[Gabi]

So today I was cutting up some fresh fruit for my babies, and one of them Bubba was sitting on my shoulder. Unfortunately there was an uncovered pot filled with cold vegetable oil I used a few days prior. He flew off my shoulder and straight into the pot.

I've washed him multiple times in diluted washing up liquid and dried him on the radiator as well as with a hair dryer. I hope his feathers will go back to normal, if they're a little oily should I give him another bath ?

He's back in his cage now, but he's very upset, he won't eat. He won't tweet back at his friend and I'm worried. Is it because he's traumatized after today's events ? is there anything I can do to make him more comfortable ? I'm going to cover their cage with multiple blankets so he's not cold at night time.

Thank you in advance.

 

[Therm]

Gabi, I'm going to flag this up for some of the more experienced staff to offer their advice.

 

[Gabi]

Gabi, I'm going to flag this up for some of the more experienced staff to offer their advice.

Thank you Therm, I appreciate that.

 

[aluz]

I'm very sorry to hear of this accident...

Did you use a dish washing product in warm water? This is usually what is used to remove thick oily substances off feathers.
And after carefully washing up and avoiding contact with the eye, ear and beak/cere areas, it's important to remove all traces of the washing liquid in order to avoid the budgie from ingesting the product while preening the feathers to dryness.

How long ago did this happen?
Given the very scary ordeal he has been through, it's natural for him to be upset and stressed to the point of not wanting to sing or eat.

It would be good to monitor him for a while and see if he settles in for a restful night of sleep. Keeping him warm and covering the cage for the night should suffice. You can also put some music on low volume to hopefully help him out in diminishing the stress levels.

In order to avoid these types of accidents from happening, it's always best to have the pet birds safely on their cages while we are on the kitchen area preparing meals.

I hope your Bubba will perk up soon, if tomorrow he doesn't seem well, then it would be best to have him examined by an avian vet specialist.

 

[shanebudgie]

I'm sorry.I hope your budgie will be alright soon.I agree with aluz on this.but sometimes accidents happen unfortunately.I think your budgie will be alright real soon.blessings and keep us posted.

 

[Gabi]

Hi Thank you for your advice
It only happened today about 8 or 9 hours ago. Yes I've used Fairy liquid (the equivalent of Dawn) and washed him multiple times. He's shakes his tail from time to time and has moved onto the swing to be near to his friend. Hopefully he'll be better tomorrow, I will sleep by their cage tonight and keep an eye on him.

Thank you for your advice it's very helpful

 

[aluz]

You're very welcome. You do well in sleeping in the same room with them.
Since your Bubba hasn't eaten anything for 8 - 9 hours, you may want to try offering him some spray millet. You can even soak it in electrolyte solution to hopefully give him a little boost of energy.
You will find the detailed info on this by checking this link: http://talkbudgies.com/your-budgies-health/295617-guardian-angel-pedialyte-pedialyte-recipe.html

 

[Pegg]

I'm sorry this happened to your budgie. Hopefully Bubba will be better soon.

 

[StarlingWings]

Gabi,

I'm so sorry to hear about this accident! You've been given great advice from Aluz and I hope he's feeling better tomorrow :fingerx:

Please keep us posted on how Bubba is doing!

 

[RavensGryf]

I'm sorry to hear of the accident, but thankfully Bubba is safe and warm now. I'm sure he's traumatized, but there's some good advice above . I'm sure he'll be back to himself soon.

 

[Budget baby]

Your budgie has had a huge shock and could also be feeling quite stressed. Watch out for runny droppings which is a sign of stress. keep him extra warm and be vigilant of any signs of itchiness, or over preening. glad he has come through this ordeal.

 

[Nika]

Oh my!
Make sure to keep him warm, much warmer than your room temp. When a bird's feathers get that oily, he cannot keep his body temp at a normal level. Plus he had several baths.

The best thing would be a space heater for him but not too close and not directly blowing at him. But you mentioned you had a radiator - that's good too (even better because it's not drying the air so much).
I'd keep him in a temp of at least 24 C.
Unless you really have to, don't cover his entire cage with blankets. keep a light on even at nite - you want him to eat as soon as he wants to (so he doesn't have to wait till morning to eat)

 

[Gabi]

Hi everyone, thank you so much for your kind words. Bubba has started to eat this morning, he slept quite well. (he stayed on the swing all night with his friend) His little feathers are a bit cleaner, however the feathers around his tail and bum are still quite oily. Should I gave him another few baths today, or will I wait a few days? I doubt they go back to normal by themselves. He started sneezing a more than usual I assume that's because of the cold ? I'm going to do my best to keep him as warm as possible today. Would it be stressful for them to move their cage to a room upstairs ? It's a much sunnier and warmer room. I haven't noticed any itchiness, he hasn't been scratching.

Thank you everyone, I really appreciate the help

 

[Budget baby]

make sure you monitor the sneezing , if the sneezing keeps happening and they are wet then he needs to be seen by an avian vet . He could of got a chill and this can lead to respiratory problems that would need medication.:green pied:

 

[deriksen]

How is little Bubba doing today?

 

[Gabi]

How is little Bubba doing today?

Hi Deriksen he's doing better than yesterday, still pretty upset though He's eaten a little bit but he's still pretty oily. He's an English budgie so all his lovely belly feathers are oily :'( I have to go to work so my boyfriend will keep an eye on his hopefully as the day goes by he'll be better.

 

[deriksen]

I hope he gets better soon. If you can't get the oil out of his feathers, there's a brilliant avian vet in Bray (as far as I know it's the only avian vet in Ireland). They are not open on Sundays, but you could give them a call tomorrow morning and ask for advice.

Hi Deriksen he's doing better than yesterday, still pretty upset though He's eaten a little bit but he's still pretty oily. He's an English budgie so all his lovely belly feathers are oily :'( I have to go to work so my boyfriend will keep an eye on his hopefully as the day goes by he'll be better.

 

[StarlingWings]

Gabi, I'm glad Bubba seems to be doing better today. :clap:

As this is no longer an emergency, I'll move the thread to the Follow-up forum where you can continue to keep us posted on his progress! :thumbsup:

If his feathers are still oily, it may be better to take him to an avian vet so they can bathe him as Dorte suggested, and ensure he didn't accidentally aspirate any oil droplets when he fell in. It may stress him more if you do it again, and could damage his trust in you.

I hope he is fully back to normal soon! :fingerx:

 

[Gabi]

Bubba !

Hi everyone, thank you for all the kind words and great advice!
Bubba is back to his usual self, he is still a little bit greasy but we're getting there. He has started preening himself and is looking MUCH better than a week ago. He also is back to being chirpy, playing with his friends and just being himself.

I am super relieved to see him back to normal. I will give him a bath every now and then just so his feathers go back 100% to the way they were, as of right now they are about 70% there :green pied::green pied:

Thank you everyone !

 

[RavensGryf]

Oh great news about Bubba . I'm so glad to hear that this turned out well!