911 Tony the Budgieriar in bad shape!!Need advice and help pronto!! **Sad Update**

[camelotshadow]

 

[Reggie]

I'm so sorry for your loss. Is there any way you could figure out what caused this? Did you change anything in your routine or offer any new foods? Were there any signs of a fight or any discharge?
I'm a little uneasy at the fact that he shared his cage with a GCC, because I thought different species of birds couldn't be housed together? Is there any way that the conure could've accidentally injured him?

 

[Lady Jane]

If Pearl is digging in the cage then she is trying to get out and away. I would remove the body of the bird that died. Please remember to quarantine any new bird and scrub the cage and everything inside of it if you put a new bird inside. Again I am feeling your loss too.

 

[GCC_Quijote]

I should clarify.
She's not caged, and I removed the body after she and Quijote had some time with it.
She's actually climbed into the bottom of another bird's cage and started digging around in an unusual way.

 

[rocky'smom]

I am so sorry for your loss

 

[CrazyBirdChick]

I'm so very sorry

 

[iamwhoiam]

So sorry for your loss.

 

[jojomom]

I'm so sorry. Sending love to you and your FIDS.

 

[Odin]

Oh no so sorry

 

[Monica]

I'm a little uneasy at the fact that he shared his cage with a GCC, because I thought different species of birds couldn't be housed together?

Generally speaking, no, it's not a good idea to house different sized species together because birds in captivity are frequently raised "incorrectly" and don't learn flocking skills.

In the wild though, parrots of all sizes frequently share the same feeding grounds, watering holes and perhaps even perching areas.

She's actually climbed into the bottom of another bird's cage and started digging around in an unusual way.

Sorry for your loss.

Some hens may have a brown cere for their entire lifespan once they attain the coloration and some hens can "molt" their ceres. That is, the brown, crusty part of the cere falls off, showing white or white with blue underneath, and as time goes on, the cere will turn tan then crusty brown again. I wouldn't be concerned about it.

As far as the digging... this could be a foraging activity or possibly a hormonal activity. (I have heard of some budgies creating nests in the ground even though they generally nest in cavities inside of trees).


If you still have Tony's body, it may be a good idea to get a necropsy to make sure he didn't die of anything that could harm your other birds.

Have you tried here?
Association of Avian Veterinarians

Likewise, you can try finding a local agriculture department near you that also treats animals. These places may also perform a necropsy (often cheaper than avian vets).

 

[GCC_Quijote]

I'm so sorry for your loss. Is there any way you could figure out what caused this? Did you change anything in your routine or offer any new foods? Were there any signs of a fight or any discharge?

There wasn't anything. He recently broke a toenail trying to climb the curtain in that room, and so I replaced it with something he was less likely to snag on.
I guess he'd been singing a little less recently, but it's getting cold and I just thought that's what was going on.

I'm a little uneasy at the fact that he shared his cage with a GCC, because I thought different species of birds couldn't be housed together? Is there any way that the conure could've accidentally injured him?

He didn't have any signs of injury, and I really doubt it. They used to have separate cages, but the conjure and budgies would cry for each other when I caged them. So, I left them out in the bird room at night during the summer, and they were inseperable. They were together all day, and perched huddled together at night. So when it started to get cold and I needed to bring the space heater back in at night I got them a bigger cage and put them together.
The conjure has never hurt either of them. They've sort of helped me raise him since he was two months old and he's extra gentle with them. I researched before putting them together, and I was told it would probably be okay since they're together all the time anyway.

Generally speaking, no, it's not a good idea to house different sized species together because birds in captivity are frequently raised "incorrectly" and don't learn flocking skills.

In the wild though, parrots of all sizes frequently share the same feeding grounds, watering holes and perhaps even perching areas.

Both Tony and Pearl appear to have been wild caught at some point, and they voluntarily took an active role with Quijote from the moment we brought him home. I was worried at first since he was bigger, but they seem to have done a good job socializing him to other birds.

