Budgie squeaking frequently

[budgierigar]

Hey all,

I have a budgie that my grandma rescued a year ago from the street. This is my very first pet ever and I'm constantly trying my best to be informed about it's well being.

For some time now I am afraid about it's health. A week ago she returned food, looked like she was vomiting but only food came flying through her beak, no liquid. She did a vomiting motion and shaked her head throwing the food, she even squeaked doing that. Days later I saw her doing the vomiting head motion and she opened her beak but nothing came out (thankfully, I think). I hear her squeak from time to time, just saw her preen herself and sqeaking again, but she might of been a bit hard, that's why this time. Once or twice I've heard her making a clicking noise, likely from her nose, it usually continues for no longer than 5 seconds. Her tail bobs as well.

Otherwise she seems healthy, flying, looking at mirrors, playing, singing. I am giving her ACV and chamomile tea. The only thing she eats are seeds, for the life of me I cannot make her eat anything else. I am making her sprouts at the moment. For the fifth time, but she doesn't even taste them.

I'm not sure what is wrong and what to do. If she needs help, I'm the person who needs to help her. My country is very small and we haven't got avian vets here(especially in my city) so even if I take her to the vet, I reeealy doubt they'll help her. A funny story I heard about our vets in my country - a person took his Cockatoo to the vet and the vet said "Oh, so this is an African grey, right?" 😁

[Hezz]

Keep up the ACV, that will do no harm at all. A couple of things you can try - get some iodine tincture (25mg/ml) from your pharmacy/chemist and add three drops of this to 100mls of water and give this to her as her drinking water for a week. It may help, but also may not. If not, stop after the week if you see no improvement. That way you can rule out and iodine deficiency.

It does sound more as though she has a respiratory infection - the squeak and tail bobbing - which really would need a vet to prescribe antibiotics for her. You can help her out by having her in the bathroom in the steam while anyone has a hot shower, or simply having her there with the hot shower water running, all windows, doors closed. The humidity can help open up her airways. It is also possible that she may have a fatty liver, so you might want to look into getting her some milk thistle extract (alcohol free) and add a few drops of this to her water to help stabilize her liver. It will also act as an anti-nauseant, if she continues to vomit. There is a company called Nature's Answer that makes the milk thistle extract that many of us use. Good luck; I hope some of this helps.

[budgierigar]

Thank you very much. I hope I can help her in any way I can.
About the iodine, should I get the regular tincture that's at the pharmacy, for wounds? Here it's usually a 5% solution with 95% alcohol.
I'm going to start taking the cage with me in the shower, she's scared of everything but being in the cage she should be a bit calm I suppose.
About the milk thistle, can I give her tea? In my country, milk thistle tea is tradition, the extract isn't and it's very expensive.

I am currently cycling the ACV with chamomile tea, a day with tea and ACV in water, a day with only ACV in water.

Thanks again, appreciate your help.

[Hezz]

Milk thistle tea will be safe but not as strong. By all means give her the tea and make it as strong as you can, even if you have to evaporate some liquid off.

The iodine solution you mention as 5% is double the strength of what I have used, so in your case, use only half the amount - 2 drops into 150mls, rather than 3 into 100ml.

Sorry, definitely keep her in the cage while you run the shower. I didn't make that clear.

[budgierigar]

Got it, thanks again. I'm a bit confused about the iodine, should it be the widespread one - iodine tincture that is for cutaneous/outside wound use or the potassium iodine one?

And about the tea, can I cycle the liquids I give her, one day the ACV water, the second, say the chamomile tea and the third day the milk thistle tea? Should there be a day only with normal water?

I'm asking a lot of questions, but I really want to be well informed about her well-being

[Hezz]

You can certainly cycle the additives to her water and no, she doesn't need a day of plain water. The ACV is very good for keeping crop and gut flora in balance, and you only need a couple of drops to keep this happening.

The iodine tincture should contain potassium iodide as well; mine does, and yes it is simply as you say - the iodine that you get to put on cuts and wounds. Does she have an iodine block (for birds), a cuttlefish bone, and/or a mineral block? All of these can add micro nutrients that can be missing from an all-seed diet. You may not see her using them but birds will self-medicate when they feel something is missing from their diet.

Understand that none of these suggestions are guaranteed to be of help. They are simply possible remedies for conditions that may fit what you are experiencing with your bird. And keep up the steamy baths/saunas.

[budgierigar]

She only has a mineral block. I'm definitely getting the missing blocks.

It's very easy for her to miss the nutrients needed for her well-being since she only eats seeds. The sprouts that I made her, she didn't even taste, the moment she sees something different in her food bowl she refuses to go near it and starts going crazy. I was like girl, this smells very good and if I was a budgie I would've been all over that, but then again, I love sprouts, the one made for humans of course haha . The only other food she goes near is an apple, but only to play with it, biting and throwing it around the room. I guess that the last family she had gave her only an apple and she's acquainted with it.

Thanks for informing me about the iodine, because I've read on the leaflet that it definitely should not be ingested.

I will keep up with the steamy baths.

[Hezz]

Jun 28, 2020 19:20:52 GMT budgierigar said:

She only has a mineral block. I'm definitely getting the missing blocks.

It's very easy for her to miss the nutrients needed for her well-being since she only eats seeds. The sprouts that I made her, she didn't even taste, the moment she sees something different in her food bowl she refuses to go near it and starts going crazy. I was like girl, this smells very good and if I was a budgie I would've been all over that, but then again, I love sprouts, the one made for humans of course haha . The only other food she goes near is an apple, but only to play with it, biting and throwing it around the room. I guess that the last family she had gave her only an apple and she's acquainted with it.

Thanks for informing me about the iodine, because I've read on the leaflet that it definitely should not be ingested.

I will keep up with the steamy baths.

That's strange and a bit of a worry. What I have was recommended to me by a vet. Could you post a photo of the label and the leaflet, please? I'm wondering if there is something else in it that shouldn't be ingested or whether it is the strength of the iodine. I hope they mean just not ingesting the solution straight from the bottle. If you are concerned, just add the one drop into her water. Iodine deficiency may not even be her problem, it can cause a squeak to occur in birds but if you don't feel comfortable giving her any then don't.

Even if she only throws the apple about (typical hen ) at least she is trying it and getting the taste and possibly ingesting at least some. I suppose she is too clever to be tricked by putting other stuff with the apple if you grated it up? Something like carrot?