BUDGIE HEALTH ISSUES
Budgies can become ill when they are not cared for or fed appropriately. Providing good diet and right living conditions helps keep your budgies healthy and happy. Healthy bird is active, always alert, has good appetite, its feathers, eyes, feet and cere are clean, beak - smooth. Its droppings are dark green and white, toothpaste consistency. If your bird sits in one place, is not interested in its usual activities, its feathers are puffed up - it may indicate it's not feeling well.
"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"
If you think your budgie is not well, make a vet appointment as soon as possible. Budgies are preys in the wild, so they can instinctively hide a sickness to avoid being taken as vulnerable by potential predators. When they're part of a flock, they try to act as usual, otherwise other members may want to start to attack them or reject them, which is a natural behaviour in the wild. So they often look and act fine, even when ill and if you notice a change in your budgie appearance or behaviour, it probably means it's been sick for longer than it seems and needs medical intervention urgently.
Below - there are some common bird diseases or heath issues with symptoms. I'm deliberately not giving you ideas how to cure budgie illnesses, because that should be done by a vet, after detailed examination or tests.
Apart from the colour/shape/size/consistency of your budgie’s poops, it also matters -to spot an illness- how the poops are distributed in the cage (for that reason white paper towels are the best as a bedding in the cage, so that you can easily see if your bird’s droppings are normal). And now - what’s ok at night, is not ok during the day and the other way around. If your birds poops are cumulated in one place, in a pile, or very close to each other at DAY time, that means your budgie doesn't move too much. Budgies poop every 15 minutes so if you can see a lot of droppings in one place, it means you bird hasn’t moved from the spot for a few hours at least. And that’s the 1st indicator, something might be going on, health-wise. Budgies are naturally very active and move from one place to another every minute so if they sit in one place all the time - it’s unlikely a good sign. But when it comes to the NIGHT time - it’s good when the poops are just in one place. That means your bird has had a good, peaceful, undisturbed sleep. But if, after the night, you see their poops around the place, it means there is something that’s been bothering your bird at night. It might be feather mites for example. Normally, birds sleep through the night without the need to change a place. But if your birds are spread all over the place after the night, it suggests restless sleep and you should look into some other possible symptoms of an illness. Take a look at the picture below - hope it helps you visualise what I mean.
AVIAN GASTRIC YEAST (AGY) INFECTION
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Causes:
direct contact with infected food
contact with the droppings of an infected bird
the yeast microbes in the environment
Symptoms:
bird is fluffed up, lethargic
vomiting, clear slime may cover feathers on head
diarrhoea
excessive eating along with a weight loss
slimy seeds are regurgitated
bird looks like it's eating but it's just grinding seeds (white powder can be found in their feeder)
undigested seeds in droppings
feathers around the vent often stained with droppings
in some cases - blood in droppings (black poop)
if the advanced stages - vomiting slimy material
In acute type - birds can die suddenly within 12-24 hours (may regurgitate fluid with traces of blood), is quiet and depressed
In chronic type - weight loss despite excessive eating, gaping, stretching their necks to try to swallow
some birds may sit on the bottom of the cage with closed eyes
AVIAN GOUT
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Causes:
too much proteins in the diet
too much calcium in the diet
too much Vit. D3
salt poisoning
dehydration
internal defects
viral infection
exposure to pesticides, heavy metals or other toxins (e.g. from plants)
deficiency of Vit. A or B12
Symptoms:
bird looks puffed up
swollen toes
creamy white nodules under the skin near feet joints
reptured swelling
feather picking from the lower back
excessive thirst
weakness
difficulty in flying and moving from perch to perch (bird may prefer to sit on the floor)
lost apetite
diarrhoea
excess of urine in droppings
wet vent
IODINE DEFICIENCY / GOITER
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Causes:
all-seed diet
excessive consumption of soybean, flax, rapeseed, kale, cabbage, broccoli - as they contain substances interfering in the normal production of thyroxine by the thyroid gland
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Symptoms:
respiratory wheezing
breathing difficulties
'squeaking' sound heard during breathing
