Accepted Answer

Hi rebecca,

Thanks for your question. I'm sorry to hear that you are having problems with your budgie.

You are correct in being concerned about him. Birds generally hide the fact that they don't feel well. In the wild, if they were sick, they most likely would be eaten. Therefore, they tend to not show they are sick. They do the same thing in captivity. By the time you see abnormal signs - like sleeping more, not vocalizing etc. they have been sicker longer than you realize.

I would recommend a vet visit as soon as you can. These little guys can't go very long if they aren't eating enough which he may not be doing. There are many possibilities as to what it could be such as some type of infection, pain, injury, metabolic problem such as liver/kidney issues.   His beak may or may not be a problem. Sometimes the upper beak has a small horizontal line across it which is normal. However, if his beak was cracked due to an injury, I would suspect pain and not eating.

At home, I would make sure he has easy access to food and water right by where he is spending most of his time. Also offer favorite food like millet. You may also want to place him in a warmer area or add some heat to him. Birds often feel better when they are sick when they are warmer. Make sure his cage is not by a window, draft etc. You may want to place a heating pad on the OUTSIDE bottom of the cage and then cover the cage slightly to help keep the heat in.

If you do not know of a vet who sees birds, you can search aav.org.

Please let me know if you have any more questions. I wish him well.

Dr. G

Expert:	Dr. G
Pos. Feedback:	100.0 %
Accepts:
Answered:	12/23/2008

Veterinarian

Exotic animal veterinarian for 15 years