Your Budgies health
in Yesteryear Budgies could be considered as long lived and healthy for most of their lives.Gone are the days when a budgie would live in your Grannies Kitchen for 15 plus years.
Full size exhibition budgies now have generic issues with age and health issues.Miniature and pet size birds not so much.
This a guide to help you if unfortuanetely your budgie takes a turn for the worse. There is much more extensive information on the web if more information is required
Quality exhibition birds now have a limited life span of around 5 to 6 years maximum. With age comes age related issues. At around 3 to 4 years old a Hen will not be able to breed successfully although there are some that can breed up to 5 years old. At these ages they are very suspectable to being egg bound. Feather cysts can become a big problem which left untreated will turn into fatal growths. Around 4 years of age budgies are likely to develop tumours have heart conditions and have strokes. Similar to humans in their 80’s.There is very little that can be done. Stokes tend to be fatal or the bird will die within a few days. There is very little a vet can achieve at this stage and you are best just looking after your bird until the time comes for it to die.
If you notice your bird is not looking well. The best first course of treatment is to put it somewhere warm. Drafts are killers of birds and they cannot tolerate any long term exposure to drafts.
Going Light.. This is a generic term used by breeders, when birds are suffering from the above and other Chronic conditions, They start to lose weight and fluff up, They can remain in this condition for many weeks but eventually will succumb when there body mass is just too small to survive any longer.
This is a usefull link
If a Budgie does not or cannot eat within 36 hours then it will die, its important to get a budgies to eat. In extreme circumstances you can manual fill the crop with baby food and treatment.
Other then above there are 3 main conditions which can affect and kill young budgies. This is the most effective over the counter treatment. It is designed for pigeons but works equally well for Budgies I recommend using a 50% reduction in the prescribed treatment. You can also get a spot on treatment. Ronivet is also very good. I routinely treat my birds with this every three months.
1. Trichomoniasis?
Trichomonasis is an infection caused by a protozoan parasite called Trichomonas gallinum.
It is also known as canker (in pigeons and budgerigars) or frounce (in raptors).
Where does Trichomonas gallinum live?
Trichomonas gallinum is usually found in the upper parts of the respiratory and digestive system – the mouth, sinuses, crop, pharynx and sometimes trachea can be affected. Occasionally the liver and lungs may be affected.
How Is Trichomoniasis Transmitted?
Trichomoniasis is transmitted between birds by direct contact. Common sources of infection in pet birds include:
- Infected parents feeding young (subclinically infected adults may carry the parasite for long periods and act as a constant source of reinfection)
- Contaminated drinking water (with faecal material or oral secretions)
- Contact with wild birds
Trichomonas gallinum multiplies within the host and does not form a resistant cyst, so it cannot survive in the environment for long periods.
Will Trichomoniasis Affect All Species Of Bird?
Budgerigars, pigeons and raptors are the species most commonly affected, but all birds may be susceptible.
Do all birds infected with Trichomonas gallinum show signs?
No. Some birds may be subclinical carriers for many years without showing any signs of illness.
How is trichomoniasis diagnosed?
Trichomonas organisms can be picked up on a fresh wet smear taken via crop wash.
Is Trichomonas gallinum infection treatable?
Nitroimidazole drugs such as ronidazole or metronidazole can be used to treat trichomoniasis. Prognosis is usually good for subclinical infections.
Avian vets at Bird Vet Melbourne recommend all newly purchased pet budgerigars are tested for trichomoniasis at their initial well bird examination.
Will all birds with trichomoniasis recover?
Some very sick birds may need intensive care treatment and hospitalisation for fluids and nutritional support. Most birds will recover however infection may prove fatal to severely debilitated birds where there is severe damage to the gastrointestinal and/or respiratory systems. In some European countries, resistance to nitroimidazole drugs has been reported.
2.Coccidiosis
is a particularly serious disease for the fancier because it happens so quickly and can kill many birds of all ages within a matter of days. My first introduction to this ‘Bug” was in our 1st season breeding when we had all these babies dying, called my local Vet who put us onto Dr. Harry Cooper. Please remember I am talking about 1986 when there were not many Veterinarians who knew anything about birds.
Dr. Harry being a breeder, Judge and Vet had researched this ‘Bug”. Coccidiosis is spread when one bird eats faecal material from an infected bird, which contains the infective stage of the coccidia (small egg-like bodies called oocysts). The oocysts in the droppings need moisture and warmth to mature. These oocysts can be seen in a ‘faecal’ smear and that is what he saw at this time so put us onto a Coccidistat called Amprol Plus.
Mind you, this medication was sitting in our Services Section and our Branch Services manager did not inform us of this type of medication and what it was for. After this episode, when the position became available I took it over and made sure all our Branch members knew what all the products were and what they were used for and even though I don’t have a Services Section any more, I still advise breeders about these basics.
We were advised to have concrete floors, which we had, except for one small section, and that is why it all started. It was soon concreted over.
The Coccidia like as it says above moist warm conditions and being summer at the time, it had both; moisture from rain, and also from the humidity. We in the warmer climates have a lot of moisture from humidity, and if one observes carefully you will see the droppings swell at this time.
As we know the Budgerigar likes to pick at the droppings, getting some of the nutrients it does not get from its diet, one being Vitamin B12 so each day you will see them down there having a pick. All part of nature.
As it happed to us, we had the sudden deaths of birds, and now a days if there is sign of rain then the preventative measures go in.
The signs and symptoms of Coccidiosis.
Sudden death of birds within a week of rain or high humidity.
- Watery droppings on aviary floor
- A sudden decrease in noise level and activity in birds – this is a universal sign of sickness not necessarily Coccidiosis.
- Birds fluffed up on perches, they are weak and they tremble. The “go light” probably from lack of food and water.
- Dark tacky green droppings sticks to the tail feathers and around the vent, and on the floor.
- Ill birds go to ground and pick around.
- One may also be able to smell that something is going on as the droppings get a characteristic smell – a sign that a secondary E.Coli infections is happening as well.
Current treatment is:
Baycox or Carlox for 2-3 days as per instructions on the bottle, then treat with an antibiotic for 7 days for the infection. e.g Baytril or Sulfa AVS. In Australia these drugs have to be dispensed via a Veterinarian. In some parts of the world they do not even have a Veterinarian let alone an Avian Veterinarian so this information is relayed to them in the hope that they may be able to buy the products on the open market.
Preventative Program
Treatment if one can get the products is
a) Coccidistat like Baycox which is the preferable treatment. Treat birds every 4-6 weeks and in times on heavy rain then more frequently especially if using Coccivet.
b) Coccivet – a Vetafarm product
Lastly, the one thing in the preventative program is concrete floors; this prevents the bug from breeding in the soil and remember intestinal worms and canker (trichomanosis) can also breed in the soil so you are preventing 3 things.
Article Kindly Donated By Betty Berry
Parasites below is a usefull link regarding the types of parasites in Budgies