often change of voice
male's cere turns dark brown
bird may be holding its head upright
weight loss and poorly looking feathers
swelling around the neck area
regurgitation or vomiting
lethargy
sudden death due to heart failure (enlargement of the thyroid gland can place enormous pressure on digestive system, lungs, heart and the air sacs)
VITAMIN 'A' DEFICIENCY
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Causes:
all-seed diet
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Symptoms:
breaching difficulties; wheezing, clicking sounds, sneezing
nasal discharge
crusted or plugged nostrils
lethargy
depression
diarrhea
tail-bobbing
weight loss
swollen eyes and discharge from the eyes
gagging
"slimy mouth"
prone to infections (body unable to heal itself)
TESTICULAR TUMOR
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Causes:
errors in the DNA of cells / genetic
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Symptoms:​
cere turning brown (looking greenish-brown - looking like on the picture above, similar to the iodine deficiency symptom)
weight loss
sometimes shortness of breath
difficulties in standing, walking - curling up one leg
a lump/mass between legs
might be mistaken for an injured leg
FATTY LIVER DISEASE
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Causes:
poor nutrition, all-seed diet
high-fat diet (e.g. sunflower seeds are very high in fat)
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Symptoms:​
obesity (enlarged abdomen) - normal budgie weight is: 35-45g. Obesity starts when budgie weighs: 60-70g
overgrown beak
difficulties with breathing
green poops, often diarrhoea
poor feather quality
in advanced stage - disorientation or seizures
bleeding into the upper beak (or claws)
Droppings suggesting liver disease (below)
Obese budgie may or may not indicate liver disease (it might be boredom, lack of exercises, or too fat diet), but it's worth keeping an eye on a budgie that is overweight (below)
Above, again - obese budgie which may (or may not) suggest fat liver disease (Obesity is never good for your bird's health)
Overgrown beak suggesting liver disease (below)
Bleeding into upper beak, suggesting liver disease (below)
PARROT FEVER (PSITTACOSIS)
Causes:
Contact with an infected bird or its dropping (highly contagious)
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Symptoms:
Swollen eyelids and/or feathers missing around eyes
Ruffled feathers
Depression
Weight loss
Appetite loss
Respiratory problems
Discharge from eyes and nostrils
diarrhoea (bright green, watery, messy poops)
Sneezing
Runny nose
Sometimes vomiting
Parrot Fever (Psittacosis) droppings
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FRENCH MOULT
Causes:
Stress, weak immune system
Poor hygiene, dusty environment
Poor nutrition while breeding
Over-breeding
Insects and a mite infestation
Virus transmitted from other birds
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Symptoms:
Primary and tail feathers missing
Other feathers broken due to mechanical stress
In extreme cases - most or all feathers missing
If nestling chicks are infected - they have swollen abdomens, bleed easily, reddish body colour, slow growth (very high mortality), sudden death
PSITTACINE BEAK AND FEATHER DISEASE (PBFD)
Causes:
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caused by Circovirus
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contact with an infected bird
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contact with the virus in the environment
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also known as French Moult (look above)
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Symptoms:
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virus affects keratin (beak and feather protein)
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may suppress the bird’s immune system
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damage to feathers (partial or total loss) and beaks
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loss of appetite and weight
Budgie with PBFD (below)
GAS CROP (SOUR CROP)
Causes:
yeast infection
spoiled hand-feeding formula
unhygienic hand-feeding methods (incl. unclean feeding utensils)
ingesting foreign material
in baby budgies: baby formula is too thick, too hot or too cold; also overfeeding babies
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Symptoms:
diarrhoea
apetite loss
fatigue/exhaustion
throwing up sour smelling vomit
swollen crop - balloon-like shape
regurgitating food and smelly mucus
in baby budgies: crop puffy and unnaturally enlarged
SCALY FACE (MITES)
Causes:
Contact with an infected bird (highly contagious)
transmission between parents and babies (may start to appear even 6 months after)
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Symptoms:
white crusts around the beak, nostrils, eyes, and sometimes legs
