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Urgent Is our new bird sick?

Shinobu

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Hello. My daughter just got her first bird (an albino parakeet) who has seemed to be doing really well, chirping, preening, exploring, eating and drinking, and even choosing to occasionally sit on our hands (with only chop and seed mixes as bribery- no force).

After learning more about parakeets, we just bought her a new, huge, flight cage this weekend at a local bird sanctuary, and added all sorts of fun new toys and perches, with their recommendation. After moving her, we believe that her wings must’ve been clipped at the PetCo (where we got her) and she was not moving around too much. We thought she was just getting used to her new home. We then added (extreme overkill) all sorts of extra ladders and rope bridges to enable her to move throughout w/o flying.

For the last two days, she has continued to sit only on the floor of the cage though, whenever she is left alone. If she likes it there, we’re fine with that; however, I noticed today that her wing bones seem to show more than before. I’ve only ever had chickens and know that weight loss is a critical issue for them (& they usually have some weight they can stand to lose- unlike a parakeet). We have moved her food and water to the floor and I added the smaller wired floor bars, from her small cage, on top (as her new cage’s bars are the maximum 5/8” width); but, she’s still not moving much. Do you think she’s ok? Is she still just adjusting and I’m (hopefully) just being paranoid?

She is still within the PetCo warranty, for taking her to their vet; although, when we purchased her, they never answered our question, as to which avian vet they use (not sure they actually have one). I do know of some in our area though, where I’ve taken chickens. Please give me any and all informed opinions, as we are still fully learning. Thanks.
 

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rocky'smom

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I would say take her to PetCo's avian vet just to make sure she ok. Better safe then sorry.
 

MiniMacaw

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I’ve found when my budgies were young they liked staying on the cage floor. As they grew, they started to explore more, eventually preferring being up high.

That said, I’d be wary of the Petco warranty. I’ve known more than a few instances back from my days of working in the vet field where birds were taken into Petco for “treatment” and the employees just put the bird in the back and gave them whatever meds the manager tells them to. Personally I’d find a real avian vet to take this little one to. It’s always a good idea to get a wellness check done on any new bird and it also helps put your mind at ease.
 
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MiniMacaw

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Also, if she’s young, the new larger cage could be just a bit overwhelming for her. Her wings are definitely clipped and navigating all that space can be daunting at first. The good thing is budgies are so adaptable and mischievous that they tend to get the hang of it sooner rather than later.
 

Ripshod

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You're not seeing 'ribs' in the wings, it's just the way the feathers lay.
Seems to me the new cage is daunting for her, so soon after another new cage too. She needs time to settle and discover.
Despite the petco promise it's always good to see a different vet for a new bird checkup.
 

Zara

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Good advice already given, I just wanted to point out, the ladder in the middle of the cage is not hooked to anything. It would be a good idea to move it somewhere and hook both hooks onto the cage to secure it. While she´s on the floor she could easily knock it over and get hurt.
 

Shinobu

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Good advice already given, I just wanted to point out, the ladder in the middle of the cage is not hooked to anything. It would be a good idea to move it somewhere and hook both hooks onto the cage to secure it. While she´s on the floor she could easily knock it over and get hurt.
Thanks. I just moved that “store bought ladder” down from above, as she doesn’t seem to like the hand made ones. She did just use it to climb up to the lowest perch and has been chatting more. I will tie it ASAP; I am going to move it slightly so hadn’t tied it yet. Thanks for the reminder.
 

Shinobu

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You're not seeing 'ribs' in the wings, it's just the way the feathers lay.
Seems to me the new cage is daunting for her, so soon after another new cage too. She needs time to settle and discover.
Despite the petco promise it's always good to see a different vet for a new bird checkup.
thanks. I knew those weren’t actually ribs; but, wanted to try to explain which part I was noticing, with my very uninformed bird anatomy knowledge. So, those ridges seem perfectly normal & she hasn’t lost weight?
 

Shinobu

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I’ve found when my budgies were young they liked staying on the cage floor. As they grew, they started to explore more, eventually preferring being up high.

That said, I’d be wary of the Petco warranty. I’ve known more than a few instances back from my days of working in the vet field where birds were taken into Petco for “treatment” and the employees just put the bird in the back and gave them whatever meds the manager tells them to. Personally I’d find a real avian vet to take this little one to. It’s always a good idea to get a wellness check done on any new bird and it also helps put your mind at ease.
Thanks. Yep, there’s absolutely no chance in Hell that I’d let them take her anywhere out of my site or administer any medication. I would demand they send me to (or pay for me to find my own and take her to) a qualified avian vet, per the agreement when buying her. It’s good to know they like the floor too.
 

Shinobu

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I would say take her to PetCo's avian vet just to make sure she ok. Better safe then sorry.
She seems to be acting more normal now, eating, climbing the floor ladder, chirping etc. I’ll keep a close eye on her; but, I may have overreacted. I think having to transport her might stress her out even more. If I see anything else that gives me reason to think she’s slightly lethargic, I’ll get her right in. Others (below) have debunked the ridges on her wings and wanting to sit on the cage floor; so, she may be ok.
 

Shinobu

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Also, if she’s young, the new larger cage could be just a bit overwhelming for her. Her wings are definitely clipped and navigating all that space can be daunting at first. The good thing is budgies are so adaptable and mischievous that they tend to get the hang of it sooner rather than later.
Thank you. She did seem very nervous when I put her on the highest perch once. She does seem happier on the lower levels. I’m already in love with this cute bird. I’m trying to get her tamed so I can get one for myself & give her some more company too (she’s my daughters).
 

Zara

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She did seem very nervous when I put her on the highest perch once. She does seem happier on the lower levels.
That is a very big clip they´ve done to her. She probably isn´t able to impede her falls very well. So that makes sense she would prefer the lower portion of the cage for now. I´m sure once her wings start growing in she´ll love exploring the upper portion of the cage. You have set it up wonderfully.
 

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Zip tie it, not with twine. No loops for little feet or necks to get caught in. Petco usually has a vet that will take care of birds if needed.
 
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