Urgent Young Budgie w/ dirty vent

[Polly101]

So, I made the choice to buy a young budgie (maybe 10-12 weeks old?) that has a dirty vent. I got two budgies, but only one has a dirty vent. They are being housed together and I’ve had them for one day.

I requested an appointment with an avian vet but won’t be able to talk to them till Monday.

The birds are both active and they are already bonding, preening each other etc. I didn’t want to roseate them because they were already housed together before I got them and they are obviously more comfortable together.

I’ll take them both to the vet, as they will both need treatment.

In the mean time I’m curious if I should be concerned and if there is anything I can do to make him more comfortable.

I don’t know how soon the vet will be able to get them in, so if this one isn’t available, then I’ll try another one.

I see that someone else had a very similar issue but with an older bird and their bird had tail bobbing. I see absolutely no other symptoms except the dirty vent. The poop looks pretty normal to me. It is formed and maybe only the slightest bit wetter than what I would consider normal, but generally looks normal to me.

Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

 

[geff]

The veterinary inspection should be all you need for now. Let us know what happens.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Great that you have a vet appt. Have you been able to clean the vent area? That would at least make him more comfortable.

 

[Polly101]

Looks like his poops are leaving a wet spot on the newspaper but the solid part is formed. I don’t have an appt yet, but I have a place to call that seems to get good reviews. I haven’t handled them yet, as I just got them. I’ve been able to feed them some millet through the bars, but they were scared when I went to give them food and water this morning. I’m going to get a carrier to take them to the vet in. They are such cute little chicks!

I hope it’s just the food. The store was feeding them pellets that look and smell like Trix cereal, so I’ve been mixing in Roudybush, which they seem to be eating.

Great that you have a vet appt. Have you been able to clean the vent area? That would at least make him more comfortable.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Could be the change in diet. At least you are transitioning instead of abruptly switching them to a new food.

 

[Polly101]

Could be the change in diet. At least you are transitioning instead of abruptly switching them to a new food.

I hope that’s all it is.

 

[Polly101]

The vet I called is not available till January. Everyone else in the Metro Detroit area is getting bad reviews for exoctics. Is there a way to get referrals for an avian vet in my area?

I’ve heard of many harming and even accidentally killing birds, possibly from mishandling or just from stress. I really don’t want to take my birds somewhere with a bad reputation that probably doesn’t see many birds in the first place.

 

[BirdField]

Bump for more replies.

 

[RedFoxBlackSox]

Is it possible at all for you to trim the area down a bit?

 

[kitsunebandit]

I hope you manage to find yourself a good vet. I would use a cotton ball and some warm water to try and soak off any of the droppings that may be sticking to the vent. If the feathers are quite long you can always trim them down too. It prevents build up. Hopefully everything will be ok

 

[iamwhoiam]

You could search here for vets who treat birds:
Association of Avian Veterinarians
Did you tell the person you spoke with what was going on and also see if they, at least, had any suggestions?

 

[Polly101]

Well, I took them to the vet and it appears to be just stress and change of food... this was kind of my gut instinct. I hate to stress the bird and waste money and time going to a vet for no reason...

At least they didn’t seem too upset when they finally got home. I guess better safe than sorry, but then taking the bird to the vet is so stressful for the bird that it’s more of a toss up. I learned that if the bird is acting totally normal but has unusual poop with a suspected reason, just ride it out a few days.

The vet was ok, she claims to have done surgery on budgies... I found her through that link someone provided above. I think I’ll try the lady in Warren, MI next time, as she has really good reviews.

I’m just glad that they are healthy! Thanks to everyone who posted!

 

[Polly101]

I hope you manage to find yourself a good vet. I would use a cotton ball and some warm water to try and soak off any of the droppings that may be sticking to the vent. If the feathers are quite long you can always trim them down too. It prevents build up. Hopefully everything will be ok

Can they essentially get diaper rash from the poo sticking? Is that the reason to clean it? I think the store might have cleaned it and I see the bird cleaning it. I hate to grab him any more, as ’m worried that he will take longer to hand tame.

