My Budgie has stopped moving one of his feet

[Martyn]

Hey,

I know this is probably not the best place to ask, and I have tried using Google, but have not had much luck. Basically my Budgie (Paulie) has stopped using one of his feet. It happened yesterday when we uncovered him, his foot seemed to be a bit limp, and he could not use it at all.

Because, Budgie's spend a lot of time on one leg anyway it does not affect him that much but it affects his climbing ability and he is struggling to do what normally does. He just does not move one of his feet totally, when he moves he simply hops. His sore foot looks completely normal and he is not feeling any pain in it (he would tell us if he was). It is almost like if he has got a dead leg.

Anyway, anyone who can offer some advice on the subject or link me up to some website with some info I would be grateful to.

Cheers,

Martyn

[dannyscott5]

il ask my dad when he gets home from work mate, hes really really good with birds, we used to have 40birds lol but sold them all due to money... he knows allsorts about them! ;)

[1WayJonny]

Dont know what that is but i assum'n its your pet..

none the less i had the same thing happen to my Chinchilla

spranged his ankle and would not eat

almost died

so then i took to vet got some form of pain killer and he started eating and he still ok now

so if its hurt it could effect depression

might wanna check it

[_bobcat_ Veteran]

I'm no expert (like a vet would be!) but my opinion is that it sounds like he's injured it (fairly obvious) and if he doesn't look like he's in too much pain (don't know how you'd tell with a bird?) then I would wait a week or so to see if it gets better.

If not, trip to the vet.

[snyper]

I did a small bit of research and i saw this mentioned on a few sites...

.... you need a couple perches of different size to prevent the bird from getting sore feet

[Shof]

take them to a doctor?

[The Pink Panther]

hahah @ comparison with chinchilla

My budgie had the same problem and ended up dying in the end :( If I were you I'd take him to the vet.

[dannyscott5]

comparison with a chinchilla rofl!!! and ok then sounds like your better off taking him to a vet before they close tonight! ill see what ma dad stays still, but hes back about 6ish :/ (gmt)

[ECEGatorTuro]

I have owned birds all my life and I have three budgies (parakeets) right now.

Birds are very good at masking illneses (it's an instinctual thing). If your budgie changes behaviors or just acts differently than normal, I HIGHLY suggest that you take him to an avian vet immediately. Notice how I said AVIAN vet and not a regular vet.... avian vets are specialized in birds and are more inclined to find out exactly what's going on. I had two other budgies prior and they both died within seven months because the regular vet I went to had no clue how to handle/diagnose birds.

Birds die very quickly once they start showing symptoms to take him immediately. Also, just the stress alone of having a bad leg can kill him. Most birds (especially small ones) can easily die from stress brought on from illness or other external sources.

PLEASE take him to a vet!!! If you really love your animals, please take him. I can't stand it when people justify not taking their pets to the vet when they are sick because it costs more than the actual pet cost. You're buying a pet for the companionship... please take care of it!

Let me know how that goes. If you have any other questions, let me know. I know a lot about birds since I've had them all my life and my uncles are vets back home.

[Martyn]

il ask my dad when he gets home from work mate, hes really really good with birds, we used to have 40birds lol but sold them all due to money... he knows allsorts about them! ;)

Thanks mate, appreciate it (Y).

I'm no expert (like a vet would be!) but my opinion is that it sounds like he's injured it (fairly obvious) and if he doesn't look like he's in too much pain (don't know how you'd tell with a bird?) then I would wait a week or so to see if it gets better.

If not, trip to the vet.

Paulie is a bit of a wuss anyway, if something is wrong with him he usually let's us know. Our family all give him a lot of attention, he is struggling to get to his food now though so we feed and water him ourselves. He loves the attention. He is acting perfectly normally though :/, he is chirping away to his mirror as I type this.

I did a small bit of research and i saw this mentioned on a few sites...

I dont think that is the problem. My budgie has a swing in my room, in my sisters room, he sits on the office lamp, on the desk and then he has the perches in his cage.

Thanks for the help everyone, I think I will give it a few more day's to see if his foot starts to get better.

[Druw]

i believe it was a joke.

Anyway, take him to a vet asap.

[snyper]

Alaskin Husky VS Love Bird

There was always only going to be only one winner there, the weigh difference and the reach advantage alone was in the huskeys favour :(

[Hum]

:pinch: I'm afraid your pet bird is near the end -- get a new budgie.

[ECEGatorTuro]

Thanks mate, appreciate it (Y).

