Pictures Is my budgie ill? Need advice ASAP

[Fallen080]

For some context, I've had this shy budgie for over 2 years now; she hasn't been very friendly towards me ever since her partner died last year but she does hop around the cage and chirp to other birds whenever she is outside. I haven't been able to feed her anything else besides store-bought seeds and water because she wouldn't want to eat any fruits or vegetables ever since I've had her around, causing said food to go bad later (I'm assuming she had a seed-based diet in captivity or adult budgies have a harder time to adjust).

However, this morning I've noticed that she started shutting her eyes a lot and stays fluffed up in the middle of the cage perch so I'm panicking right now and wondering if she's becoming ill. I've decided to let her take a nap and cover her cage for a couple of hours (which I've never done before because I didn't want to ruin her sleep schedule). At the time of this post she's awake and eating but I'm not at all confident about her overall health if it has improved. Here is the picture of her current status. If anyone has a better idea on what's happening to her than I do then that'd be great. Advice would be appreciated

 

[WikiWaz]

I'm no expert, but other signs of illness may be tail bobbing and wings drooping. Have her droppings changed?

You know your bird best and if you notice a change in behavior it may mean something is going on.

 

[Fallen080]

I'm no expert, but other signs of illness may be tail bobbing and wings drooping. Have her droppings changed?

You know your bird best and if you notice a change in behavior it may mean something is going on.

Her droppings look slightly more runnier than usual but it could be because it's fresh poop or the rain that came down this morning

From this up to date video I just took, you can see some tail bobbing but she does that all the time when chirping or relaxing so I can't say for certain. And what does wings drooping mean? Do you mean the small feather residue from self preening?

Edit: Video doesn't work, apparently mp4s dont work in this forum

 

[Ripshod]

If you are concerned a vet visit may be a good idea.
What toys are there in her cage? It also looks a bit dark, or is that the time of day? Can you take a photo showing her cage setup?
If she's only eating seed and it's not fortified then definitely the vet. Don't give any supplements until she's been checked over.
The poops look okay. A small tail bob is also normal - they have to breathe.

 

[Fallen080]

If you are concerned a vet visit may be a good idea.
What toys are there in her cage? It also looks a bit dark, or is that the time of day? Can you take a photo showing her cage setup?
If she's only eating seed and it's not fortified then definitely the vet. Don't give any supplements until she's been checked over.
The poops look okay. A small tail bob is also normal - they have to breathe.

I'm definitely going to visit an avian vet as soon as I can, however I don't have a driver's license and my parents work 12+ hour shifts so I can't go in the morning. The nearest avian vet is too far from where I live so walking isnt a good idea. The earliest I can manage is Saturday morning but I don't know if my parents are willing to take me, or if she'll survive by Saturday from the looks of things but I have to try.

Here are some photos for reference.

Update: Things have gotten worse. My budgie now has some feathers missing on the back of her head and her poop has become completely runny.

 

[Ripshod]

It seems there may be a few things going on.
The priority is to speak to a vet. You must mention the seed diet, this'll likely point him in the right direction and save time and $$s.
There doesn't seem to be a lot for her to do in her cage to occupy her mind.
The missing feathers. Could she have bumped her head anywhere? I notice the cage door is open so could she have hit something when flying (back of the head suggests the ceiling)?
The change in poops? She could be drinking more water with the stress of being watched so closely.
She perks up outside as you mentioned. That could just be down to the other birds but I think the daylight could be a factor too. Could you move her cage to a brighter area or add some light where she is? If she perks up with the sound of other budgies on YouTube you could discuss getting her a cage mate with your folks.

 

[Birdmom99]

Definitely take her to a vet. She may have anything from an infection to lead poisoning and only an avian vet can run the diagnostics to determine this. Have you also tried putting her on pellets?

 

[Fallen080]

It seems there may be a few things going on.
The priority is to speak to a vet. You must mention the seed diet, this'll likely point him in the right direction and save time and $$s.
There doesn't seem to be a lot for her to do in her cage to occupy her mind.
The missing feathers. Could she have bumped her head anywhere? I notice the cage door is open so could she have hit something when flying (back of the head suggests the ceiling)?
The change in poops? She could be drinking more water with the stress of being watched so closely.
She perks up outside as you mentioned. That could just be down to the other birds but I think the daylight could be a factor too. Could you move her cage to a brighter area or add some light where she is? If she perks up with the sound of other budgies on YouTube you could discuss getting her a cage mate with your folks.

I'll definitely talk to a vet as soon as I can and mention the seed diet.

You have a good point about the lack of toys and entertainment. I am to blame for that but I don't have any money to buy bird toys (no luck with job searching either) and my parents either don't want to buy anything for her or put off the request every time. I tried to fill in the void by taking her out of the cage and talking to her but she hates going out and never leaves the cage on her own, so I just take her outside everyday so she can communicate with other birds.

I don't think she bumped her head anywhere. She never leaves the cage on her own unless I coax her a lot to get on my finger and I just opened it for a better view when I take pictures.

I almost never see her drink water compared to her eating seeds, but then again I'm really busy and check in on her from time to time every day. Also her water container barely goes down so I'm assuming the former or she's that sick for poop to be that runny.

