Advice needed please

[Deleted]

This is my first post so here goes. I have two budgies, one male and one female, the concern I have is with the female. She has been making what I would call squeaky noises, it is quite a recent event and has only made these noises a few times, whilst clambering around the cage or perhaps when preening herself, the noises seem to be that of stress though looks and behaves fine.

Also on top of the cage she sometimes lies on her front as if she is tired, she has been doing this for a few months, at first I thought it might have something to do with the warm weather making her a little lazy, though more recently I have been thinking it could have something to do with the breeding process.

She has also lost her flying ability, this has been the case for quite a while, fly's across the room though has trouble flying back, sometimes ends up running out of steam and landing on the floor, tries to get back up but can't and needs myself to bring the stick down which she hops onto and I take her back up to the cage. My male budgies flying ability is fine. During the day they can both come and go as they please from their cage so they are not always locked in.

Both my budgies are the slightly larger budgie and of a similar age, she is approx. 2 years 4 months. They are very friendly, always preening each other, they do mate from time to time though haven't done so for a while. I have yet to try and breed my budgies and may do so next year.

Would be nice to hear a few comments. Thanks for reading.

[Marianne Marlow]

Hello and welcome.
I am wondering if she is a little overweight and having trouble for that reason?

[Marianne Marlow]

If you could post some photos then that would help

[milliej]

Afraid I can't help with medical advice but your female isn't very old so I hope it's something that can be rectified positively. I'm sure you'll get some good advice here, hope you little bird is better soon!

[Hezz]

I wouldn't be concerned about the lying down on top of the cage; we call it the "collapsed budgie" pose. It seems to be a particular favourite of the hens, rather than cocks, and a number of us have hens who "collapse" on a regular basis. As for the flying and squeeky noises, I have to agree with Marianne in that it sounds like she could be over weight and this, along with her overall bigger build could be making it hard for her to fly. A bit more exercise, encouragement on your part - make her fly more often - can help there, if they regularly get oats or millet sprays, reduce these (oats are quite fatty and the budgies love them, millet while not fattening in itself seems to be particularly more-ish to them and they will eat this to the detriment of a more balanced diet. Increase the amount of greens in their diet is another way of reducing the amount of fat she may be eating. The noise may simply be her version of puffing and panting, but it may be more than that; if you are seriously concerned about it, get her to an avian vet. They may even give you a diet and exercise routine to follow.

[stace]

Other things that can make them squeak are iodine deficiency or air sac mites.

[Deleted]

Oct 17, 2014 16:32:53 GMT Marianne Marlow said:

If you could post some photos then that would help

Hi Marianne thanks for your reply I would post some photos though not sure how to go about it.

[starlingqueen]

Oct 18, 2014 11:59:12 GMT @mark1 said:

Oct 17, 2014 16:32:53 GMT Marianne Marlow said:

If you could post some photos then that would help

Hi Marianne thanks for your reply I would post some photos though not sure how to go about it.

Upload them to a photo hosting site like photobucket then post the code here.

[Deleted]

Oct 18, 2014 12:55:31 GMT starlingqueen said:

Oct 18, 2014 11:59:12 GMT @mark1 said:

Hi Marianne thanks for your reply I would post some photos though not sure how to go about it.

Upload them to a photo hosting site like photobucket then post the code here.

Thanks

[Deleted]

Oct 18, 2014 1:09:23 GMT Hezz said:

I wouldn't be concerned about the lying down on top of the cage; we call it the "collapsed budgie" pose. It seems to be a particular favourite of the hens, rather than cocks, and a number of us have hens who "collapse" on a regular basis. As for the flying and squeeky noises, I have to agree with Marianne in that it sounds like she could be over weight and this, along with her overall bigger build could be making it hard for her to fly. A bit more exercise, encouragement on your part - make her fly more often - can help there, if they regularly get oats or millet sprays, reduce these (oats are quite fatty and the budgies love them, millet while not fattening in itself seems to be particularly more-ish to them and they will eat this to the detriment of a more balanced diet. Increase the amount of greens in their diet is another way of reducing the amount of fat she may be eating. The noise may simply be her version of puffing and panting, but it may be more than that; if you are seriously concerned about it, get her to an avian vet. They may even give you a diet and exercise routine to follow.

Hi Hezz thanks for your reply. I suppose she could be over weight although she doesn't look it, her mate is a touch bigger and he has no problem with his flying, I shall encourage her to fly more so though I have tried, she ends up either on the curtain, floor, sofa, I did stop trying as I don't want to put too much stress onto her, I will continue the encouragement.

They do not regularly get oats or millet sprays, perhaps a millet or two once a month, they are only given as a treat as I have read that they are quite a rich food. The seed that they have offers a good mix. I have not been including greens in their diet and shall start to make a point of doing this.

I am not seriously concerned about the noise she has been making as she has only made these noises a few times, so that's good. Thanks again for your input it was interesting.

[Deleted]

Oct 18, 2014 2:10:36 GMT stace said:

Other things that can make them squeak are iodine deficiency or air sac mites.

Hi Stace thanks for your reply. I don't think it is iodine deficiency as they have both a mineral block in the cage and on top and they do use them, air sac mites doesn't sound very nice, I shall have to read up on that, hopefully it is not that.

[milliej]

I've (hopefully) posted a picture of my female Mischief in a 'collapsed budgie pose' on video's and pics thread.

[Deleted]

[Deleted]

[Hezz]

If she only makes the sound sometimes, such as when she has to make an effort, I come back to the weight issue. If she were iodine deficient or had air-sac mites this noise would be more like with each breath. My tubby hen has a noise that she makes ....... a budgie's version of a grunt I suppose ....... when she has to make that extra effort; it is a little squeak at the time of effort, only. I have not had a lot of joy getting her weight down either. She is fine at the moment but it will go back on now as she is back in with the others after a particularly heavy moult that left her with too few flight feathers ......... has your hen been moulting recently??? No, you say her flying has been compromised for a while ........ she certainly is not a small bird, and while she looks rather tubby in the photo, that could simply be the way she is sitting. Greens, exercise, less seed can all help, but I fear you have the same problem I have ....... my girl is fed by three others, so reducing her access to food simply means that the others miss out, not her! Plus she is a lazy thing, so I try to make her move about as much as possible. You will have to go gently if you wish to increase her exercise ...... getting her flying but help her out if she doesn't quite make the destination.