Is my budgie obese?

[michelnz]

Hi,

Pietje the budgie has develop a rather substantial belly. Is he obese, or is something else wrong with him?

He eats mostly seeds, although we try to feed him leaves and carrots and apple and so on, he is not that interested in them. He gets plenty of exercise.

Thank you for your help,

Michel

[hitman]

How often does he fly? If he was heavy he would only fly for short periods at a time. Could it be that he's eating too much. I heard that an unlimited supply of seed can cause a budgie to be fat. What about only giving him half a dish of seeds daily? My only concern would be something more serious and me giving diet advice be wrong. Have you thought about a visit to the vet. Might be better to be safe than sorry

[michelnz]

Hi, thank you for your response.
Pietje's cage is almost always open. He takes a turn around the kitchen from time to time, usually when he sees someone, who would make a good perch.
How much seed (in weight or volume) do you think I should give him?
Yes, I have thought of taking him to the vet, but in my experience, vets are not all particularly knowledgeable of birds.

[Deleted]

An avian vet would be best and knowledgeable.

I don't know about other people's budgies, but my adult budgie eats about 2 teaspoons of seed per day, if that.

[hitman]

Jan 25, 2020 23:06:41 GMT michelnz said:

Hi, thank you for your response.
Pietje's cage is almost always open. He takes a turn around the kitchen from time to time, usually when he sees someone, who would make a good perch.
How much seed (in weight or volume) do you think I should give him?
Yes, I have thought of taking him to the vet, but in my experience, vets are not all particularly knowledgeable of birds.

Very true about the vets I had a bad experience myself in the past. With the cage being open that's a good thing.
Here's a video link of an overweight budgie.



Someone in the comments is suggesting two teaspoons of seeds a day with fresh veg and some millet.

[Hezz]

Obesity is very common in pet birds, but that looks extreme to me. It is possible that the fat is depositing under the skin - that does sometimes happen. Lipomas tend to develop as a more of an obvious lump, but this still could be the same. You would need an avian vet to give you a profession opinion. Have you ever tried removing the seed during the day and leaving out only fresh food for your budgie?

A breeder I knew used to say that in a day a budgie will eat the amount of food equal to the size of its head.

Also, I'd add that an obese budgie, or one with a lipoma, will often have a compromised liver resulting in fatty liver disease.

[michelnz]

Thank you all!
I think what I will do is reduce his seeds to 1-2 teaspoons in the evening, and only vegetables and fruit during the day. I will also use sprouted seeds. If that does not work, I will find an avian vet.

[clt80]

I was also thinking about a fatty lump or a liver issue. Two of mine have a tummy like this and they have liver issues, they also have long beaks that need to be trimmed.

[Marianne Marlow]

Looks like a fatty lump to me. But only an avian vet could confirm that.

What are the droppings like? When you have a budgie with liver issues, their droppings usually have a yellow tinge and can sometimes be a bit soft.

[michelnz]

Hi,
The droppings are not unusual, I think. Not soft, and brown with white. Definitely no yellow.
Thank you,

Michel

[michelnz]

I have been to the vet. He says it could be cancer or a lipoma. There is really no way to find out, and nothing to be done. The bird could live for years with this, he says.

[Hezz]

A xray should tell them whether it is a tumour or lipoma. Lets hope it is a lipoma ad he has many years still ahead of him.

[michelnz]

There isn't really treatment in either case, so indeed let's hope for the best, and Pietje may have many more years in him. Thank you for your help,

[Hezz]

There are things you can do to help control the amount of fat in the bird's diet. If this is a lipoma, addressing liver issues can also help control the growth. Milk thistle, dandelion and dill are just a few of the common foods and extracts that can be helpful. If the liver was working properly there wouldn't be a lipoma. IF that is what this is ...

[michelnz]

Pietje might take a few nibbles of a leaf or a piece of carrot, but he is not really interested. I am not very successful in feeding him anything but seeds. But I will keep trying.