Jun 10, 2020 8:00:19 GMT
cierlo
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 38
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Post by cierlo on Aug 6, 2021 11:02:20 GMT
I had to take my little flock to the vet after two of them had a vomit and one had very green droppings. Crop swabs diagnosed them with trichomoniasis, which is suspected may have grown on their chopped vegetables.
One of them has also had bloods taken to see if his click and tail bob is a result of Chlamydia psittaci or just him being unfit and of exhibition descent. Still waiting for those results.
They're also all apparently a little overweight, though that probably wasn't helped by me keeping them in the cage and giving them extra food between the symptoms manifesting and our vet trip to make sure they had enough energy.
So we have Metronidazole and tiny 0.3ml syringes to give to them twice a day for a week. I'm happy that they'll be healthy again, and am going to be far more cautious with vegetables in future, but we were doing reasonably well with hand-taming them at least when we had bribes, and now they're super wary again. I hope I can win their trust back after the course of antibiotics is done.
We'd been giving them small amounts of seed at a time. The vet said he wanted dry food available to them at all times, but I'm not sure how that's possible without them gaining weight from having seed available constantly, unless of course I managed to convince them to eat something else.
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Post by tweetiepiesmom on Aug 6, 2021 15:49:42 GMT
Good that you know the cause and have a treatment. Yes, once the treatment is done you will gain their trust back and can continue with training them. My Tweetie Pie has always been timid and skittish of hands. Once I finished his treatment with meds, it took him about a month to recover his trust.
While they are being treated, I wouldn't worry about them gaining weight as long as you don't over do the seeds. Do they eat herbs and leafy greens? That might be safer to hang in their cage until they recover, just rinse them thoroughly first and remove them when they start looking "spent".
Both my guys are petite so I haven't had to concern myself with a weight loss program. Others here have had overweight budgies so hopefully they give you some suggestions to help.
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Jun 10, 2020 8:00:19 GMT
cierlo
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 38
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Post by cierlo on Aug 6, 2021 19:19:30 GMT
Thanks tweetiepiesmom. Definitely planning to wait until after the course of antibiotics to consider their weight. They do, but the problem is that we're both out working 4 days a week, so we can't remove things partway through the day. OH leaves an hour after me and gets home an hour earlier, but that's still 8:30-17:30, so 9 hours even if he put the greens in just before leaving and took them out as soon as he got home. Still, once they're wilted the budgies don't seem to want to do as much with them anyway. Foraging stuff doesn't seem to work too well in the cage. One of them solves all the 'problem solving' ones but is the least dominant so the others benefit from it. Ideas would be great. I saw in another thread about fatty liver about the seeding grasses. My flock enjoyed them a few months back but without a garden I don't know how to grow a supply of grass effectively. I tried last year but I think I left it too long and then cut it too short. One positive is that they weren't super bonded to us because they have each other and sometimes get handled anyway, but they're still responding positively to offerings of millet, even the most skittish one. They're very funny when I give them their medicine though. Just like children who are old enough to resist but too young to understand that the medicine helps them. One refused to open his beak. One wouldn't close their beak afterwards. One tries to push the syringe away with their tongue. And the other closed their eyes as if the syringe wouldn't exist if they couldn't see it!
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Jun 10, 2020 8:00:19 GMT
cierlo
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 38
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Post by cierlo on Aug 17, 2021 18:30:00 GMT
Well they finished their antibiotics and the blood results came back to say there was no chlamydia, so that's good.
On the vet's recommendation I have been trying them with nutriberries, and I'm also trying pellets because nutriberries are expensive. And also because they literally appear to be seeds stuck together. I get that the 'glue' is meant to contain the nutrition missing from the seeds, but I don't see how free-feeding those would be at all beneficial at avoiding the issues that arise from overeating seeds?
We're making sure they get at least an hour out after work now, so they're getting more exercise. A few of them are also getting more exercise because they've started being monkeys about going back into the cage in the evening, so we end up chasing them about until we catch them! Which feels horrid because I feel like to them I'm just the evil predator who grabs them, when I'd really like a more positive relationship with them. Back to the drawing board of making sure we always have millet to interact with them I guess.
