Answer

Okay Sarah. Thanks for the extra information. It's very helpful. Your information about the color of the cere is correct. On young birds, you can't tell because they are all the same color. But as they mature, it will turn blue on the male birds. The bad news is, if you went out and bought a new bird and brought it right home and put it in with the other bird immediately, that was very unwise. Especially if the new bird came from a pet store. Pet store birds are very often sick in the store and you cannot tell it by looking at them. The pet stores know this and they will sell you a sick bird and not give it a second thought. This is especially true of the chain stores like PetCo, PetLand, PetSmart, etc. When we bring in a new bird, it should always be kept in quarantine, in a separate cage and a separate room, as far from the original bird as possible. Since it's too late for that now, I'm very afraid that you now have two sick birds on your hands. One of the problems we have with our parrots is their very strong instinct to mask all symptoms of illness or injury, from us. In the wild, they are prey and to show weakness is to get kicked out of the safety of the flock. By the time we see any symptoms, it's because they are too sick and too weak to keep up the pretense. The pet stores know that and that's how they get by sending sick birds home with unsuspecting buyers. A couple of the first things we will be able to notice is a change in behavior, (less playing, less or no talking, etc.), any change in the appearance of the droppings that lasts more than 24 hours and cannot be accounted for by diet. For example, a lot of fruits or veggies one day can make more runny droppings but it should not last more than a day, then go back to normal. Other symptoms are sitting with feathers fluffed, giving up the perches and staying on the cage floor, and sleeping an inordinate amount of time. As you can see, you are seeing some of these symptoms so at least one of them has been ill for some time now and may not last much longer. For now, you need to make sure they do not get chilled and is not in any kind of draft, and keep alert for any of these other symptoms. Keep them as quiet and stress free as possible until you can get in to your avian vet. Just in case you don't have one, I'll give you links to help locate one. Another thing you may be aware of, but for just in case, I'm going to give you some links to information about the many dangerous and toxic things we may have in our houses that can be deadly to parrots. Most things we don't give a thought to because they are harmless to us and to our other pets. But with parrots, some things can kill them, almost within minutes; other things are cumulative and take longer but are just as fatal. Just to mention a few, any aerosol product, burning candles, strong cleaning products, an over heated piece of non stick cookware, using the cleaning cycle of a self cleaning oven, cigarette smoke, any kind of air freshener; the list goes on and on. Also many houseplants are toxic. If you aren't sure whether you have any dangerous items in your home, it would be good to print out these lists and keep them handy. I'm also going to give you the information about diet and what you will see so far as health problems if you don't get them on a better diet. You have to keep offering different fruits, veggies, leafy greens and a lot more. You have to be persistent and keep offering in, no matter how long it takes to convince them to sample some of it. They may never care for everything you offer. But they will eventually find some things they like and will eat. Their life depends on it and it's up to you to keep trying with them. If they get past whatever is going on right now, and if you don't get them on a better diet, you will end up having them die from fatty liver disease, fatty tumors, obesity or several other possibilities. Seeds are just too high in fat for them to live very long eating them. But for right now, you need to get him to the vet asap. Please don't delay or you may lose them both.. Let me know if I can help any further. Patricia

Click here: Find your local Avian Veterinarian

Click here: Avian Veterinarians Recommended by Bird Breeders and Owners http://www.birdsnways.com/articles/abvpvets.htm

Click here: Avian Vet List

Click here: BirdsnWays - Avian Veterinarians - Vets - Vet Services for Pet Parrots & Exotic Birds

This one looks like an advertisement for Harrison pellets but they are only sold by vets so it's another good list to check. Click here: Harrison's Bird Foods is a family of certified organic pet bird diets that were formulated to make your bird as he

Click here: Grit, Gravel and your Parakeet / Budgie

Click here: Hepatic Lipidosis

Click here: PetCareLibrary - Tumors in Parakeets (pvy.com)

Click here: Parakeet Medical and Safety Information

Click here: Parakeet Budgie and Keet FAQs and Info

Click here: Toxic and Safe Plants/Trees for Birds - Household Poisons

Click here: Birdsnways - Safe Plants & Trees for pet birds, pet parrots &exotic birds

Click here: Nutrition

Obesity & Diets (budgies)

Click here: The Basics: Intro to Budgies / Parakeets

Click here: The Budgie and Parakeet Place - Care, Training, Pictures and More

Click here: BUDGIE CARE SHEET

Click here: More Birds Die as a Result of Air Fresheners: That Stinks!!

Click here: Bird Proofing Your Home: Household Hazards for Birds

Click here: Bird Proofing Your Home - Avoid These Pet Bird Hazards

Click here: The Silent Killer, by Joanie Doss

Expert:	Patricia
Pos. Feedback:	99.9 %
Accepts:
Answered:	8/13/2007

Parrot C&onsultant

Published author, free lance bird behaviorist, adviser to the parrots at Sarasota Jungle Gardens.