Sleepy baby budgie sick? still not moving much 4th day

[SumiTiel]

Hi, I am a bit worry wondering if my new baby budgie (~8 weeks?) is sick? He has been super quiet and scared (not unexpected from the first days...), does seem to be panting a little as commonly seen on scared budgie whenever I place my hands near cage. Mainly, he has stayed at one spot on different perch or on the floor for hours and hours, now on his fourth day home, he is still sitting almost unmoving and looking rather sleepy often (same as the last 3 days)... though he has made occassional trips to seeds bowl only when I am not around... Also he has barely made one squeak this whole entire time including when he was in the going home box from the bird store or when my older budgie screaming in another room... however his tail is not bobbing, he has not been puffed up on the floor of the cage... and he has minimally started to take a little millet sprigs from me since yesterday (but not always). I guess there are some tiny progress, should I be concerned?

Sorry, if I am being over worried and just impatient... I just want to make sure he is not ill, and kind of afraid to take him to a vet when he is still so scared at this point... should I try to get him to a vet regardless? Perhaps I just have a very quiet, shy bird?

Thanks to anyone who can give me some advice.

 

[camelotshadow]

make sure his cage is in a non hi traffic area. I'd put a towel or sheet over a corner so there is a quiet place to go to feel safe.

A well bird vet visit is good but if hes eating n drinking & otherwise normal I'd prefer not to scare him more by a vet trip if it can waIT TIL HES MORE SETTLED IN.

A young bird taken away from his flock is bound to be scared.

Keep up with the millet as that seems to help them overcome shyness.

 

[GreenThing]

My second bird was like this and scared me with how long he went without food. His droppings were very watery for a solid week, too. It's honestly wonderful if he is occasionally taking food from you! Covering top and sides of the cage (esp if you can get a sheet that lets light through) helped my guy relax. Normal scared budgie behavior overlaps a lot with symptoms of illness-- that's why understanding context is so important! I panicked over Percy's quarantine and over their first big molt. A baby in quarantine is a miserable thing, but once you get through it it's worth it.

Is your older bird tame? That can potentially help so much. Percy's fears gradually just melted away as he watched Merlin interact with me-- it was like he was relieved not to be afraid anymore.

 

[Lori D Pert]

Without any obvious signs of illness your very young new bird is behaving completely normally. He is in a new place. He hears another budgie off in the distance but not nearby. He has only been in his new surroundings for 4 days. He is eating and drinking when you are not watching. Sounds like a very new, scared budgie. Give him time. He is starting to trust you enough to eat millet from you. He is doing fine.

 

[SumiTiel]

make sure his cage is in a non hi traffic area. I'd put a towel or sheet over a corner so there is a quiet place to go to feel safe.

A well bird vet visit is good but if hes eating n drinking & otherwise normal I'd prefer not to scare him more by a vet trip if it can waIT TIL HES MORE SETTLED IN.

A young bird taken away from his flock is bound to be scared.

Keep up with the millet as that seems to help them overcome shyness.

Appreciate your advice and reassurance... He is currently covered on back side against a wall, I will definitely try the sheet covering a corner as well... As I was sending out my original post, he seemed to be slightly more comfortable too and started moving a tiny bit more even while I was around... A relief to see... I will look to take him in for a well check if he continues to get a little more settled.

 

[SumiTiel]

My second bird was like this and scared me with how long he went without food. His droppings were very watery for a solid week, too. It's honestly wonderful if he is occasionally taking food from you! Covering top and sides of the cage (esp if you can get a sheet that lets light through) helped my guy relax. Normal scared budgie behavior overlaps a lot with symptoms of illness-- that's why understanding context is so important! I panicked over Percy's quarantine and over their first big molt. A baby in quarantine is a miserable thing, but once you get through it it's worth it.

Is your older bird tame? That can potentially help so much. Percy's fears gradually just melted away as he watched Merlin interact with me-- it was like he was relieved not to be afraid anymore.

Thank you for your advice too. That is a good point about observing his droppings, will keep an eye on that...

My older bird is (semi-)tamed, she's mostly a demanding little bully (but cute) who does what she wants... she is only a year old, but she will probably dominate over any other bird in the flock... I am hoping to be able to tame and bond with the baby for a while (or as much as possible) before introducing them. That's so cool that Percy learns by watching "big brother"!