Good to see you post Dee, and sorry to hear that Clouds has this problem. Hopefully some of our folk's can advise, or have experienced this. The constantly trembling wing sure isn't normal, and one would think has something to do with the problem. Sound's like this has been going on for awhile, and if it is nerve damage, I hope Clouds will recover flight capability eventually...:hug:
Clouds can't fly :(
Hello everybudgie!
I hate coming back to the forum with a query about budgies health and yet here I am. Life has been absolutely frantic in the past months, with very little time left for the more relaxing things like hanging out on TalkBudgies.
Clouds started to moult while we were away in Malaysia (July). He went through a heavy one, with lots of flight feathers lost. It didn't seem to affect him much (he's always quite the quiet bird anyway). More recently, I found one, two, then three tail feathers. Still fine. Then there was earthquake (bigger than usual) and the birds went mental in their cage. That was the 12th October. The next day, Clouds started to spend a lot of time on the floor when coming our of his cage (but he could still fly). A couple of days later, he stopped flying altogether. For a few days he was holding his right wing a bit low. It went back to normal quite quickly, so we thought he'd just banged it or sprained it.
His tail feathers have grown back. He stopped moulting for a couple of weeks but seems to have started again (although it's hard to say to what extend since Sky is now going through a moult so we're finding lots and lots of feathers). He's still not flying.
One symptom that I observe is that his right wing is almost constantly trembling.
About 10 days ago Clouds actually flew from the top of his cage to a bar stool some 5 yards away. It seems quite a low flight (as if he couldn't gain height easily). He also avoids using his wings anyway, even to jump from one perch to the next in his cage.
We've gone to 2 vet visits with no results whatsoever. They can't find anything wrong with him and told us to just give it some time.
Unfortunately, the only avian vet we had has moved to Wellington, which is a difficult 4 hours drive.
Has anyone had the same problem before? Any advice for us?
Clouds doesn't seem to be unhappy (well, no more grumpy and solitary than usual anyway). His bond with Sky is still as strong as ever. Sky annoys him with unrequited play requests as often as ever, but he gives in every so often and it's nice to see. He is reluctant to leave the cage obviously, but does every so often and hangs mostly around my desk. I've arranged a system that allows him to climb back into the cage if he ever makes it to the floor. He has adapted to his predicament by climbing a lot more than his gentlemanly status would normally allow.
I am so sorry for him and also worried there's more we could do.
I have tried to:
- add finely grounded eggs shell to their food to supplement calcium (no change after 4 weeks)
- add ground almond and linen seeds to their mix once a week
They get green leaf stuff everyday (kale, spinach, silver beet, etc.), plus grass seeds from the garden once a week. I also add a fresh cut of fruit (apple, pear, etc.) three or four times a week.
Their diet is: 1 part fresh veg (blended), 1 part budgies crumble mix, 1 part seeds. They eat mostly the seeds but as it's all mixed well together they don't get a choice and have to eat some of the healthy stuff with it
Any questions I haven't answered please ask.
Dee
I hate coming back to the forum with a query about budgies health and yet here I am. Life has been absolutely frantic in the past months, with very little time left for the more relaxing things like hanging out on TalkBudgies.
Clouds started to moult while we were away in Malaysia (July). He went through a heavy one, with lots of flight feathers lost. It didn't seem to affect him much (he's always quite the quiet bird anyway). More recently, I found one, two, then three tail feathers. Still fine. Then there was earthquake (bigger than usual) and the birds went mental in their cage. That was the 12th October. The next day, Clouds started to spend a lot of time on the floor when coming our of his cage (but he could still fly). A couple of days later, he stopped flying altogether. For a few days he was holding his right wing a bit low. It went back to normal quite quickly, so we thought he'd just banged it or sprained it.
His tail feathers have grown back. He stopped moulting for a couple of weeks but seems to have started again (although it's hard to say to what extend since Sky is now going through a moult so we're finding lots and lots of feathers). He's still not flying.
One symptom that I observe is that his right wing is almost constantly trembling.
About 10 days ago Clouds actually flew from the top of his cage to a bar stool some 5 yards away. It seems quite a low flight (as if he couldn't gain height easily). He also avoids using his wings anyway, even to jump from one perch to the next in his cage.