Unfortunately I can't move her anywhere else because my cat terrifies her and won't stop going near the cage (For context, I got the cat a year ago and it wasn't on purpose; she was a gift from my dad and spent so much money on spaying her, additional medical bills and pet products beforehand so I couldn't say no and take her back.) Also, the weather has been really bad this week so I can't take my bird anywhere with sunlight if I tried. But I'll keep the light on as I always do, I guess.

Really sorry for the seemingly garbage excuses, but I don't know what else I can do at this point. I'll try the Youtube method you mentioned though.

 

[Fallen080]

Definitely take her to a vet. She may have anything from an infection to lead poisoning and only an avian vet can run the diagnostics to determine this. Have you also tried putting her on pellets?

I'll take her to a vet. I tried pellets once last year for her primary meal because I didn't have room but she hardly ate anything and I didn't want her to starve

 

[Shezbug]

You can make your own toys very easily. Check out DIY drive to get some ideas. Simple paper strips are often a winner with budgies.

 

[Ripshod]

A cat! Birds don't do well with predators about. Can you keep the cat out of your room?

 

[Britnicorn]

Be sure to tell your parents how dire the situation is, they'll probably be more willing to take her to the vet asap if they know she could easily die if not treated

Cat saliva is extremely toxic to birds, please keep the cat out of the room. My cats still beg to come into my room but they can't. It's sad but not sad enough to risk the bird's life over it

 

[WikiWaz]

I'm definitely going to visit an avian vet as soon as I can, however I don't have a driver's license and my parents work 12+ hour shifts so I can't go in the morning. The nearest avian vet is too far from where I live so walking isnt a good idea. The earliest I can manage is Saturday morning but I don't know if my parents are willing to take me, or if she'll survive by Saturday from the looks of things but I have to try.

Here are some photos for reference.

Update: Things have gotten worse. My budgie now has some feathers missing on the back of her head and her poop has become completely runny.

You can also try an exotic vet too. Avian is best but if there is san exotic vet closer to you that is a viable option.

 

[Fallen080]

The DIY videos seem interesting, I'll give it a try once she gets better.

Oh I probably should've mentioned that ever since I got the cat a year ago, I've made sure never to have the cat in the same room as my bird as even their prescence can cause harm to budgies via stress (I did have a couple of close calls due to my parents being reckless by opening doors but that was a couple months after I got the cat. I don't know if those scary memories came back to frighten my bird now.). I appreciate the concern though.

 

[WikiWaz]

@Fallen080 at the 8:55 mark in this video it shows a budgie with drooping wings.

 

[Lady Jane]

She looks unwell and depressed to me. Vet ASAP!

 

[Ripshod]

Unfortunately I can't move her anywhere else because my cat terrifies her

But you can put a cheap desk lamp with an led bulb above/on top of her cage, yes?

 

[Keetie!]

Honestly, to me your little budgie looks sad. She needs something to do. Definitely some nice enrichment toys....maybe a nice larger flight cage. Lighting makes so much difference as well. That tiny girl seems to be stalked and scared. Cats and birds don't mix...ever. I firmly believe that. You seem so concerned and that's great. I would start with a vet visit and go from there. Her environment that is happy and healthy will change her demeaner. Good Luck! I love budgies! PS...the dowel perches in her cage aren't good for her feet. Some natural perches are always best...she might nibble on them too!

 

[Fallen080]

She looks unwell and depressed to me. Vet ASAP!

Will do.

But you can put a cheap desk lamp with an led bulb above/on top of her cage, yes?

I can't place it because the top of the cage has a triangular roof design so the desk lamp would slide off even if I did have one. Also I didn't want to hurt her eyes too much hy having a lightbulb directly near her cage so I always leave the light on whenever she is in my room, until bedtime.

Honestly, to me your little budgie looks sad. She needs something to do. Definitely some nice enrichment toys....maybe a nice larger flight cage. Lighting makes so much difference as well. That tiny girl seems to be stalked and scared. Cats and birds don't mix...ever. I firmly believe that. You seem so concerned and that's great. I would start with a vet visit and go from there. Her environment that is happy and healthy will change her demeaner. Good Luck! I love budgies! PS...the dowel perches in her cage aren't good for her feet. Some natural perches are always best...she might nibble on them too!

Sure, I'll look into making some DIYs or make a run for the closest pet store before they close. (I was barely able to convince my parents to lend me some money for the bird today). I don't think I can do anything about the cat-bird coexisting issue sadly, all I can do is keep them in seperate rooms.

@Fallen080 at the 8:55 mark in this video it shows a budgie with drooping wings.

I see. It doesn't look like my budgie has drooping wings but she has been shivering from the time I made this post.

 

[Fallen080]

Update:

Today, her poop doesn't look as runny and wet as yesterday, but it still doesnt look too great.

Her chirps are the same as usual and aren't getting low pitched so I think that's a good sign but I can't stay reassured for now.

I talked to my parents today about seeing a vet but to my dismay, they're working on weekends too (which almost never happens) so I'm completely on my own now. I have to either take a very long walk in the bad weather or take a bus and risk contracting Covid for myself (or my bird in her volatile state, if Covid can transfer to animals) and even then I have to arrange an appointment.