Birds hide the symptoms, when ill, they try to look well.
Hunters Rule – weakest easiest to catch. Hunted Rule – look strong, or be eaten
This relates to Budgies, they are great at not telling us that they are ill.
Changes
They try to hide these changes from us, Change in Droppings.
Change in Normal routines, Change in Behaviour
Change in Posture
Droppings
Green solid droppings – may be change with diet.
White urates – Kidneys
Watery – Kidney also – should be clear.
Diarrhea increase in faeces – probably intestines
Urates – increase – kidneys.
Budgies produces about 20/30 droppings per day.
All white droppings – kidneys – bird hasn’t eaten for a while.
Posture - a normally active bird is now
Behaviour
· Quite sleepy ,Fluffed ups to maintain body temp – birds temp has dropped
· Sitting on bottom of cage – again observe posture or may try to hide somewhere
· Not eating or drinking – some will play with seed but not actually eat.
· Eating frantically or constantly – no husked seed, mucous around beak and seed stuck to mucous.
· Sneezing a lot, nasal discharge or discolouration above nostrils.
· Rubbing eyes – recognizing conjunctivitis, red, swollen watery or crusty eyes.
· Swelling around eyes – sinusitis – stuff coming out looks like cottage cheese.
· Vomiting – they flick the mucous all over the head.
· Breathing – effort to keep eyes open – tail down – unusual movement of the tail.
Wait and watch = death sentence
First Aid for Sick birds.
1. Warmth from a fire or natural sunlight or a hospital cage
2. Phone for appointment with a Avian Vet.
Vets cannot diagnose over the phone, cannot see the bird ?.
3. Fluids and food. If drinking add glucose or sugar to water, or using a syringe give drops to the beak.
Polyaid plus – give via crop needle – energy source.
Offer food of various types like wet seed or a millet spray.
: Birds must be strong enough to swallow before attempting to crop feed.
Test first by putting some food/fluid in syringe then get the bird to eat from the end
of the syringe and/or and put some to the beak. This also helps to get the crop needle down as
it moistens the throte and makes it easier to insert the crop needle.
Bleeding birds
Apply pressure. Amount of blood in a budgie is approx 10% of birds weight.
They make red blood cells faster than humans.
Blood quill. 1-2 minutes pressure in a budgie. Wound on chest –
apply pressure but be mindful of body
Broken bones
– Are painful
· Every movement of he broken bone causes more damage to supporting muscles and tissue.
· Fractures that are stabilized heal better and faster – see the Vet.
Broken wing.
Cut a length of non adhesive bandage. Strap wing in normal position against the body.
(Over the bad wing and under the good wing in front of the legs.
Broken leg, Remove perch
Soft pad on bottom of cage, Prevent climbing.
Heals in 2 weeks fully strong in 4 weeks.
With a broken lower leg a match stick is a good stabilizer. Cut several layers of
elastoplast and place the matchstick in position where the break is and put the elastoplast
either side of the matchstick.
You can leave this on for about 2 weeks but watch the break and observe that the elastoplas
does not get too tight .
SELF MEDICATING BIRDS
Self medicating the birds can mask what is really going on. You give some antibiotics to
your birds then take them to the Vet after them being on what you have been giving them,
this changes the picture for the Vet and makes it virtually impossible to get the right diagnosis
DO NOT SELF MEDICATE THE BIRDS
GIVE ALCOHOL OR COFFIEE – THAT IS FOR THE BREEDER NOT THE BIRD
USE FIRST AID AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR VETERINARY ADVICE- 1st Aid is to help
you get the bird to the Vet alive.
If the bird dies – do not freeze the bird. Wet the bird down, wrap in glad wrap and seal
in plastic bag and put in Fridge and get the bird to the Vet ASAP.
KEEP YOUR AVIARY AND BIRD ROOM CLEAN
DO YOUR PART
THE BEST DISINFECTANT IS ELBOW GREASE.
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