We've gone to 2 vet visits with no results whatsoever. They can't find anything wrong with him and told us to just give it some time.
Unfortunately, the only avian vet we had has moved to Wellington, which is a difficult 4 hours drive.
Has anyone had the same problem before? Any advice for us?
Clouds doesn't seem to be unhappy (well, no more grumpy and solitary than usual anyway). His bond with Sky is still as strong as ever. Sky annoys him with unrequited play requests as often as ever, but he gives in every so often and it's nice to see. He is reluctant to leave the cage obviously, but does every so often and hangs mostly around my desk. I've arranged a system that allows him to climb back into the cage if he ever makes it to the floor. He has adapted to his predicament by climbing a lot more than his gentlemanly status would normally allow.
I am so sorry for him and also worried there's more we could do.
I have tried to:
- add finely grounded eggs shell to their food to supplement calcium (no change after 4 weeks)
- add ground almond and linen seeds to their mix once a week
They get green leaf stuff everyday (kale, spinach, silver beet, etc.), plus grass seeds from the garden once a week. I also add a fresh cut of fruit (apple, pear, etc.) three or four times a week.
Their diet is: 1 part fresh veg (blended), 1 part budgies crumble mix, 1 part seeds. They eat mostly the seeds but as it's all mixed well together they don't get a choice and have to eat some of the healthy stuff with it
Any questions I haven't answered please ask.
Dee
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Dee,
I'm so sorry little Clouds is having problems.
I wish I had some wonderful insights for you but I just don't. You obviously are giving them a wonderful diet and fantastic care. :hug:
My guess would be that Clouds suffered some nerve damage when his wing was injured during the earthquake since you indicated it seems to tremble almost continually.
Making Clouds as comfortable as possible with ramps and ladders to help him get to where he'd like to perch will help him maintain his mobility.
I'd suggest giving Clouds and Skye egg food during their molts to help promote feather growth. I use hard boiled egg, cooked quinoa, flax seed and chopped vegetables.
I hope some of the other members have ideas that may be helpful. Sending lots of healing energy and prayers for Clouds' wing to improve with time.
I'm so sorry little Clouds is having problems.
I wish I had some wonderful insights for you but I just don't. You obviously are giving them a wonderful diet and fantastic care. :hug:
My guess would be that Clouds suffered some nerve damage when his wing was injured during the earthquake since you indicated it seems to tremble almost continually.
Making Clouds as comfortable as possible with ramps and ladders to help him get to where he'd like to perch will help him maintain his mobility.
I'd suggest giving Clouds and Skye egg food during their molts to help promote feather growth. I use hard boiled egg, cooked quinoa, flax seed and chopped vegetables.
I hope some of the other members have ideas that may be helpful. Sending lots of healing energy and prayers for Clouds' wing to improve with time.
Dee it sounds like you all have been through a very traumatic time of late, the dropping of feathers can be caused by stress, which is quite possible in this case. Have you thought about doing a Skype consult ? It might be worth the money to have an avian vets opinion. Send detailed pictures of the wing and video of the trembling first up and a full detailed written text before the consult. Also write down any other questions you can think of .
The egg and biscuit is a good idea as is getting some probiotics to add. I hope all settles down soon for you and your flock take care.
The egg and biscuit is a good idea as is getting some probiotics to add. I hope all settles down soon for you and your flock take care.
Hi Guys!
Thanks a million for all the kind replies and apologies for taking so long to come back to you. It's so so very nice to hear back from all of you and feel your support
We are not going through too much of a stressful time, more like a busy one. With Christmas approaching it's not getting easier to find time, but we're all quite content
Clouds is no longer moulting, which is good news. Sky is going through a light and steady moult. They both seem very happy. Poops are normal, eating is normal, and there is no change in personality either way. Clouds does not seem to sleep as much as he used to. He no longer puffs up like he did, which gives me hope that he is no longer in pain. He's still not flying but he's now stretching both wings and I've seen him flap around when going to the floor for a wander. He doesn't seem to be gaining any altitude though, but at this stage I don't know if it's because he can't (my guess), because he thinks he can't (which is what Téo reckons) or whether he's just not interested (that's Alex's diagnosis).
The tremor is still there but I forgot to say that I had noticed it from day one, when we adopted him back in May.
Still no explanation as to what is going on.
