HELP! Kiwi stopped eating and isn't pooping (Updated..)

[BudgieLoverNY]

UPDATED WAY DOWN...

HELP! Kiwi stopped eating and isn't pooping. This Tuesday we added 2 new sweet babies to the mix and I've noticed Kiwi (also a baby 8-10 weeks) stopped eating (he just pecks at the seed and goes away) and he stopped pooping.

It's now 2 days and I am worried. He's not at the bottom of the cage or anything but looks like he's on a hunger strike or something. What can I do before he gets to weak to try eating?

There wasn't a seed change or other food related change.

I put him in a quarantine cage with seed and water in a separate warm room for a couple hours thinking something spooked him in the regular cage but he didn't eat or poo, just sat there.

Any advice?

[milliej]

It does take them a while to settle and if you got him then added others shortly after he may not have had time to settle. They have to find a pecking order too and this can take time. I don't have the experience some have here but I'd just keep an eye on him (and them all) hopefully he'll perk up when he gets used to things! Hope so and trust you will get some good advice from more experienced members.

[mintysowner]

I'm not sure but I think when you get a new bird (or two etc) they're meant to be quarantined from the others incase they have something and pass it on to the other birds.

Sounds like you'll need to take poor Kiwi to a vet, preferably an avian one, especially if he hasn't eaten or drunk at all.

[fluffball]

I'm no expert, but I'd put some music on the radio and pop in a piece of millet ... Kiwi might respond to this.  It may be that he's not settled as suggested above ... keep an eye on him just in case it's more serious.

[Hezz]

I answered on your other thread, but seems you have already separated him, that's good. Unfortunately it is almost impossible to make a budgie eat if it doesn't want to. Give him a spray of millet - they often find millet easier to eat if they are feeling off colour, it doesn't take as much work to give themselves a feed, and give him a heat source - a table lamp with an incandescent bulb, one that gets hot, so not fluoro or LED. Put the lamp at one end of the cage so he can move in or out of the heat and cover the cage with a cloth to keep in the warmth. You might need to take him to a vet for a crop feed if he doesn't eat on his own ...... and weigh him, so you can monitor any weight loss.

[sarah*glittergirl2212]

If he has a favourite perch or spot, is it possible to put the seed close to him? It may or may not entice him, budgies can be tricky customers, but it is something you could try.

[Marianne Marlow]

Hezz gave you some good advice there.
But if you're sure he's not eating then he needs to get to the vet asap.
They can go downhill very quickly.

[BudgieLoverNY]

UPDATE:

Kiwi is still in his own isolation cage in the warmest room in our house (78-80 deg) and covered his cage with water/seed/spray millet all at beaks reach. At first he just sat all fluffed up all Friday and Friday night (he's been sleepy and not eating/pooping since Tuesday night/Wednesday). He made just a tiny amount of poop all Friday and Friday night (he is normally dependable to poop every 15 minutes or so which is what tipped me off in the first place that something was up). I attached a pic (forgive me!) for the poop experts to help decode. 

Today around 2pm Kiwi nibbled at the spray millet. Then  slowly dug around the seed dish as if looking for something and ate a few seeds he would fish out (I tried mightily seeing which he was going for so I could put more of it but couldn't follow since it was in his beak by the time he came out of the dig!). He did this in the main cage too, fish around then walk away from the seed dish. (My feed contents is below.) This seemed to give him some energy and sure enough some poop started to follow at about 1 drop per hour (the darker/black set in the pic below). I also noticed Kiwi reaches behind and pecks at his vent (why? -- it's clean BTW).

1) Is the fact that he's eating some and not sitting on the floor a good sign? 
2) Does being removed the the main cage and placed in the isolation cage cause him more stress than doing good (it's a quiet, warm room)?
3) What can the poop tell about his condition?
4) How long is recovery usually?
5) What more could/should I be doing for Kiwi given it's July 4th weekend and all Vets (at least those near me) are off until Tuesday(!)

Thanks all tons! It was a worry-full 48 hours and me and my four young kids hugged when we saw him nibble his millet. We were so afraid we will lose him! Look at the first photo at the top of this thread and you'll see why he's so close in our hearts.

Below are the pics and captions before them.



This is how he was in the general cage last week when I noticed something was up:








Kiwi tonight (note the tissue to catch his poop in case I get hold of a vet):












Friday Poop (all he did all day); we did have greens in the main cage (broccoli head in the cage bar and some fresh dill) but I am nearly certain Kiwi didn't touch them as he's stopped eating already Wednesday, so the green is probably telling us something else:






This afternoon's Poop:













Tonight's poop:






Together:







The seeds I use (comes from a local shop/breeder):

[mintysowner]

Bless little Kiwi do you have out of hour vets? (Emergency?) really hope he picks up asap!

[Hezz]

The green poops is because he had stopped eating; the fact that they are looking more like a normal budgie poop is a really good sign. He certainly doesn't look like a well bird in those photos but keeping him warm is more important than anything else. Sunshine, if you are able to - pop him out in the sun with a little shaded area of the cage in case he gets too hot. His feathers really don't look good in the last photo of him. Has he been preening himself at all? Pecking at his vent is a sign that he knows all is not working properly; you may find that this settles now that he is eating and pooing more normally.

If he is still fluffed, give him heat - a lamp as I mentioned before; heat pads - I know you can get some that can be microwaved - on the floor of the cage and covered with a cloth so he doesn't burn himself, hot water bottle, if you have such an old-fashioned thing. Cover the cage to keep any of this heat in, and keep him quiet and calm. That is about the best I can advise - the poops look like he is over the worst of it ........ oh, and DON'T give him a bath, please.

[sarah*glittergirl2212]

I was looking at the feathers too, I'm guessing he hasn't done any preening. Keep with the heat and I hope he keeps eating, maybe he will now he has had a few seeds. Don't worry about picking out his favourite seed either, just let him choose which ones he eats and you don't want to exclude anything from his diet. Picking about in the pot is very unlikely to put him off eating.
I would take him to an avian vet as soon as they open to find out what is going on with him. If you don't know if the nearest vet is good with budgies do a bit of internet research and read reviews. If you have to take him a bit further to see a decent avian vet I urge you to do that.

[Marianne Marlow]

How is Kiwi today? (I know we have a time difference)

[BudgieLoverNY]

UPDATE Sunday morning

Kiwi is doing much better! Thanks to all your wishes, advice, and support!

The heat and quiet really helped bring him back. He pooped a bunch overnight and it looks back to normal thankfully.

At what point is it safe to return them to the main cage with his buddies?

Hezz, Kiwi is a bit pasty and messy from the whole ordeal, how long should I hold off gently washing him in a gentle warm sink trickle bath? In the past I would give them a sink trickle bath about twice a week.

[BudgieLoverNY]

UPDATE 2

I decided to put kiwi back in the cage since he's eating and pooping normally again and came back from the brink .
Twitter is so glad to have him back and they sat together for a long time enjoying their reunion. Then Kiwi started preening himself (a good sign I've learnt!) and preened each other. I was just glad Kiwi was able to get some real Budgie love.

What an ordeal! I will keep an eye on all of them and keep them happy, fed, and safe.

Cheers!

Latest Pics:

[budgiefriend]

Awww. Twitter and Kiwi are so happy to see each other. Kiwi looks good!