Skipper diagnosed sill needs help

[chiprockskip]

Poor little Skipper, i thought we'd done it last week when i got up four days running and he hadn't been sick ovenight then sat, Sun.  Mon, and Tue as bad if not worse so off we went to see one of the bird vets (not avian vets but guys with alot of experiance with birds) anyway the upshot of tis is he's got sour crop ?? The vet said that co's his poo's are still good he's in with a chance and he's told me that in his experiance the best thing is apple cider vinegar a shot in his water for at least 2 week but if there's no improvement after that it'd probably be better for him to have him put to sleep.
 I dont mind telling you i'm gutted poor little Skipper. What do you guys think ? Anyway we'll press on with the vinegar it's in his water now but i haven't seen him or Rocky for that matter touch it yet (the vet said it wont hurt Rocky to have it). So i'll look out for your replys and i'll keep you posted on how Skippers doing, he's a little fighter or he wouldent have made it this far i just hope this isnt too much for him. Thanks for reading this.

[lemonade]

Sorry to hear about Skipper. I hope I am not imagining this but I am pretty sure another forum member had a budgie with sour crop and the bud is better now.
I'm sure another member with experience will be along to give advice soon.

[Hezz]

So sorry you and Skipper are still having problems. I am glad you are giving him ACV, but am hoping that the vet advised you to get organic ACV containing "the mother", as this is the active stuff, and the very best. It will be cloudy and needs to be given a shake up before use. All the best, I really hopes this works for the poor boy.

[chiprockskip]

Well overnight !! I got up this morning havent slept much just lakely what with one thing or anouther but dreded uncovering em this morning little Skipper looked so poorly yesterday coverd in his own sick one eye shut and no life in him didnt even want to eat. As i peered in this morning i thought "thats a different bird what ya done with Skipper ?". No he looks fine all fluffed up not that poorly fluffed up that i'm a happy bird fluffed up, he went into Rocky's (thay sleep apart co's Skipper hogs Rocky's swing and Rocky loves his swing especialy to sleep on) anyhow he's in there beak streight in the seed pot then in the millet and drinking his cider water, a pleasure to see and just now i'm looking after a neibours canery he's just arrived a hour or two ago and Skippers off on his cage roof peering in and shouting at him brill. I cant belive that this has happend overnight after only a few sips of this cider water. It must be the right stuff its not cloudy but it says its organic only the word cider is spelt with a y in it but before i gave them any i took it back to the vets to check and the nurse said it was fine, and so it is or appears to be. I realy hope i'm wrong but i cannot help thinking its all happend to fast the vet said not to expect any change for 3-4 days. And this happend last week he seemed to get better then a few days later it came back maybe even a little worse. I did remember to check if this sour crop is okay around Jaffa (next door's canary) and Rocky and he said it was fine. So i suppose all i have to do now is keep giveing them the stuff co's thay both get it now in the soup (i don't think you can call it water any more, it's now got cider, caged bird tonic and protexin added to it) and yes i checked that too its okay for emand keep my fingers crossed, i'll try to give you an update every day till the crisis is over it helps me too its nice to have someone to talk to. Thanks for reading this go Skipper go !!

[JennyB]

I really hope the ACV is doing the trick as it seems to be. Fingers crossed xx

[Hezz]

Go, Skipper, go .... I couldn't agree more. Maybe he is getting to that stage ...... you know when you have a cold or flu and it goes on and on, and then you suddenly start to feel not so stuffed up, or foggy-headed .... hopefully this is where Skipper is at. C'mon Skipper, do it, boy!

[birdguhl]

Wishing Skipper and you lots of positive vibes for a continued recovery!

[chiprockskip]

