever make in my life i'd do it and just be in debt forever.

but there isn't anything we can do. the vet said i'm doing a really good job and everything i'm doing is right. one positive is paya is now 40 grams instead of the 25 that she was our first visit. it's a big relief just to be told i really am doing right by her as i always worry about what more i could be doing when there literally isn't anything. i wake her up hourly to eat and drink, i clean her, i keep her on a water bottle that i refill every 5 hours and i even pay extra for a small heater beside her cage at night. i offer veg daily, i'm trying to convert her to harrisons pellets

i'm going to have to keep giving her the medicine which really upsets me because i'm so worried that's the cause of her seizures. i think having her fit in my hands was one of the worst feelings in my entire life but next time i know not to panic, if it's going to happen it's going to happen and all i can do is keep her safe

 

[Scorpi0]

No need to cry. Youre doing a great job caring for Paya. Probably more than most people would have done.

Theres one other thing you can try. About 2 years ago, one of my birds kept getting watery droppings. I took him to the vet and they took poop samples and sent it in to a lab to get tested. They said he had some bacteria in him and he needed antibiotics. So I treated him for 2 weeks and it got better. But a few days after his treatment, the watery droppings returned. So I took him back to another vet and told them the meds I used to treat him. So this vet prescribed another stronger antibiotic supposedly more focused for the type of bacteria he had. So another 2 weeks of treatment again. (Both of these treatments had to be given orally with a syringe btw. So my bird hated it…like torture). Anyway, I finished this 2 week treatment and after a few days his poops got watery again.
So It seems like most vets are quick to jump to antibiotics as a cure for everything. I wasnt gonna put my bird through that again. I started doing some research and found some probiotic tablets that just dissolve in their drinking water, and many people claimed it saved their birds when they were feeling super ill. So I gave it a try and it actually worked! I just keep putting it in his water and his droppings have stayed normal for the past 2 years. And I know your money’s tight but its only $7.50 on Amazon. Just wanted to let u know if u wanna try it, since your vet sounds like theyre out of ideas.

Also, I remember you saying it gets pretty cold in your house. Does Paya have a source of heat to stay warm?

 

[UserAZ]

Paya, I am sure, rather be no place else but with you. Keeping her safe, loved, and as comfortable as possible. Just look at her in that picture of her on your chest. So content!

 

[emlyie]

No need to cry. Youre doing a great job caring for Paya. Probably more than most people would have done.

Theres one other thing you can try. About 2 years ago, one of my birds kept getting watery droppings. I took him to the vet and they took poop samples and sent it in to a lab to get tested. They said he had some bacteria in him and he needed antibiotics. So I treated him for 2 weeks and it got better. But a few days after his treatment, the watery droppings returned. So I took him back to another vet and told them the meds I used to treat him. So this vet prescribed another stronger antibiotic supposedly more focused for the type of bacteria he had. So another 2 weeks of treatment again. (Both of these treatments had to be given orally with a syringe btw. So my bird hated it…like torture). Anyway, I finished this 2 week treatment and after a few days his poops got watery again.
So It seems like most vets are quick to jump to antibiotics as a cure for everything. I wasnt gonna put my bird through that again. I started doing some research and found some probiotic tablets that just dissolve in their drinking water, and many people claimed it saved their birds when they were feeling super ill. So I gave it a try and it actually worked! I just keep putting it in his water and his droppings have stayed normal for the past 2 years. And I know your money’s tight but its only $7.50 on Amazon. Just wanted to let u know if u wanna try it, since your vet sounds like theyre out of ideas.

Also, I remember you saying it gets pretty cold in your house. Does Paya have a source of heat to stay warm?

it's so awful though seeing her seize, her little eyes : ( she looks so afraid and helpless. i hope she understands even just a little bit how loved she is

i keep paya on a waterbottle at all times but i also convinced my nan to let me use the little heater in my room so she is always warm now, that's one thing that has helped her a lot especially with the weight gain i suspect! it was harder before as she seemed to avoid being near any heating supplements i offered. she also constantly sleeps in a blanket

when i first took paya the vet said AGY but amphotecerin B is illegal for vets to sell here so i was give anti biotics which i feel did her no good. i imported the amphotecerin and gave it in her water for around 10 days but i noticed no difference so i give it orally every 12 hours (she also hates this but she's very tolerant, no biting or anything : ( ) so she isn't currently on anti biotics but the instead the only available medication

paya has had what she's had long before i got her, the vet said it's so advanced it's going to take potentially months to see any improvements. she did also screen payas poop both times (£90 for a consultation and a screening i should get a microscope)

i do give probiotic powder in her food as well as vitamin, is it avipro you mean? the vet recommended this to me but i already have it

 

[emlyie]

Paya, I am sure, rather be no place else but with you. Keeping her safe, loved, and as comfortable as possible. Just look at her in that picture of her on your chest. So content!

that is so sweet of you to say and it really means a lot, she is the sweetest bird in the whole world <3