New baby budgie healthy?

[lly00n]

Hi, this is my first time using this so sorry if I did it completely wrong haha.
I recently got a 4-5 week old budgie named Bumi from an ad. It seems healthy. He (or she, but I’ll just say he for now) is eating and begging for food, chirping, pooping, sleeping, trying to chew things, and drinking. I’m always overly paranoid whenever I get a new pet, no matter how much I’ve researched haha. Hopefully an experienced budgie owner (preferably breeder to be honest. Or at least experience breeding) finds this because I have a few questions. Since I’m still a minor, my parents probably won’t want me to take it to the vet for a check up if there’s nothing obviously wrong.
1. His skin seems a little red in the places where his feathers haven’t fully opened. Is that a normal thing for budgies…? I’ve heard it could be because of dehydration but he’s been drinking water, and he gets water from the formula.
2. He sleeps a lot. He sleeps for a long time after eating and only wakes up to eat again. But this is usually when he is warm in my arms, so maybe it’s because of the warmth? When he’s in his cage he seems to be more active.
3. While he’s awake, he often preens and scratches. I don’t know if this much preening is a normal thing, or if it could be mites. I also noticed some stuff on his beak and eyes. I’ll attach an image to see what you think because compared to photos of budgies with mites online, it seems a little different. I can’t tell if it’s the beginning stages of mites or if it’s just some leftover food stuck on it.
4. The poop is quite runny. I’ve heard that this is normal for budgies being fed a formula, but I still just want to check in.Unfortunately I don’t have a photo of the poo right now, but the next time he goes I will try to attach one.
5. How many times a day is it normal for a baby budgie to adjust its crop? Bumi doesn’t do it TOO often, but he did it like 10 times a little while ago.
6. Is it okay to give the budgie water after hand feeding? The person we got him from said to do that. But some sites say that we shouldn’t be giving it water. Also does the temperature matter for water? I’ve heard people say that you should offer water in a small cap, or to only give water that is the same temperature as the baby formula. What do you guys recommend?
Thank you! Sorry that was so long haha…

 

[FeatheredM]

I think @Zara is good with this stuff, these are difficult questions so I tried to find someone who knows more about this

 

[lly00n]

I think @Zara is good with this stuff, these are difficult questions so I tried to find someone who knows more about this

Alright, thank you so much!

 

[Ripshod]

1. You've witnessed him drinking so no worries about dehydration.
2. It takes a lot of energy to grow and produce feathers so he will sleep a fair bit.
3. Growing feathers is an itchy and scratchy thing to do. He needs to release his feathers from the sheaths as they grow. Budgies tend to preen a lot anyway.
4. Typical for a baby on formula.
5. 10 times is typical. Nothing to be concerned about.
6. You're already giving him water. Don't take that from him

1-6 in one answer. There is no such thing as a 'normal' budgie, every one of them is different.

Yes, I've referred to him as male because that's what I see.

 

[lly00n]

1. You've witnessed him drinking so no worries about dehydration.
2. It takes a lot of energy to grow and produce feathers so he will sleep a fair bit.
3. Growing feathers is an itchy and scratchy thing to do. He needs to release his feathers from the sheaths as they grow. Budgies tend to preen a lot anyway.
4. Typical for a baby on formula.
5. 10 times is typical. Nothing to be concerned about.
6. You're already giving him water. Don't take that from him

1-6 in one answer. There is no such thing as a 'normal' budgie, every one of them is different.

Yes, I've referred to him as male because that's what I see.

Thank you so so much. That really helped put me at ease haha So do you think that the stuff on his beak is just some food that’s not coming off? Again, thank you!

 

[Ripshod]

Young bird = messy face. The food always goes where we don't want it. Moisten a q-tip with water and try gently cleaning it.

 

[Sparkles99]

He's so cute! I don't think I've seen them that young. So stripey!

 

[lly00n]

He's so cute! I don't think I've seen them that young. So stripey!

Haha thank you! He definitely is. He reminds me of a little pigeon

 

[zoo mom]

He is so precious.

No advice from me. I would have to come running here if I had such a young one.

