swallowing problems

[titaniq]

Hi, this is Maia. For a few weeks I noticed this strange way of her eating. It was not like this before. I watched her closely and noticed that sometimes she is swallowing the whole seed, without peeling first, and then she regurgitate the hulls but sometimes she is peeling the hulls and then seems like the seed is stick on his tongue, on the back of her throat, right under the glottis (not sure if this is called). She is keeping chewing until the seed is swallowed, sometimes about 1 minute for a seed.
I could not find an avian vet in the area.
Is anything I can do to help her?

[jellybean]

Hi titaniq, welcome to the forum.  Where are you from? And what type of seed is in the dish?

[titaniq]

Hi, I am from Romania. The seed mix is Versele Laga Budgie Prestige.

[Deleted]

My Squawk does that nibbling with his beak when he eats, and he can do it for a while afterwards. I see what you mean with the swallowing. It could be that he's adjusting his crop whilst eating but there are far more knowledgeable people on here that may have a better idea.

[Hezz]

It is not something that would concern me too much as long as she keeps eating and doesn't lose weight. I have seen healthy birds do this sort of thing, with no side effects. If she is happy and healthy in every other way, let her be but keep an eye on her.

[titaniq]

She is eating seeds pretty well, also she has a bowl of Versele pellets, crushed, and she is sometimes eating pellets too.
Also is eating broccoli and carrots.  I thought that may have a yeast infection and took out apple from diet.
I keep trace of her weight for 3 weeks now and no changes, 36-37g.
I also started training sessions but is annoying to wait 1 min to chew one millet seed .

Thank you very much.

[jellybean]

titaniq, is that not underweight?
I think budgies should weigh more than that.

[titaniq]

Feb 2, 2016 12:17:42 GMT jellybean said:

titaniq , is that not underweight?
I think budgies should weigh more than that.

acc to wikipedia and another site : Wild budgerigars average 18 cm (7 in) long, weigh 30–40 grams (1.1–1.4 oz).
her age is about 1 year.

[Hezz]

That is not a wild budgie you have, though. A budgie bought in Romania is going to quite some breeding moves away from a wild budgie in Australia. She is only young though, so should fill out a bit more as she matures. I think she is probably okay, but if you can feel her keel bone, then she is too thin.

[titaniq]

Feb 3, 2016 5:26:17 GMT Hezz said:

That is not a wild budgie you have, though. A budgie bought in Romania is going to quite some breeding moves away from a wild budgie in Australia. She is only young though, so should fill out a bit more as she matures. I think she is probably okay, but if you can feel her keel bone, then she is too thin.

Yes. I can feel the keel bone. She has the seed bowl and pellets bowl available all day long and she is free out of the cage. I'll keep watching her. Thank you!

[Hezz]

Get her eating some greens, grasses, leafy vegetables, corn, carrot etc. It sounds like she is underweight, so a feed of millet spray or oats for a short time might help put some weight back on her.

[titaniq]

Feb 4, 2016 2:44:29 GMT Hezz said:

Get her eating some greens, grasses, leafy vegetables, corn, carrot etc. It sounds like she is underweight, so a feed of millet spray or oats for a short time might help put some weight back on her.

I tried once wheat grass but her droppings turned green and watery and I got scared . Is winter here and only available greens are at supermarkets and I don't trust them.

[Deleted]

Try and get organic vegetables, no pesticides used on them. If you can't just give any veggies a good wash.

[Hezz]

Feb 4, 2016 6:44:50 GMT titaniq said:

Feb 4, 2016 2:44:29 GMT Hezz said:

Get her eating some greens, grasses, leafy vegetables, corn, carrot etc. It sounds like she is underweight, so a feed of millet spray or oats for a short time might help put some weight back on her.

I tried once wheat grass but her droppings turned green and watery and I got scared . Is winter here and only available greens are at supermarkets and I don't trust them.

That's because she isn't used to it; her gut hasn't gotten used to having these in her diet. Also, wheat grass is very tough, they are not so fond of it, but things like sprouts, leafy vegetables, corn, carrot ..... these are the sorts of things most budgies cannot say no to, once they recognise them as food, of course.