Paulie is a bit of a wuss anyway, if something is wrong with him he usually let's us know. Our family all give him a lot of attention, he is struggling to get to his food now though so we feed and water him ourselves. He loves the attention. He is acting perfectly normally though :/, he is chirping away to his mirror as I type this.

I dont think that is the problem. My budgie has a swing in my room, in my sisters room, he sits on the office lamp, on the desk and then he has the perches in his cage.

Thanks for the help everyone, I think I will give it a few more day's to see if his foot starts to get better.

I CANNOT SAY IT ENOUGH!

DO NOT WAIT!!!

Take him to the vet immediately... I have seen it time and time again. People tend to wait and see if their bird gets better by waiting but that is the most IRRESPONSIBLE thing you could ever do!

By the time the bird starts to show symptoms, it's ALMOST TOO LATE! Please understand this!!!

JUST GO TO THE AVIAN VET NOW! DO NOT WAIT ANY LONGER PLEASE!

Your pet is suffering because something is wrong with it and he can barely get to his food! PLEASE TAKE HIM NOW!

Sorry for the CAPS but it just ****es me off because I have seen countless birds (especially budgies) die because their owners just wanted to "wait and see". There is obviously something wrong with your bird and it will almost always be fatal if you wait!

ARGH! Why don't people get this?! :angry: :wacko:

[Andy07]

He should be ok...

They are very smart at looking after themselves... my bird hurt his foot while landing on top the cage wrongly and kept foot up for about a week.

I would try to make life easier for your bird by moving food and drink higher or lower depending where the bird sits mostly ;)

[Hum]

:huh: "If you suspect that your budgie is sick, it is best to consult a vet as soon as possible. Budgies are masters at disguising illness and often by the time sickness is noticeable, it is very serious. Common signs of illness include less activity than usual and/or less chirpiness than usual, sitting fluffed up and sleeping a lot, lack of appetite or not eating at all, weight loss, discharge from eyes and/or nostils, less interest in preening and playing, sneezing, wheezing, and inability to perch."

http://www.budgies.org/info/faq.html#sick

[zhangm Supervisor]

Avian vet. Now.

[John S. Veteran]

thread cleaned

if you cannot offer serious advice, don't comment

[ECEGatorTuro]

Did you take him to the vet yet?

[macro]

From my understand he's had a stroke if that happened, if he's more than 4 or 5 years old its possible, you should take him in right away but keep in mind they have a lifespan aroun 6-8 years I believe

[ECEGatorTuro]

From my understand he's had a stroke if that happened, if he's more than 4 or 5 years old its possible, you should take him in right away but keep in mind they have a lifespan aroun 6-8 years I believe

That is an extremely incorrect statement!

If fed correctly (in other words, if fed nutritional food such as Harrison's pellets), parakeets can live as long as 15 years with very little health problems. The reason why most parakeets die within 5-8 years is because their owners fed them seeds their entire life. Seeds are extremely high in fat and it will cause parakeets to develop a fatty liver which will kill them very quickly. It's nice to supplement a seed diet with green, leefy vegetables but idealy you want to convert a parakeet to pelleted food as quickly as possible.

I've had two parakeets alive for about 14-16 years. I now have three more who all eat pellets.

People need to read more about pets before they dispense information to the general public about them. All it does is promote more false information about an animal's care and health.

[macro]

That is an extremely incorrect statement!

If fed correctly (in other words, if fed nutritional food such as Harrison's pellets), parakeets can live as long as 15 years with very little health problems. The reason why most parakeets die within 5-8 years is because their owners fed them seeds their entire life. Seeds are extremely high in fat and it will cause parakeets to develop a fatty liver which will kill them very quickly. It's nice to supplement a seed diet with green, leefy vegetables but idealy you want to convert a parakeet to pelleted food as quickly as possible.

I've had two parakeets alive for about 14-16 years. I now have three more who all eat pellets.

People need to read more about pets before they dispense information to the general public about them. All it does is promote more false information about an animal's care and health.

Hmmm, from reading online I've seen the same info I originally said, an average of 5-7 years lifespan though you are right that they can live much longer than that depending on how you take care of them and their diet. At this point though it's not relevant for his guy, but I hope things turn out well for you Martyn!

[Shetland]

there are people in this thread who apparently have alot of expirience, i'd reccomend listening to them and take it to the vet.

don't buy a pet if your going to think twice about taking it to the vet because it costs a bit, when our dog was pregnant she would have died but we payed 3x what we bought her for so she could live, and we are rather poor too. that dog is now almost 7

[Martyn]

Did you take him to the vet yet?