I’ll check him tomorrow and see if it’s dirty. The vet didn’t offer to clean it...

 

[kitsunebandit]

It's more so for the bird not to end up with it caked on. It can prevent the poop from coming out, it can weigh down the feathers causing discomfort and it can obviously be quite unhygienic for them. I'm glad you managed to get them to the vet, sounds like everything is ok. Always go with you gut, it's better to be safe than sorry

They're a lovely looking pair of boys by the way, congrats

 

[Polly101]

It's more so for the bird not to end up with it caked on. It can prevent the poop from coming out, it can weigh down the feathers causing discomfort and it can obviously be quite unhygienic for them. I'm glad you managed to get them to the vet, sounds like everything is ok. Always go with you gut, it's better to be safe than sorry

They're a lovely looking pair of boys by the way, congrats

Actually I think it was a horrible idea to take them to the vet. One really has to weigh the stress of the trip and going out in the cold vs displayed symptoms.

Both birds were acting totally normal prior to their vet visit. It was the blue one with the dirty vent and loose poop. Now the green one is lethargic and puffed up!

First I’m going to wait till tomorrow to see if he is better. Next, I’m going to call the vet and see if they can get me some meds without coming back. It’s very cold here and even being covered with a blanket does nothing. I wisked them to the car, but still...

I very much regret the visit to the vet and the time and money wasted, only to get my bird sick, rather than help the supposedly sick one.

I don’t think rushing to the vet is the answer. Now I learned a hard lesson to wait it out and weigh the costs of taking birds to the vet.

 

[RedFoxBlackSox]

:< oh dear. Vet visits can be stressful. My Peaches was definitely worse off after his first visit- but I came to find out the guy wasn’t an avian vet at all and gave him a dog ointment that burned his skin. The guy also kept aggravating him (like poking his finger in his face thinking it was cute). The second vet I brought him to was great and he’s been improving. But yeah, little birds can get stressed out. If that’s the case, I would speak softly for a while and avoid overhandling. Try a heating pad and give them plenty of fresh water and food :3!

 

[Tiel Feathers]

I’m sorry your bird seems sick now, however I don’t believe your bird would get sick just from the visit or the cold if he wasn’t harboring something anyway. I hope he will start acting okay soon, and hopefully he’s just recovering from the stress and the busy day.

 

[Polly101]

I’m sorry your bird seems sick now, however I don’t believe your bird would get sick just from the visit or the cold if he wasn’t harboring something anyway. I hope he will start acting okay soon, and hopefully he’s just recovering from the stress and the busy day.

Thanks! So when he eats, he his feathers are tight, but then he goes and sits all puffed up. I’m going to leave a blanket over half the cage and put the heat up. I’m also going to talk to he people at the store. Maybe he is cold? None of my other birds are.

It’s just so stressful to potentially have sick birds...

 

[Polly101]

:< oh dear. Vet visits can be stressful. My Peaches was definitely worse off after his first visit- but I came to find out the guy wasn’t an avian vet at all and gave him a dog ointment that burned his skin. The guy also kept aggravating him (like poking his finger in his face thinking it was cute). The second vet I brought him to was great and he’s been improving. But yeah, little birds can get stressed out. If that’s the case, I would speak softly for a while and avoid overhandling. Try a heating pad and give them plenty of fresh water and food :3!

Yeah, it’s all about the vet. The lady I wanted to go to was out of town.

 

[Polly101]

It's more so for the bird not to end up with it caked on. It can prevent the poop from coming out, it can weigh down the feathers causing discomfort and it can obviously be quite unhygienic for them. I'm glad you managed to get them to the vet, sounds like everything is ok. Always go with you gut, it's better to be safe than sorry

They're a lovely looking pair of boys by the way, congrats

Thanks for the tips and compliment! Thank you to everyone for the input. It wasn’t the best time to pick up two new birds, right before Christmas, but I have been looking for blue and green grey wing babies for a long time and here they were.