Some hens may have a brown cere for their entire lifespan once they attain the coloration and some hens can "molt" their ceres. That is, the brown, crusty part of the cere falls off, showing white or white with blue underneath, and as time goes on, the cere will turn tan then crusty brown again. I wouldn't be concerned about it.

As far as the digging... this could be a foraging activity or possibly a hormonal activity. (I have heard of some budgies creating nests in the ground even though they generally nest in cavities inside of trees).

I'm really relieved to see this about the cere. It did molt once, but this one hasn't so I was concerned.
I'm looking into getting her some foraging toys for the ground to see if that'll keep her out of the bottom of the CAG's cage. (Our CAG is not well socialised to other birds, and doesn't appreciate the company.)

If you still have Tony's body, it may be a good idea to get a necropsy to make sure he didn't die of anything that could harm your other birds.

Have you tried here?
Association of Avian Veterinarians

Likewise, you can try finding a local agriculture department near you that also treats animals. These places may also perform a necropsy (often cheaper than avian vets).

I'll look into that. We've got him in the freezer right now, because we didn't want to bury him before we were sure about what's going on.

 

[Reggie]

If he broke a toenail was there any blood? Did it break at the cuticle?
EDIT: I looked it up and budgies can only stand to lose 10 - 12 DROPS of blood before it's fatal.

 

[Monica]

Both Tony and Pearl appear to have been wild caught at some point, and they voluntarily took an active role with Quijote from the moment we brought him home. I was worried at first since he was bigger, but they seem to have done a good job socializing him to other birds.

I'm sorry, I forgot to address that!

He is unlikely to have been a wild caught bird. More than likely, he was banded at a late age, past the age where a closed band could have been placed on it. That, or the breeder(?) doesn't use closed bands?

Pearl is *definitely* not wild caught either! It is extremely rare for there to be any wild mutations flying about. Mutations are more likely to get eaten in a flock because they stand out.

Although I think budgies are on the list of acceptable imports, I know that Australia does not export or import any parrots, even pets. It's extremely hard and rare to get a bird into or out of Australia. Another fact that makes it unlikely for them to be wild caught.


Can you ask the pet store you bought them at where they get their budgies? That is probably the best way to find out where they came from.


As far as them accepting Quijote. That's "kind of" normal. Budgies are one species that tend to get a lot more flock socialization than some other species and they *love* to annoy and pester other birds! I've seen it in my own flock back when I had budgies! It's just kind of in their nature.

I'll look into that. We've got him in the freezer right now, because we didn't want to bury him before we were sure about what's going on.

Unfortunately, freezing his body destroys his cells, which makes doing a necropsy harder. Not impossible, necessarily, but it depends on what they're looking for.

If someone wants to perform a necropsy done on their pet, it's best to place the body in the fridge. (if it's a small animal)

 

[GCC_Quijote]

If he broke a toenail was there any blood? Did it break at the cuticle?
EDIT: I looked it up and budgies can only stand to lose 10 - 12 DROPS of blood before it's fatal.

I didn't see any blood anywhere, but the nails seemed to have broken pretty high up.

 

[Tara81]

So sorry for your loss, I hope pearl is doing okay

 

[GCC_Quijote]

Update!
Pearl is doing fine. We, unfortunately, froze Tony so the post mortem wasn't very useful. However, we described what happened nad the doctor said for us to check for mice droppings especially under the baseboard heating vents... and there was! A ton of it.
We've been laying out mouse traps and keeping the place cleaner, and everybody seems to be doing okay. I think Pearl may have been getting sick because she's much more energetic and noisy now that we've cleaned up.
The doctor also suggested we keep their room warmer than we had been. It wasn't cold, but he said that the heat can help little Pearl fight off any potential illness she may have been incubating.

 

[sunnysmom]

I'm glad Pearl is doing well.