With he nice weather firmly here, they spend a lot of time in their cage but outside on the wooden deck, under a soft shade which protects them from wild birds perching or pooping on their head as well as the harsh, ozone-free NZ sun rays. They really enjoy it.
There are heaps and heaps of edible grasses growing everywhere in this season. I bring them back a bunch every time I come back from a walk and they absolutely love it.
Sky has learned a new really funny trick: throw his ball from the top of the cage. All you have to say is 'Where's your ball Sky?' (and provide millet afterwards otherwise he screams at you).
Clouds eats from our hands and loves doing his 'step up' exercises.
Sky still annoys the hell out of Clouds whenever he thinks it's playtime (most of the time according to him, hardly ever according to Clouds). He also tries really hard to get him to fly. He'll fly out of the cage and start flock calling from the top of their tree, the top of the cage, the top of my laptop, etc. When Clouds refuses to go out he'll then go back in and physically evict him.
Sky also love sharing food (kissing). Clouds not so much but he always gives in eventually.
The cage door is still open whenever we're around (and they're not having 'outside time').
I only wish little Clouds could find his wings again!
I have contacted our old avian vet and asked that she let us know whenever she visits our region again, so she could come and assess Clouds properly. She advised against an online consult, because she reckons it's most likely a physiological issue which would have to be palpated (like a lump in the wrong place). I've made more calls to enquire about a better vet for birds but everyone I talked to (including the people at the regional budgie's club) were at a loss.
All we can do is keep him happy and provide the best environment for him. After all, he's just like a 'clipped' bird. I would rather he wasn't, of course, but it's not up to me unfortunately.
Again, thanks for all the supportive messages. I miss you guys very much
Thanks a million for all the kind replies and apologies for taking so long to come back to you. It's so so very nice to hear back from all of you and feel your support
We are not going through too much of a stressful time, more like a busy one. With Christmas approaching it's not getting easier to find time, but we're all quite content
Clouds is no longer moulting, which is good news. Sky is going through a light and steady moult. They both seem very happy. Poops are normal, eating is normal, and there is no change in personality either way. Clouds does not seem to sleep as much as he used to. He no longer puffs up like he did, which gives me hope that he is no longer in pain. He's still not flying but he's now stretching both wings and I've seen him flap around when going to the floor for a wander. He doesn't seem to be gaining any altitude though, but at this stage I don't know if it's because he can't (my guess), because he thinks he can't (which is what Téo reckons) or whether he's just not interested (that's Alex's diagnosis).
The tremor is still there but I forgot to say that I had noticed it from day one, when we adopted him back in May.
Still no explanation as to what is going on.
With he nice weather firmly here, they spend a lot of time in their cage but outside on the wooden deck, under a soft shade which protects them from wild birds perching or pooping on their head as well as the harsh, ozone-free NZ sun rays. They really enjoy it.
There are heaps and heaps of edible grasses growing everywhere in this season. I bring them back a bunch every time I come back from a walk and they absolutely love it.
Sky has learned a new really funny trick: throw his ball from the top of the cage. All you have to say is 'Where's your ball Sky?' (and provide millet afterwards otherwise he screams at you).
Clouds eats from our hands and loves doing his 'step up' exercises.
Sky still annoys the hell out of Clouds whenever he thinks it's playtime (most of the time according to him, hardly ever according to Clouds). He also tries really hard to get him to fly. He'll fly out of the cage and start flock calling from the top of their tree, the top of the cage, the top of my laptop, etc. When Clouds refuses to go out he'll then go back in and physically evict him.
Sky also love sharing food (kissing). Clouds not so much but he always gives in eventually.
The cage door is still open whenever we're around (and they're not having 'outside time').
I only wish little Clouds could find his wings again!
I have contacted our old avian vet and asked that she let us know whenever she visits our region again, so she could come and assess Clouds properly. She advised against an online consult, because she reckons it's most likely a physiological issue which would have to be palpated (like a lump in the wrong place). I've made more calls to enquire about a better vet for birds but everyone I talked to (including the people at the regional budgie's club) were at a loss.
All we can do is keep him happy and provide the best environment for him. After all, he's just like a 'clipped' bird. I would rather he wasn't, of course, but it's not up to me unfortunately.
Again, thanks for all the supportive messages. I miss you guys very much
1 - 13 of 13 Posts
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