Budgie panic attack??

[beekeeper]

My Male budgie will squawk and fly around the cage for around 30 seconds.
All the other budgies fly around in panic.
He would land on the side of the cash and will not move for around an hour.
You can touch his back witch he hates and he will not move.
The most time this has happened, he was just sitting calmly on a peach.
One time I think he was asleep.
Also last week he was on my daughters finger, He started squawking and flying around house and ended up on the outside of the cage and would not move for an hour.

Any idea what could be the problem?

[barrieshutt]

I suspect strongly he may be having small seisures

[beekeeper]

Thanks.
I think you are right.

I forgot to say.
After his episodes.
He seems to have a problem with his right foot.
It would stick out as if hes getting a muscle spasms.

[Hezz]

Poor budgie. Without having experienced a budgie with seizures, that would have been my first thought (a fit of some sort).

[hector]

Sorry about your bird beekeeper!

I got a similar issue:
My new birds goes nuts sometimes also. He does it at night: starts to fly around like trying to escape scared from something. Of course all the other birds start to do the same as they don't know what's going on. (they are also half-way asleep)
They are not giving out any sound, just flying around in their cages. ...Hitting themselves on everything. (They are really like flying while they are asleep.)
They don't stop until I get up from my bed and make some light in the living room for them.
Of course I'm worried that they will harm themselves.

Just like beekeeper described I can then go and touch the birds, they react just like when you touch them while they are sleeping: no reaction for a while (only by reflex), then when they "wake up" they fly away scared. (even the tame ones which normally don't mind to be touched)

Once the new guy started to do this while there was still some light left in the room, the other birds realized that there is no danger and they didn't started to fly around just gave the "surprised chirp". But it's diffent when they wake in the middle of the night.

I got no clue what I could do to prevent this.
Any idea?

[beekeeper]

I have a night light.
As my budgie have the odd night fright.
He slept all day yesterday.
I thnik he injured his foot also.
He can only stand on it for around half an hour.

[Marianne Marlow]

Do you leave a radio on low for them?

Mine get scared if they hear a noise outside and have the occasional night fright.

[beekeeper]

No. I never listen to the radio.
I have a railway line going past my house and they are used to noise at night.
They only have the odd night fright about 1 once a month.

[Hezz]

Hector, remember your new bird did have a scary start with you. He is probably still settling in. I have a semi-feral-pet (can that be??? ) who had very little human contact before I got him at around 6 months of age. He is now a little over a year old and he still occasionally just flies off quite wildly, having imagined something to frighten him, and the other two get a fright then too. He is controlled enough in that he doesn't run into things.
I think that your newby's reaction is quite normal.

[beekeeper]

He's not new.
Had him for over 4 years now and I think he was a few years old when I got him.
He was a lot better yesterday moving around the cage, eating and drinking.
But this morning he has developed a twitch, and can't keep her left foot still and he makes a small tween with every twitch.
I think he may have a tumor.

I read "most frequently seen causation of twitching like this is a tumor.
When internal tumors press on certain nerves, anything from twitching, spasms to even loss of balance or paralysis may happen. "

I am charging my battery's and will try to put a video up on you tube.

[beekeeper]

Uploaded a short video.


He's now on the pearch and still twtching.

[hector]

Jan 7, 2012 12:56:02 GMT beekeeper said:

He's not new.
[...]
Hi beekeeper,
I think Hezz wrote that to me. - I have a problem with the night flight too.

[hector]

Jan 7, 2012 0:33:00 GMT Hezz said:

Hector, remember your new bird did have a scary start with you. He is probably still settling in. I have a semi-feral-pet (can that be??? ) who had very little human contact before I got him at around 6 months of age. He is now a little over a year old and he still occasionally just flies off quite wildly, having imagined something to frighten him, and the other two get a fright then too. He is controlled enough in that he doesn't run into things.
I think that your newby's reaction is quite normal.

Well, Hezz, I have to complicate it a little more...
The other night this happened I got up from bed, went to the birds, switched on the light and the only bird that sat still was the new one... All the others were flying around...
Who understands...?

[Hezz]

?? Who knows, Hector!

[beekeeper]

Update.
I put him in small cage Saturday.
He spent all day on the floor.
Sunday the twitching got worse with his leg and his right wing started twitching.
I did not think he would last the night.
But Monday morning he was sitting on his perch and the twitching had almost stopped.
Today the twitching seems to have stopped and he sitting on his perch tweeting.
Still not 100% but I think he lost a bit of weight.
He's taking millet from my hand.