Budgie unwell.

[scottym]

Very lethargic today, sleeping a lot. Spending hours perching in one spot. Breathing seems rapid and intermittently shivering despite it being a warm day. Flying is very laboured.

Took awhile to get him interested in food, but in the end he did eat.

What could be the issue? I'll call the vet tomorrow.

[Marianne Marlow]

The budgie that lives outside or a totally new budgie?

[scottym]

The outside one. I've tried to trap him again to bring him in, but no luck and every time I fail I break his trust.

So new approach of feeding him closer and closer to the house. After doing it day after day, I now have him feeding just inside my patio door on the table, but very twitchy and ready to bolt.

He's been doing great until today. He has his usual perching spot so I put protective canes around it so no sparrowhawk can surprise him.

I don't think my local vet does avian but will call tomorrow anyway.

[scottym]

Just made another unsuccessful attempt at capturing. Vet said they have experience with Budgies and can see him today.

He looks weak and miserable, but still ate a bit.

[Marianne Marlow]

How will the vet see the budgie if you cannot catch her?

If you can, get a net. It's not ideal, but it's necessary.

We did say that she would die if left outside, but you released her anyway. It's not her natural habitat. She can't get enough shelter, proper food or safety and it's not the right climate.

[scottym]

I know. I have a net. Problem with net is every location she perches on has too many branches and things in the way for a towel or net to work.

She's been doing great though up till yesterday. Plenty of food and water available. She's just caught something. I have many big dense trees in and around my garden so shelter has been okay.

I'm worried that stress of capture will kill her.

At least she ate which is a good sign and she's no worse this morning than yesterday.

She's very street wise now. I'll need to be cute to capture her again. Even a lethargic Budgie is too quick for me.

[Marianne Marlow]

With the green droppings she is probably not eating enough food to sustain her, that is what it usually means when budgies have green droppings.

It's either that or she has eaten a leaf that is poisonous to budgies. Not everything in the UK is good for a budgie to eat, but she does not know that.

If you're planning on catching her, medicating her and then releasing her then you may as well not bother. You do not seem to realise or are deliberately ignoring the fact that she will die if not brought inside and given proper budgie safe food and shelter. She is not a pigeon, magpie or sparrow, she was bred in captivity.

Those are my last words on the matter.

I'm expecting you to post later on to say that she has died.

[scottym]

No if I capture her again I'll not release. I'll probably look for someone with a large aviary as any cage I buy now will be too small for a bird used to flying in the wild.

She has to come for water, so that's my chance to make my move.

Edit: I'd be surprised if it's lack of food. The evening before she got sick she had a lot of millet spray.