Dealing with dying Budgie | What to Feed a Sick Budgie?

As an owner, you need to take care of your Sick Budgie. Sick Budgies act like children, they hide their illness, isolate themselves, and lose their appetite.

Recognize the symptoms in Sick Budgie!

Taking care of your chirping friends asks for constant care and nourishment. If they do get sick, they will try to hide it, therefore an uncareful owner might find it out when it already gets too late to save the poor bird.

To prevent any unfortunate development, you need to look for the symptoms: vomiting, lethargy, green drooping, respiratory problems, weight loss, inability to perch, bleeding, or signs of blood on feathers, detectable swelling, and discharge from the eyes, beak, or nostrils.

If you notice any of these signs you should see a vet instantly as these are all signs of critical illnesses. You should be on alert for any changes in behavior such as sudden appetite loss, if the bird doesn’t consume enough water or if it consumes too much. Notice diarrhea or abnormal droppings or any kind of irregularity like changed sleeping patterns, some physical changes on the body, and fathers are all signs of concern.

Not all symptoms lead to serious problems but it is better to play safe than sorry. When it comes to male budgies some symptoms of testicular cancer include a change in color of the cere, the nose, from blue to brown. To spot whether our Budgie feels sick or not we should simply think of our own state when we feel ill. We do not have an appetite, we feel tired, unable to do our normal activities, etc.

If you notice any of these signs in your bird chances are, they are not feeling very well. Also, if you own more birds, you should pay attention if one of the Budgies starts isolating itself or stops playing with its toys. Violence and biting can also be a sign of ill Budgie that might be in some pain.

How do you treat a sick budgie?

Firstly, it is important to know what bothers your Budgie in order to find a way how to treat it. If it suffers from respiratory illnesses his organism requires humidity that you can enable through a vaporizer or humidifier. For those owners that do not have any of these two, they can create steam by running a hot shower. Then they should put the birds that are in their cages in the bathroom as they can benefit from the hot temperature and steamed room. Birds usually have a body temperature of about 104 degrees Fahrenheit. The ill Budgie can find it helpful if you try and keep its temperature between 85 and 90 degrees. The heat should then be turned down little by little till you get to room temperature.

If you take your bird to the vet, you should definitely follow its orders and make sure that your bird is taking its medication on time. Also, you should try to make it eat properly and also drink enough liquid. We mentioned that a changed sleeping pattern is a sign of concern that is why it is important not to let your sick Budgie change its sleeping cycle at all. If you have more than one bird you need to separate the sick from the healthy ones.

Lastly, we will mention the Budgie that stops making noise as a symptom of a sick Budgie. When the owner notices this they should look for a vet immediately as this can be a sign of serious illnesses.

What about feeding the sick bird?

Sick Budgies act like children, they hide their illness, isolate themselves, and lose their appetite. It is your job to check if your little buddy is eating properly. You can do this by checking its seed bowl and if you find more seeds there than husks you can probably tell that your bird is not eating enough. Then it is crucial that you get your bird to eat. But you should not force it.

Do not forget about the delicate figure of your Budgie who can easily chock or inhale food. For this reason, it is best to listen to the bird where it sets its boundaries. However, when your Budgie does not eat at all it is best to contact the vet. Not getting enough food and water leads to death in just a couple of days.

How to hand feed a sick Budgie?

If you have your bird since it was a baby that you hand-fed you can start doing that again using syringe feeding. Again, the owner should not try to force anything. If the bird accepts food this way you can continue with the feeding. If you do not have a syringe, you can use a dropper or even your finger. Always be mindful of the fragile body of your little friend. You can give it Infalyte or any other electrolyte solutions, or baby food.

When you choose food for it try choosing food that is easy to digest but has lots of carbs. For drinking, you can opt for boiled water with some honey, apple, or grape juice.

Reduce the stress!

One way of helping the poor fella is to try and limit anything that might be causing it stress. As with humans, stress can have a huge negative impact on the birds that can even turn into some illness or look like an illness. What can be the cause of the stress? Well, many things in fact. Maybe there are too many noises from the outside of the house. In that case, you can transfer it to a calmer room. As your bird is in the cage it cannot move from the position where the cage is.

If the cage is too much exposed to the sunlight or if it is near a window where cold wind is blowing it will definitely suffer. Always try to find the best spot that will work with your bird. If you have more birds sometimes there is tension inside the same or different cages. The birds get competitive and you have to try and stop the situation in the cages before it escalates.

If you can try and give the sick bird its own space, its own cage. For this reason, the bird will be separated from the competitive atmosphere and can focus on its healing. For healthy birds, it is the best thing to stay away from the sick ones. Sometimes the bird might be stressed with its owners, loud house residents, especially children. Another cause is smoking that can really irritate the poor bird.

Symptoms that your Budgie dying.

No one wishes to think of their feathered friend dying. The chirping sounds disappear from the house. You must be ready and strong when the time comes. There are some symptoms that you just can’t ignore and can do very little to stop them.

The owner can always try and find a solution with a vet. We should keep in mind the fragility of their bodies. If they have problems breathing it is an alarming thing, because their little bodies can hardly fight it. The breathing problems can be recognized by their tail that the bird will move up and down. Also, it will extend its neck to try and catch the oxygen. Its breathing will be hard, heavy, and followed by clicking and other sounds made by the bird.

Another unfortunate symptom can be the spot on the feathers. The natural thing is for the old feathers to fall off in order for the new ones to grow. If this does not happen chances are your bird is infected with some kind of disease. Any other kind of deformity that you spot on the feathers can be an ill sign too. Like the cysts that can be found on the feathers. These cysts are caused by ingrown feathers just beneath the surface of the skin. Fortunately, they can be removed surgically but you need to spot them on time before they harm the little bird and it becomes too late.

Vomiting cannot, of course, be a good sign. If your bird is vomiting it is an indicator of serious illness. What the owner has to distinguish is when the bird is vomiting and when it is willingly spitting out food for attention. This is their usual behavior, especially when trying to impress the other half. The vomiting can be recognized by the way the bird is doing that; violently, looking like it is choking, etc.

How to take care of dying budgie?

Once you establish that your dying Budgie is soon leaving for its last destination you should try and make it as comfortable as possible. Try heating it if it is cold or try giving it steamed treatments. If it needs more air move it to another location, closer to a window. Try giving it as much food and nutrition as it can take.

Do not stop the vet’s medication and give it pain medication if needed. Not everybody gets a chance to take care of their pet till their last breath. Try to bring him as much happiness and joy as possible. Hopefully, this will give you comfort as well when it is gone.