Urgent Still not eating & only one dropping overnight...

[GreenThing]

New budgie has only been home for 36+ hours, but zero sign of seed hulls (I mean zero) from the millet spray hanging right next to him or from the bowl topped with seeds. I looked carefully. Went from normal droppings to runny, which I know isn't uncommon for new budgies, but they've decreased and overnight he passed only one awful looking dropping. Spray millet untouched, even when the room is empty, makes me worry the isn't eating independently? Could that be possible? Avian vets are closed, so I will have to try to make an emergency appointment if I need to, I know one of them will do emergencies.

I put another, bigger millet spray in the cage-- he has enough strength to fly away from my hand, at least. Put this spray right on the rope perch in case the clang of the clip made the other spray frightening to touch. Budgie sounds stress Merlin out, because he can't find the source, but I'm going to try that next.

 

[Mizzely]

What was he eating from where you got him?

What all are you offering him?

Where is his cage located?

How old is he?

 

[GreenThing]

He was in an outdoor aviary with a few millet sprays hung up, and I think I saw bowls placed about.

Millet sprays and a bowl topped with seed mix (Dr. Harvey's). Aviary was fed bulk seed blend with occasional veggie and fruit slices.

Cage is in a separate, unused bedroom next to mine (my first budgie is with me in my bedroom) and covered on three sides.

Owner said he was between 2 and 3 months old. He's fully flighted and was flying about in the aviary. He landed on his old nest box (mom was inside with eggs or younger nestlings) and was chased away, in case that is relevant.

 

[GreenThing]

Just looked up and saw a dropping hanging from his beak... wondering if it was stuck and he was preening it off. Couldn't see anything stuck to the vent from my angle. I left the room so he could preen undisturbed.

 

[Mizzely]

Is it totally quiet in that bedroom? Silence is a warning in the wild that something is wrong. Try playing music or having white noise to help him settle in.

Was he observed eating by himself in the aviary?

 

[GreenThing]

Is it totally quiet in that bedroom? Silence is a warning in the wild that something is wrong. Try playing music or having white noise to help him settle in.

Was he observed eating by himself in the aviary?

Oh no, I either have music going or just now added aviary sounds. He started flock calling a bit and now my other bird has finally realized there is another budgie in the house and won't stop singing and calling to him, so hopefully that helps!

It also definitely looks like he is holding his droppings for some reason, because I just found a massive dark dark green dropping underneath him. Maybe after the aviary pooping in a small cage feels like dirtying a nest box?

I haven't transferred him to the flight cage he'll have for quarantine yet because I was worried about stressing him... Should I try to do that now? I would do pretty much anything in the world if it would help him eat!

 

[GreenThing]

Oh, and I didn't see him eat... it was in the 90s (F) and I don't think I saw ANY of the birds eating, just flying about and doing things to cool themselves down. Owner was a really nice young man, so mad at myself for not asking to see him offer a little millet to the youngest ones.

 

[Mizzely]

Yes some birds do hold their droppings especially over night

 

[GreenThing]

Sorry to keep posting but we're about 5 hours away from the 48 hour mark, and I'm just so worried about starvation or damage to the liver... is this long with no food out of the norm?

 

[Mizzely]

Honestly if there are feces, he is eating something. No food in means no food out.

 

[GreenThing]

Honestly if there are feces, he is eating something. No food in means no food out.

Okay... I had read that dark green feces could be straight bile, though?

 

[GreenThing]

Emergency avian clinic won't take him because he's from an outdoor aviary, but suggested I return him to the aviary in case he was a late bloomer still learning to eat from his parents. Original owner just got back to me and confirmed he's well over eight weeks (he keeps photos to date hatchlings, so I trust him).

I have a medicine syringe that I used to measure undiluted F10, so I don't know if that is safe to feed with. Waiting another half hour to see if he eats.

 

[Mizzely]

Dark green feces are common in a seed only diet. Urates are where you want to look at for issues usually.

 

[Mizzely]

If he is truly not eating or drinking though, I would also recommend taking him back to the aviary. He may not truly be self sufficient.

 

[GreenThing]

Sounds like return might not be an option. Emergency vet not an option. I am picking up baby bird formula at the pet store in case we go past 48 hours and that is all I can do.

 

[GreenThing]

I switched the bowl out for a small flat plate and covered it with Hagens mix since that has more millet than Dr Harvey's. Covered the whole cage with a sheet instead of three sides. Just went in to check and he was on the bottom of the cage with loose seeds and some hulls underneath.

Now I'll just go have a quick cry of relief outside away from the birds...

 

[Mizzely]

Yay!!

 

[GreenThing]

Dark green feces are common in a seed only diet. Urates are where you want to look at for issues usually.

Wanted to come back to this-- I do have this an a few other images saved. I thought the picture I attached showed discolored urates, but I'm realizing maybe urates can look discolored if you don't see a fresh dropping, because runny solids soak into the paper towel and it will start to dry green yellow. Does that sound right? He's had another two large droppings since, very soft sickly black/green, but the urates do look whitish.

 

[Mizzely]

Yes, fresh droppings are what you need to look at. I would at any rate make an appointment with an avian vet just so you can get him checked out if you have any doubts at all.

 

[GreenThing]

Worried because vet made it pretty clear they won't see birds recently from an outdoor aviary. I don't know if that was just for emergencies or in general. Will definitely call again during regular hours to find out more. There's another avian vet a little further away that I can check with, too.