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Worried about my 2 new budgies.

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Worried about my 2 new budgies.

Postby HereForPrize » Sun Oct 13, 2019 7:19 am

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Last edited by HereForPrize on Sat Jun 19, 2021 11:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
HereForPrize
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 7
Location: Britain
Flight: No

Re: Worried about my 2 new budgies.

Postby Pajarita » Sun Oct 13, 2019 8:49 am

Welcome to the forum! Yes, they are stressed out because of their new environment but at least the female has a respiratory infection - and because they are together, you will need to treat both of them. The tail going up and down is called a 'tail bob' and is a symptom of labored breathing which, in turn, is a symptom of a respiratory infection.

You need to keep them quiet and very warm (around 90 degrees) so get yourself a heating pad (the kind that does not shut off automatically after a couple of hours), put it in the bottom of the cage (cover it with newspaper or something so it doesn't get any poop) and drape some sort of material (a towel usually works) covering half the top, all the back and part of the sides of the cage (this is so the heat stays in the cage while allowing fresh air and light) and put antibiotics in their water (doxycycline is my preferred one). EVery evening, take the water out and early in the am (at dawn) put the freshly medicated water in. Give them cooked grains mixed with a good quality budgie seed mix and some leafy greens every day and, when they get better and older, switch them to gloop and greens in the am and budgie seed (just one heaping tablespoon for both of them) in the evening when the sun is setting.
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: Worried about my 2 new budgies.

Postby HereForPrize » Sun Oct 13, 2019 8:54 am

s
Last edited by HereForPrize on Sat Jun 19, 2021 11:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
HereForPrize
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 7
Location: Britain
Flight: No

Re: Worried about my 2 new budgies.

Postby Pajarita » Sun Oct 13, 2019 11:50 am

No, a humidifier will not raise the temperature enough. Some people use light bulbs put behind the cage but this system does not work very well because:
a) you need to put something dark and opaque between the cage and the light or it will hurt their eyes.
b) heat rises so you need to put the source of heat UNDER and not to the side or behind the birds.
c) you can't control the temperature with a light bulb - it will just keep on making things hotter and hotter and will end up burning whatever you put to protect their eyes.

I urge you to get a heating pad. They are not expensive and anybody who has a bird needs one, just in case BUT, if you can't afford one right now, ask relatives and friends (old people always have one for their aching bones - and I know because I am old :lol: ).

Any doxycycline will work but I doubt you will be able to get it from the pharmacy UNLESS you live in a country where it's sold over the counter (they do in my country but, in America, they force you to go to the doctor to get a prescription). They also sell doxycycline for birds online but it will take days for you to receive it and you don't have days to waste waiting for medicine for the birds (they go down VERY fast). If you happen to have any other type of antibiotic, you can use it. Plain amoxicillin or clavamox works well,too - and they are both usually prescribed for dogs and cats - but you will need to medicate in the beak which I do not recommend with little birds that are already stressed out. And, of course, there is enrofloxacin (aka Baytril), the antibiotic of choice with avian vets - but, again, it needs to be given in the beak. What you can also do is go to a petstore like Petsmart or Petco (I don't know where you are) and see what they have in terms of antibiotics for birds.

The normal dosage of doxy is 100 mg per liter (which is, more or less, a quart) but you can't make an entire quart and just use it for days, it needs to be made fresh every time so you will need to calculate the dosage for a smaller amount of water - like 1/4 of a 100 mg tablet (which you will need to crush) in a cup of water (you need to use a measuring cup). And don't worry if you can't do it exactly... only always try to make it a bit stronger rather than a bit weaker.

If you medicate exactly like I told you, the birds will get well but, if you feel that it would be better to take them to a vet, do it - only do NOT allow the vet to give it an antiobiotic injection, budgies are too small and the tissue damage done by the needle is too severe. Use only oral meds.
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes


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