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Post by Marianne Marlow on Aug 17, 2021 21:36:50 GMT
My vet recommended nutriberries too and I am with you on the price. I decided not to buy them as I came to the same conclusion as you, how can more seeds be healthy!
I wonder if all the vets are getting commission!
Eventually, hopefully your lot will go in on their own and you can build a better relationship.
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Jun 10, 2020 8:00:19 GMT
cierlo
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 38
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Post by cierlo on Aug 17, 2021 21:51:10 GMT
I see on Northern Parrots that a vet has written an article about it. Yet only a few months back, March time, they were advocating pellets at the vet. I think I'd be financially better off making mash out of the pellets and coating their seeds in it. I would be quite happy if they'd take to the pellets simply because I'm out too long to put fresh food in during the day, it seems. Though they are eating it well after work. And perhaps we could offer a few leaves before work, then put their dry food on just before we leave. They were eating their chop really well, even if they were decorating the wall with it too. But yeah, I don't understand the nutriberries at all. It's just seed + stuff on the seed... including oats. Just because it's apparently more nutritious than plain seed doesn't mean leaving a bowlful available all the time is healthy. Still got all the same fat content, unless something in the coating helps them burn the fat. Unless they take to the pellets I don't see what food I can leave them with all day without them having weight issues. As for going in, they were letting me ferry them in. They seem to do better at it when they don't just get free access to their cage. The one who used to be tamest is also the most stubborn though. I'll do my best to find things to do with them, and try to ease off on the grabbing now that the medicine is done. My vet recommended nutriberries too and I am with you on the price. I decided not to buy them as I came to the same conclusion as you, how can more seeds be healthy! I wonder if all the vets are getting commission! Eventually, hopefully your lot will go in on their own and you can build a better relationship.
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Post by Marianne Marlow on Aug 17, 2021 21:54:08 GMT
It's tricky if you're out all day long.
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Jun 10, 2020 8:00:19 GMT
cierlo
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 38
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Post by cierlo on Aug 17, 2021 21:58:54 GMT
I'll keep trying with the pellets and save seeds for foraging toys and their evening meal if they take to the pellets. I'd put the foraging toys in the cage to slow down their eating, but it doesn't really work well with 4. The best is putting these little balls on the floor of the room because they're less sure so take most of the day to eat a small amount of food.
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Post by tweetiepiesmom on Aug 17, 2021 22:41:28 GMT
Interesting about the nutriberries. The vets here recommend them only as treats.
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Jun 10, 2020 8:00:19 GMT
cierlo
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 38
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Post by cierlo on Aug 18, 2021 10:46:24 GMT
I thought they were only a treat too, tweetiepiesmom. Two of them gave me a scare this morning. Both have green marks above their ceres. They both like talking to vertical things next to their perch, though, and it's so vibrant that it looks like they've rubbed their faces against one of the green dyed things.
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Post by Marianne Marlow on Aug 18, 2021 12:53:42 GMT
I also thought they were just treats. I bought them once and my budgies mostly just threw them about.
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Jun 10, 2020 8:00:19 GMT
cierlo
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 38
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Post by cierlo on Aug 18, 2021 13:26:06 GMT
Yeah, they can't get the hang of them whole. Partly cos they move, I think. I have to crush them up, which removes the foraging aspect of them.
I think one of them may have eaten a couple of pellets this morning, so that's something.
I don't mind if they still predominantly want seed as long as they recognise the pellets as food. That way I can give them a small amount of seed mornings and evenings, but be able to leave pellets in during the day in case they get hungry, rather than lots of seed.
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Jun 10, 2020 8:00:19 GMT
cierlo
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 38
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Post by cierlo on Aug 21, 2021 5:10:48 GMT
Someone appears to be eating the pellets. The number of them in two of the bowls had significantly decreased yesterday.
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