Well sorry i didnt post anything yesterday but as i was worried and yes after my last post (not the tune) i went back down to them and Skpper'd been sick my heart sank however he'd only been on the cider since the night before and although it's not nice to talk about the sick was different from prievous episodes this time it was thicker and brown not milky white as beforeonly i dont know how to interprit this. Now its Saturday afternoon and he's still looking good he's happy fluffed up round his head y'know. Next door's canary's arrived and he usely causes some intrest from Rocky who seems to think he's gone from just having a little mate to having a whole flock of his own and he has to go and sit on Jaffa's cage and explain his house rules and tell him who's incharge but although he can't fly Skipper seemed to be showing an intrest so i lifted him over to let him see and he's off my finger like a shot and climbing all over Jaffas cage pinching the seed that Jaffa'd thrown out (messy eaters canarys) even shouting at him with Rocky, yesterday i found him hanging upsidedown eating some carott i'd put on the cage roof. I dont care what the vet says this isnt the actions of an ill bird is it ? One thing i have done and i'd like your opinions if possable please is , right. Skipper spends all of his time in Rockys cage it's a large one for cockateals so there's plenty of room but at night he go's back into his own cage to sleep co's of the thing with the swings (see above). When he's in there hejust sleeps he wont eat in there even though i put fresh seed's and soup (water) in there he wont do anything in there now other than sleep, it's Chippys old cage and it too is large and at least as big as Rockys. Anyway that be as it may but it's usely in the mornings i've found Skipper coverd in sick and the mirror he sits infront of is also coverd so i've taken the mirror/pearch out forceing him to sleep on the swing mind you there are other pearches in there and toy's ladders the lot but at night he just sits on whatever you put him on and stays put till he's uncoverd in the morning and up untill last night its been the mirror pearch. But what i'm asking is you dont think that all this time he's been trying too feed the bird in the mirror ?  do they do this ? Anyhow there have only been two occasions that i can think of once when he was realy poorly and week and he just go on the swing and stayed there but i remembre the next morning no sick. And then last night i uncoverd him this morning and again no sick. Have i hit onto somthing ? we'll just have to see whst tomrrow brings eh. As i remembre we had to take chippys mirror away because he took to sitting in front fo it all day and never moving only Chip'd just sit tapping it all day after that he's started doing it with a little plastic bath duck. Then we just let him have it for short pieriods he was okay then. Do they fall in love with these things ? Could someone explain this to me please. Thanks for reading this

[birdguhl]

Male birds will certainly regurgitate on mirrors, toys or anything else they fall in love with and want to feed!

I had to remove the mirror from one of my birds (Charlie) when I first got him and he was still on his own (I rehomed him and he'd always lived alone). He got his mirror absolutely covered in goo and there was a risk of infection if he ate it again.

MAybe Skipper is doing this. But Charlie didn't get the regurgitate on himself. More recently Berry had what appeared to be vomit on his face and head one morning and I spoke to a vet and he thought it might be 'behavioural' (related to feeding his partner) rather than related to illness.

Skipper doesn't sound ill from your description of his behaviour.

BTW, bringing birds together does carry risks. There is a lot of talk on here about quarantine. It would be better if the canary were in a different room just in case either Skipper is ill or the canary is carrying bugs which could affect Skippy and/or Rocky.

[chiprockskip]

Yes thank you i'll certianly take that on board . However i fear it maybe too late as Skipper's already made his way into Jaffa's cage whilst my back was turned only for afew min's. But thay've been in the same room scince Thursday afternoon now y'know people like me take on these little birds without thinking we have a duty of care for them, and yet pet shops and breeders sell them to ignorant people like me withoutany basic knowlag. It makes me sad thinking how meny must have died through ignorance

[Hezz]

As birdguhl has quite rightly said, males in particular, do fall for the bird in the mirror and try to feed it. They can do this with almost anything but mirrors are especially provocative as they think they are seeing another bird, and again, like birdguhl, I too have had to remove a mirror for periods of time until the bird in question had become a little less obsessed.

It is too late to quarantine Jaffa from Skipper now, and I am sure you will do your best with your feathered friends in the future. It is so good to see that you are aware of the duty of care you are responsible for, and doing all you know how to give them the best. At least you have recognised your own ignorance - that's much more than many others ever do. If you are committed to increasing your budgie knowledge, there is heaps of good info in the stickies at the beginning of most sections - they are the ones with the red pin through the folder.

I sincerely hope that all Skipper's problem was that he was a little over-enthusiastic with the mirror. Please let us know how this all works out.