That is an extremely incorrect statement!

If fed correctly (in other words, if fed nutritional food such as Harrison's pellets), parakeets can live as long as 15 years with very little health problems. The reason why most parakeets die within 5-8 years is because their owners fed them seeds their entire life. Seeds are extremely high in fat and it will cause parakeets to develop a fatty liver which will kill them very quickly. It's nice to supplement a seed diet with green, leefy vegetables but idealy you want to convert a parakeet to pelleted food as quickly as possible.

I've had two parakeets alive for about 14-16 years. I now have three more who all eat pellets.

People need to read more about pets before they dispense information to the general public about them. All it does is promote more false information about an animal's care and health.

We have not took him to the vet yet, but I think we will. His foot is still the same, and he is sleeping a lot more, and has runny poo's. He is drinking lot's of water though (perhaps more than usual) and is still eating which is good.

The main problem is there are not many vet's in my area but I am looking a few up. I have not found one avian vet at all yet either which is a shame. I dont really want to take Paulie to the vet's if the vet does not exactly know what he is with birds. Anyway, I have been reading a lot on the internet about budgie's and illnesses though.

Paulie is nearly three years old, it is not as if he is an old bird or anything. We feed him correctly, he has a mixture of trill, millet, fruit and other stuff (lettuce, toast, cake...) so I would say we feed him quite healthily and he has a variety of food. I will talk to my dad and see what he says anyway and I will keep this thread updated.

Thanks for your help everyone (Y).

[ECEGatorTuro]

We have not took him to the vet yet, but I think we will. His foot is still the same, and he is sleeping a lot more, and has runny poo's. He is drinking lot's of water though (perhaps more than usual) and is still eating which is good.

Oh god, PLEASE TAKE HIM NOW! God damnit, I told you to take him ASAP! From what you're describing, he may be dying as we speak. PLEASE TAKE HIM NOW! Even if it's not an avian vet, take him to a general vet. You need to understand that at the first sign of ANY symptoms or odd behavior, whatever they may have is at a serious point, waiting just guarentees their death!

The main problem is there are not many vet's in my area but I am looking a few up. I have not found one avian vet at all yet either which is a shame. I dont really want to take Paulie to the vet's if the vet does not exactly know what he is with birds. Anyway, I have been reading a lot on the internet about budgie's and illnesses though.

At this point, you need to go see a regular vet... they CAN treat birds but they just are not as good as an avian vet. It is the same thing as a general doctor and a dermatologist, who knows more about the skin? That doesn't mean that a general doctor can't treat a skin disease... get it??

Paulie is nearly three years old, it is not as if he is an old bird or anything. We feed him correctly, he has a mixture of trill, millet, fruit and other stuff (lettuce, toast, cake...) so I would say we feed him quite healthily and he has a variety of food. I will talk to my dad and see what he says anyway and I will keep this thread updated.

Thanks for your help everyone (Y).

You are feeding him a parakeet's worst nightmare. I don't know what trill is but millet is HORRIBLE for a parakeet's diet. Millet is like ice cream for parakeets which is why they devour it down so quickly... they love it. Would you put a gallon of high fat ice cream in your body every day? That's what millet does to the parakeet! Fruit does not help parakeets as much as you think either. Parakeets need LEAFY GREEN type veggies. Fruit should only be a treat, not part of the main diet.

So PLEASE TAKE HIM TO A VET TODAY! His life depends on it and it may very well possibly be too late since you waited this long. The fact that he is now sleeping more often and has runny feces is a bad sign. You have waited too long and he may die as a consequence.

I hate to sound like an ass but this is why I stressed it so much the first time I posted. It is a VERY COMMON mistake among many bird owners to wait and see if the bird will get better when they become symptomatic.

Think of it this way, it's like when a human contracts rabies. You will NEVER know that you have contracted rabies until you show symptoms. Unfortunately, by the time you do become symptomatic, it's too late to treat you and you die. Only four people in the world have survived rabies after becoming symptomatic. With birds, it's almost the exact same thing except getting treated once becoming symptomatic from any disease can still save them as long as it's done quickly. Birds are masters at masking their illnesses because it is an instictual thing. Showing illness or sickness in the wild will cause them to be hunted/killed since they are the weakest of the flock.

PLEEEEEEASE TAKE HIM NOW!