 

[lly00n]

Hi again! I just wanted to clear another question I had up. There are always little bubbles near Bumi’s neck area after eating. I can see the formula moving around inside. Is this normal? It’s hard to regulate how much it goes down after eating since he has most of his feathers now. Do you think it could be sour crop..? I’m not sure of this because he still begs for food, eats a lot, chirps, and poops. He seems healthy overall, but I just want to know if I should be worried about it. He farts a lot after eating, and it usually goes down a bit, but like I said, I can’t tell if it goes down completely because he has feathers. Also, how do you tell if a baby budgie that has its feathers has a full crop? I don’t want to over feed him but he has a big appetite. He’s around 1.4-1.5 oz. He usually stops when he’s getting full and sleeps right after, but how do I know whether he is overeating or not? I’m trying to give him around 7-8ml because he’s 4-5 weeks old and an English budgie. But I’ve heard that some birds will eat more. I usually give him around that amount, but it’s hard to tell if it’s accurate because I spoon feed. I attached a photo of the bubbles, but I could only show one side in the position he is in. Thank you again!

 

[lly00n]

Hi again! I just wanted to clear another question I had up. There are always little bubbles near Bumi’s neck area after eating. I can see the formula moving around inside. Is this normal? It’s hard to regulate how much it goes down after eating since he has most of his feathers now. Do you think it could be sour crop..? I’m not sure of this because he still begs for food, eats a lot, chirps, and poops. He seems healthy overall, but I just want to know if I should be worried about it. He farts a lot after eating, and it usually goes down a bit, but like I said, I can’t tell if it goes down completely because he has feathers. Also, how do you tell if a baby budgie that has its feathers has a full crop? I don’t want to over feed him but he has a big appetite. He’s around 1.4-1.5 oz. He usually stops when he’s getting full and sleeps right after, but how do I know whether he is overeating or not? I’m trying to give him around 7-8ml because he’s 4-5 weeks old and an English budgie. But I’ve heard that some birds will eat more. I usually give him around that amount, but it’s hard to tell if it’s accurate because I spoon feed. I attached a photo of the bubbles, but I could only show one side in the position he is in. Thank you again!

@Zara @Ripshod

 

[Sparkles99]

@Britnicorn

 

[Zara]

You are looking at formula. When the bird is sat like that the crop is pushed and the contents visible from the top.
As for sour crop, you would know because the crop would not empty completely overnight. If the crop empties completely, all is well. You can check by gently feeling it in the morning.

 

[Britnicorn]

That looks like the same bubbly foam Phoenix had in the upper parts of his crop when he had an infection

If the crop doesn't empty overnight(6-8 hours) like Zara said I'd take him to the vet

 

[lly00n]

You are looking at formula. When the bird is sat like that the crop is pushed and the contents visible from the top.
As for sour crop, you would know because the crop would not empty completely overnight. If the crop empties completely, all is well. You can check by gently feeling it in the morning.

It does go down in the mornings. I heard that air could get in the crop because they beg too much? He does make an eating motion whenever we put our hands in the cage. But I will check in the morning. Do you think I should skip feeding him before then? He usually eats 4 times a day, so the next time will be in 2 hours.

 

[lly00n]

That looks like the same bubbly foam Phoenix had in the upper parts of his crop when he had an infection

If the crop doesn't empty overnight(6-8 hours) like Zara said I'd take him to the vet

Well that’s not good I’ll attach some more photos.

 

[Britnicorn]

That’s a lot of air, but if it empties completely every morning (and he’s not showing any other symptoms) then there should be nothing to worry about

-Phoenix would passively regurgitate when he was sick (regurgitating with no target, and it would randomly come up), and he would pant

Hes super cute!!

 

[Pat H]

LOVE that baby!!!

 

[lly00n]

That’s a lot of air, but if it empties completely every morning (and he’s not showing any other symptoms) then there should be nothing to worry about

-Phoenix would passively regurgitate when he was sick (regurgitating with no target, and it would randomly come up), and he would pant

Hes super cute!!

Yess I’ll check again in the morning. If it’s still there, I’ll take him to the vet for a check up. He isn’t regurgitating thankfully, but I did notice him panting a bit so that’s concerning. I’ll probably take him for a check up regardless if it’s there or not by tomorrow morning. Thank you!

 

[Britnicorn]

Yess I’ll check again in the morning. If it’s still there, I’ll take him to the vet for a check up. He isn’t regurgitating thankfully, but I did notice him panting a bit so that’s concerning. I’ll probably take him for a check up regardless if it’s there or not by tomorrow morning. Thank you!

He could be panting because he’s hot, is he still in a brooder? Try lowering the temp a degree or two