sick budgie

[Iva]

My budgie is 5 and a half years old. I was out of town for two weeks, and during that time my sister was taking care of him. When I came back a week ago, I noticed he had diarrhea and couldn’t fly — he fell to the ground. Unfortunately, where I live, vets have very limited knowledge about budgies. I started giving him one antibiotic, and now the vet has changed it, guessing it might be a urinary infection. He has an appetite and eats his millet, and he drinks water with electrolytes, but I never see him drinking the water with the antibiotic in it. He sleeps a lot and looks like a little fluffy ball. I am really worried now as his condition is not getting better.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Mizzely]

Does the vet have an alternative option for dosing? Antibiotics in the water as you have learned is imperfect (and imprecise).

What's his diet aside from millet?

Are we 100% sure he's a boy? I know budgies are usually easy to tell but occasionally they throw us off!

 

[Respect]

Whereabouts are you located? Someone might be able to help you locate an avian vet.

Unfortunately if there are no avian vets in your area, the best you can do is keep giving the antibiotic as directed and provide supportive care. You can also ask the vet about giving antibiotics with a syringe as opposed to in the water, if that’s something you’re able to do.

Keep him warm — cover the cage, keep the room warm, provide a bird-safe heater, etc. Parrots use a lot of energy keeping themselves warm, so “freeing up” some of that energy to go towards fighting illness instead could be helpful.

Sick birds are also at an increased risk of falling, so you may want to move his perches closer to the bottom of his cage and put some soft material (towels, blankets, etc.) at the bottom of his cage to pad any falls. You can put paper on top of any towels/blankets/etc. to make cleanup easier whilst still providing padding.

Wishing you luck.

 

[Iva]

Whereabouts are you located? Someone might be able to help you locate an avian vet.

Unfortunately if there are no avian vets in your area, the best you can do is keep giving the antibiotic as directed and provide supportive care. You can also ask the vet about giving antibiotics with a syringe as opposed to in the water, if that’s something you’re able to do.

Keep him warm — cover the cage, keep the room warm, provide a bird-safe heater, etc. Parrots use a lot of energy keeping themselves warm, so “freeing up” some of that energy to go towards fighting illness instead could be helpful.

Sick birds are also at an increased risk of falling, so you may want to move his perches closer to the bottom of his cage and put some soft material (towels, blankets, etc.) at the bottom of his cage to pad any falls. You can put paper on top of any towels/blankets/etc. to make cleanup easier whilst still providing padding.

Wishing you luck.

Thank you for the advice. Do you know what the ideal room temperature should be for a sick budgie? The room he is in is 85°F. I covered his cage, and I think he’s doing a bit better now — at least he’s no longer sitting at the bottom of the cage and sleeping as I found him when I came back from work. I’m constantly offering him water in a glass with the antibiotic mixed in, and he’s drinking it now. I just hope the vet prescribed the right antibiotic. I’m still really worried, as he’s never been this sick before. Also, I noticed that his beak appears darker in some areas.

 

[Iva]

Does the vet have an alternative option for dosing? Antibiotics in the water as you have learned is imperfect (and imprecise).

What's his diet aside from millet?

Are we 100% sure he's a boy? I know budgies are usually easy to tell but occasionally they throw us off!

He (now that you mention it, I’ve been thinking he’s a boy for five and a half years — I really hope I’m right, since his name is Rocco! . The vet suggested I should give him the antibiotic using a syringe, but that’s just impossible for me to do. His main diet is millet, but he also eats vegetables every day — lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard — and various seeds. He absolutely loves peanuts!

 

[Macawnutz]

What medication are you giving and what is the dose?

 

[Iva]

What medication are you giving and what is the dose?

I'm currently giving him enrofloxacin, 5 drops in his water (30ml).

 

[Finchbreed]

Most vets will tell you to cut out greens while a bird is ill and on antibiotics.
Something to do with the fluid content of greens I believe.

 

[Mizzely]

Most vets will tell you to cut out greens while a bird is ill and on antibiotics.
Something to do with the fluid content of greens I believe.

I've never heard this, but I have heard no dairy (for people) while taking antibiotics. Calcium actually interferes with some types of antibiotics being absorbed well. This seems to be true for those in the tetracycline and fluoroquinolone classes, which enrofloxacin is part of.

So yes, dark leafy greens probably should be avoided while taking it.

 

[Iva]

Most vets will tell you to cut out greens while a bird is ill and on antibiotics.
Something to do with the fluid content of greens I believe.

He only eats his millet these days. I also give him vitamins and electrolytes besides the antibiotics. I keep him warm but he still has diarrhea. I don't know what to do anymore...

 

[Finchbreed]

My mother uses a product called "Spark" on her budgies to get them back up to scratch if they get an upset in their digestion.
We are in Australia, so don;t know if that is available to you. But it is a targeted form of electrolytes and vitamins. So you are on the right track.

 

[Iva]

My mother uses a product called "Spark" on her budgies to get them back up to scratch if they get an upset in their digestion.
We are in Australia, so don;t know if that is available to you. But it is a targeted form of electrolytes and vitamins. So you are on the right track.

Thanks for the advice. I am in Europe... My budgie is still sick but I think vitamins and electrolytes are helping him. But he is still not well and still has diarrhea.

 

[Macawnutz]

Enrofloxacin is a good broad spectrum antibiotic. How many days has he been taking it now? It is usually prescribed for 7 to 14 days.

 

[BHays]

Do you have access to Colloidal Silver? My budgie Ducky was sick similar to this a few months ago and she perked up after a couple of drops down her throat directly, twice a day.

 

[tka]

Colloidal silver has not been proven to be effective or safe

The truth about colloidal silver

Colloidal silver supplements are often promoted as cure-alls, but evidence of effectiveness is lacking. Side effects range from change in skin color to organ damage.

www.mayoclinic.org

It can interfere with the absorption of antibiotics which is the last thing that this poor bird needs.