[chiprockskip]

Hi everyone
          Tuesday now and i dont think i've reported on Skipper scince Saturday. All ups and downs also thereys. Oh and thanks for all your help and wishes i do pass them on to Skipper he says thanks but can you send bread lots of bread, he likes this so much but i only let him have a taste. Okay then Sunday a realy good day for Skipper  to start with earlyer i saw Skipper and Rocky playing together, that warbleing thing with Rocky dashing in and tapping Skippers beak Skipper seems to enjoy it but he just stands there and lets Rocky do all the work i've seen this before with Rocky and Chippy when Chippy first came to us. Rocky was only young then and it was him who'd just stand there and Chippy who'd do the work. Then Chippy was Rockys age now and Rocky was Skippers age so well i dont know on that but i suspect this behaviour is somthing to do with mateing as niether of them or chippy for that matter as seen a girl ever. Later on they were at it again only this time Skipper would get down below Rocky then twist his head and regurgitate for Rocky, looked vile to me but it must be important to them. If anyone could explain that to me i'd be gratefull. Then within an hour or so Skipper was poorly again the change was so fast i'd been out of the room but he 'd been sick down his chest and just sat there not wanting to eat, he sat on my finger for about an hour never moving then slowly he started preening then jumps off my finger runs yes runs into the cage and starts eating everything in sight i niped out of the room and apon my return Rocky's at one of the seed pots and Skipper's hanging upsidedown outside the cage trying to feed from the same pot.
      Monday kind of a same thing i uncoverd them and Skippers looking rough sick down him again not much life (he still wont eat or drink in his own cage)life in him he was even skickwhilst i had him on my finger just after uncovering him so i said oh Skipper and gave him a little wash then sat him next to the fresh water/soup he didnt want it and went and sat next to the seed pot but didnt eat. Then i had to go get my own breakfast i heard Rocky fly over to Jaffa and he and the canary startde there morning duet i was only gone 10-15 min but apon returning Skippers filling his face with seed then millet and although he can't fly hes off on to the top of the cage trying to join in the singing he was fine the rest of the day. And today fine so far, that little bird's been fighting one thing or another since the day i layed eyes apon him you have to admire there will to live he just seems to accsept his problems has an episode then gets on with life the best he can just like there's nothing wrong. Little Skipper another wonder bird !!
   Anyhow the theory might it be excitement he's been being sick mostly in the morning's just before i uncover him i know this co's its usely down him now as i've said he wont eat in his own cage but only in Rockys. Thats his first move awhie ago i'd find him at his door waiting to get into Rockys hears the theory the sickness in the mornings has started because hes worked out when he hears me get up( im about 20-25 min's from the first creak of a floorboard to uncovering them) there's only a short time before food's available and he gets excited waiting he was sick after playing with Rocky on Sunday not the regurgeitating but later after the game it's a theoy. So to test this, this morning (dont laugh) it was streight up no bathroom shorts on and off downstairs i was apon them in secondsdidnt give him time to think and no sick just a happy if a little surprised budgie. I'll try this again tomrrow . I'd welcome any thoughts on this as allways and thanks for reading this. Oh and i'll keep you informed as to whats happening 

[Hezz]

I have to confess I have no idea. I am stumped.

But ....... what would happen if you had two swings in Rocky's cage? And how is Skipper with millet?

[chiprockskip]

Ha ah another sneek attack this morning and the same result a surprised still sleepy yet happy Skipper and the rest of the days been good too. He and Rocky have been off together terroriseing poor Jaffa, Skippers been climbing all over Rockys cage and just getting up to Budgie stuf. I love it when there like that other than not being able to fly,sing properly,and being so small you wouldent know anything was wrong with Skipper. Y'know i think its just a day by day thing with that little bird i've decided that the vets advice can go tweet !!! Because although Skipper has his bad days well not even bad days more like bad two and a half hours and he's always had to fight and he's still fighting so untill he gives up i wont either.
   Millet...Skipper loves it and two swings ? well i'm fairly sure that if there where 3 swings Skipper would want the one Rocky was on poor old Rocky can't do much without Skipper putting his beak in. Sometimes Rocky has to use his power of flight to get away from him having said that if i take Skipper to another room there soon calling for each other. There a bit of an odd couple but there mates. Thanks for reading this and i'll keep putting reports on hear it helps me and you never know someone might get somthing out of it.

[Hezz]

Ha, ha. I think we all come across one like this at some time ....... the one who wants what the others have; it's one of the reasons I always recommend at least two seed pots for two or more birds and the same with their swings if they sleep on them. At least Rocky has the ability to move faster than Skipper can get around the cage, and usually they do sort themselves out given time and left alone to do so. Might be worth a try, anyway.