legs and beak may become deformed and crooked if the infection is not treated in time
in the early stages, it looks like bright white deposit that becomes thicker and crustier over time
restless bird
scratching very often
Scaly face
Early stages of scaly face (mites) in a budgie (below)
COCCIDIOSIS
Causes:
cause by a microscopic parasite called coccidiaa
bird eats droppings of an infected bird
bad hygiene in a cage (soiled water/water container)
often in rainy season, with high humidity in the air and high temps
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Symptoms:
severe diarrhea (watery droppings)
dark, green droppings, sometimes with blood (may look dark green/black)
sometimes blood around vent area
vomiting
lack of appetite
fluffed up bird
weakness and drowsiness
fresh warm faecal smears of the droppings display the eggs (oocysts) - not always
sudden decrease in noises and activity
sudden death within days
AIR SAC MITES
Causes:
mites eggs spread by coughing, they are coughed, swallowed and passed in infected bird's droppings
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Symptoms:
shortness of breath
coughing
sneezing
nasal discharge
breathing with open beak
sometimes presence of eggs in budgie's droppings
tail bobbing
clicking and groaning breathing sounds
choking movements followed by head shaking
ROUNDWORM
Causes:
budgie becomes infected by eating worm eggs passed in the droppings of an infected bird
common in outdoor aviaries, where droppings mix with earth
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Symptoms:
diarrhoea or dark sticky droppings (may contain blood)
weight loss and listlessness
possible swollen stomach area
problems to the bird's central nervous system; paralysis of some part of budgie's body and unnaturally looking turning movements of its head
droppings around vent area
appetite loss
inactive bird
budgie may strain to pass droppings
sudden death may occur when a large quantity of eggs is eaten and they hatched at the same time and caused blockage in birds digestive system
SALMONELLOSIS / SALMONELLA
Causes:
contact with an infected bird or its dropping (highly contagious)
spreads via droppings (budgie eats droppings of an infected bird)
common in large flocks of birds
poor hygiene around feeders
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Symptoms:
budgie may appear thin
fluffed up
may have swollen eyelids
lethargic and easy to handle
EGG BINDING
Causes:
seed-only diet
calcium deficiency
vitamin deficiency
protein deficiency
lack of exercise, obesity
bad living conditions, e.g. too hot or too cold, not enough food/water
excessive egg laying
very mature female, too old for breeding (over 4 years)
female too young for breeding (under 1 year old)
poor breeding practices (eggs or babies taken away too soon, breeding birds out of condition)
most common in single females (without a male mate)
few sources also say a strong bond with an owner or a mirror/toy might be one of the causes
previous issues with passing eggs
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Symptoms:
tail bobbing
open mouth breathing
fluffed up appearance
difficulty in balancing on perch (paralysis of a leg)
lethargic, depression
sitting on the bottom of a cage
all-white poops (less droppings than normal or lack of droppings)
straining
bulging of the vent
Egg bound budgie (below)
BUMBLEFOOT
Causes:
diet low in vitamin A, biotin, calcium, D3
diet high in fat
poor hygiene (spoiled food or droppings caked to the perches)
trauma to the foot from an injury
bad perches material/shape (plastic/smooth wooden perches, all the same size), or unnatural perches made of material hurting budgie's feet
rough floor surfaces
damp bedding
obesity (excess pressure placed on the feet and lack of physical activity)
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Symptoms:
lameness (in later stages)
swelling
reluctance to walk
reddened feet underneath
blister-like changes (ulcers) on the soles (in early stages)
scabs on feet
Bumblefoot (below)
FEATHER MITES (RED MITES)
Causes:
poor hygiene in the cage/nest
infected birds or other animals in the household
mites in the bird's environment
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Symptoms:
budgie restless at night
constant preening or feather destruction (irritated bird tries to get rid of the mites)
loss of blood causing anaemia
baby budgies dying in the nest
you can see tiny spots crawling on your budgie's feathers, usually around the base
Below - red mites; can be seen in the corners of the cage, or in the breeding box (less than 1mm long)
It's hard to list all possible diseases or conditions that can affect your budgie, but the ones I mentioned above are the most common. If you happen to have a sick bird and its symptoms are not listed above, please contact me and I'll try to help. However - if you think your budgie is not well, please seek professional, vet advice and help.
