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Why it is necessary to check our birds daily |
| When you go into the hobby of budgerigar breeding you cannot just buy a few birds and expect them to look after themselves. Once you have purchased birds you have taken on a commitment to see that they remain in the best of health.
It is not fair to the budgerigar if you only go into the aviary when you have time, to feed them and water them.
Every time you enter your aviary you should spare a few minutes to check your birds. |
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First of all stand back and just cast a eye around your birds to see if any are fluffed up. You will be able to tell this straight away because the bird will be most likely sitting on the perch in a hunched up position. They will not move unless you go up and attract their attention. They will then fly to another position in the aviary and resume a place on the perch and hunch up again. Sometimes you will see them lying up against another bird. I think this is for two things , comfort and body heat. They may also sit over the seed dish and not move very much except to eat. If you find any birds like this I personally would remove them and place them on their own. They may just have a chill and a few days on their own might be the answer. |
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If you feel there is a need to remove any, I would then check them over for anything
that could be the cause of the problem. Have a look at their beak and check that it is not overgrown. If it is, it may be making it hard for them to crack their seed. It may just need clipped back. If you feel you are not up to this job, contact someone with a little more experience. |
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Check that they have not got diarrhea, or they could be clogged up making it almost impossible for them to pass any dropping properly . This may cause infection , which can, back track internally and cause a lot of problems. If you have a bird like this, clean it as best you can with a mild antiseptic that you would use yourself. Soak and soften the clogged area before tying to remove the droppings. If you just pull them off the chances are you will pull some of the budgerigars skin causing it to bleed. Remove any green foods and if it is diarrhea then there is a lot of medicines that you can buy over the counter at pet stores at a reasonable price. If the droppings are black without any other
colour, then it is a sign that your budgerigar is not eating properly. |
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| Make sure there is a drink within the birds reach and maybe you could put a bit of glucose or a little sugar in the water. This will give your bird a little bit of strength to eat. Remember when a bird is ill it may not have the strength to sit on the perch so place the drinker near ground level making sure it cannot spill. If there is no great improvement after a few days, I would seriously consider
asking the advise of a more experienced breeder or I would consider taking your budgie to the vet. |
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Coded rings are very good for keeping records of your birds but you need to keep a good check on them. Sometimes a little dirt gets behind the ring causing the leg to swell up. If this is not checked immediately the swelling can become so bad that the ring will have to be cut off. This is not any easy job at the best of times but with a leg that is badly swollen it is a lot harder. It is best to have a pair of ring cutters available just in case this happens. Split rings used to identify different family can cause the same problem. When the leg is swollen it is almost impossible to remove them without cutting them off. |
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| Check for any eye infections. If you see any redness in your budgerigars eyes that is not normally there, catch the bird up and bathe the eye in a little warm water. It may just be a seed husk that has gotten into the eye. If it is not then ask at your local pet shop, they may have some drops or cream you can purchase that will clear the problem up. Again if after a few days the problem does not clear up then ask someone with more experience or consult your vet. |
| A few minutes each time you go into your bird room can save you a lot of trouble. By checking each time gives you the chance to deal with any infection, before it spreads throughout your bird room. It can save your birds and save your pocket a lot of
expense. |
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