[lalamygirl]

Hello!
I think it's going to take a little time before I get the hang of this, so excuse me if it takes a while.
Five days ago, I brought home a new budgie. She's simply adorable. Her name is Lala. I've had many birds in the past, mostly canaries, so I was quite ready to give her space as she adjusts. Strangely, I don't see her using her perches, just comfortable being on the floor of her cage. She eats, drinks and will climb her cage, but she never attempts to settle on a perch. Is this normal? I don't know.
Thank you!
Living with Lala (Day 5).

 

[Goldenwing]

:welcome:

You have come to the right place to learn about best practices in budgie care. While by no means an expert, that does not sound like normal behavior to me. Birds often sit on the bottom of their cage when they are sick. However, you say Lala is eating and drinking and climbing. It is also possible that she is just still getting used to her new surroundings and feels comfortable on the bottom of the cage. If this is the case, given more time, she will likely try out her perches. It is good that you are giving her space and time to settle in. You should wait at least two weeks to start interacting more with your bird.

It is recommended to take your bird to an avian vet early on for a well-check up. This helps establish a bottom line and make sure Lala didn't come home with something. Do be sure to see an avian vet, not just a regular vet. Here is what a much more experienced bird owner says about it:
"Avian Vets have special training to determine the cause of symptoms resulting from illness or trauma. This is important as "regular" vets will often overlook symptoms that are quickly obvious to an Avian Vet. When you rely on anyone who has not had training in Avian diagnosis and care, you may be delaying effective treatment. This can prolong suffering that may be avoidable. The bird will often require a more intense, prolonged treatment with a poorer chance of full recovery than it would have if you seek prompt professional diagnosis and treatment at the first sign of illness.

"Having your budgie examined by an Avian Vet allows you to develop a good relationship with the vet in case your bird needs care for an injury or illness in the future. Additionally, it is always helpful for the vet to have a baseline for your bird to refer to should it need future treatment."

The best advice is to read all the articles and stickies (threads stuck at the top of a forum) on the site. There is a ton of great information on budgie care.

Good luck with Lala! I hope to see some pictures when she is more settled. icturesplease:

Goldenwing (and Lemon Drop) :lutino linnie:

 

[FaeryBee]

Hi! :welcome: to Talk Budgies

If Lala is a very young budgie, sitting on the bottom of the cage can be quite normal for a period of time.

Did you get Lala from a breeder or from a pet store?
Were Lala's wings clipped when you got her?
Is she able to perch?
Where are her food and water dishes, does she have to perch on something to get to them?

Please take the time to read through the Site Guidelines, all of the How To Guides, the FAQs, the Budgie Articles and the stickies located at the top of each section of the forum.

Truly, the very BEST advice anyone can offer you is to take the time to read ALL of the stickies throughout the various Talk Budgie forums as well as the Budgie Articles we have posted.

These are great resources for Talk Budgie members and have a wealth of reliable information which will assist you to learn the best practices in caring for your budgies for their optimal health and well-being.

Site Guidelines
Posting on the Forums
Let's Talk Budgies
How-To Guides
FAQs Frequently Asked Questions
Budgie Articles
List of Stickies
Be Prepared for Veterinary Expense
Avian First Aid
Why Quarantine?

50 Common Budgie Dangers to Watch Out For

A Heartfelt Plea to All Members
When We Don't Want Eggs

Recommended Minimum Cage Sizes
Essentials for a Great Cage
Resource Directory

When you upload pictures as thumbnail attachments directly from your computer, tablet or phone, the forum automatically defaults to landscape.

To upload full-sized pictures with the proper orientation, please use a photo-sharing service such as Imgur and follow the steps in these instructions:
How to Post Full Size Pictures from a Photo Sharing Site

By the way, all photos entered in any of our forum contests must be a full-size photo and not a thumbnail attachment so it's good to know how to upload them!

If you have any questions after reading through everything, please be sure to ask!

Glad you decided to join us and looking forward to seeing you around the forums.

:wave:

 

[lalamygirl]

Thank you for all the great words of advice. Yes, I'll have her checked by an proper vet.
I purchased her at a pet store. I realize it wasn't the best decision given that they hardly know what's going on with their birds and I've heard some pretty scary things about this particular pet store. I just saw her and fell in love, but I did notice she was not on a perch like the other budgies. Still, there were a few loitering around at the bottom of the cage and it didn't dawn on me that there was something wrong with her. Once I got her home, she was scared and settled quietly at the bottom of the cage. I didn't think about there being a problem because that's pretty typical behavior, but after 5 days of climbing around and not really wanting anything to do with the perches, I felt like there might be an issue. My husband thinks she's just trying to figure out this new home and is sensitive to her new surroundings. I guess we'll see, but for the time being, I'll check with the vet. The woman at the pet store said she was only a month old, but her ABS leg ring is orange. When I looked up the year that corresponds with the color, it said, 2016. That's not a month old. I went back to the store and told the woman about the ABS bracelet and she said, "Well, I have no idea. They tell us their a month old." She wasn't going to hear me if her life depended on it, so I said that I would have her checked at the vet and get back to her. Really makes me angry that they just don't know what they're selling. Sorry, I'm venting.
Thank you so much for the advice.

 

[FaeryBee]

It's best to have Lala checked by an Avian Vet if possible.

Avian Vets have special training to determine the cause of symptoms resulting from illness or trauma.
This is important as "regular" vets will often overlook symptoms that are quickly obvious to an Avian Vet.
When you rely on anyone who has not had training in Avian diagnosis and care, you may be delaying effective treatment.
This can prolong suffering that may be avoidable.
The bird will often require a more intense, prolonged treatment with a poorer chance of full recovery than it would have if you seek prompt professional diagnosis and treatment at the first sign of illness.

If there are not any certified Avian Vets in your area, then look for an Exotic Vet with experience with small birds.

Please be sure to update us on Lala's condition after her appointment. :hug:

Best wishes!

 

[iHeartPieds]

If you post a picture of Lala we can make an estimate of her age as well as confirm her gender for you.

 

[lalamygirl]

I'll see if I can upload to this computer using phone camera. I've had issues with that in the past, but I want to share my photos of Lala and see what you all have to say about age and gender. Thank you!

 

[lalamygirl]

Day 7

Hello all!
I'm pretty happy today with my Lala. It took 1 full week to get her to leave the bottom of the cage. She perched herself last night and, watching her today, she jumped off that perch and landed on another, then down to the bottom and back up again. I was so happy that she is coming around. Still taking her to the vet, but I'm just so happy she's doing her little thing and finding her way around the cage.

 

[Goldenwing]

Yay! :biggrin1: Thanks for the update. I think it is good to have her get a check up, but am glad that she seems to be more comfortable and is now perching. I would love to see some pictures!

Goldenwing (and Lemon Drop) :lutino linnie:

 

[StarlingWings]

Hi there and :welcome: to the forums!

You've been given great advice. Lala sounds like a sweetheart! I read your other thread; I'm glad she's starting to settle more. it's good to hear you're still going to take her in to the vet, just in case.

Meanwhile, you've come to the very best place to learn even more about budgies. Be sure to read through all the articles and "stickies" (threads "stuck" to the top of each subforum for easy reference) to ensure you have all the right information to care for your little ones.

If you have any questions after reading through everything, please be sure to ask as we'd love to help

We'd love to meet Lala when you get a chance! hoto:

Cheers! :wave:

 

[FaeryBee]

It sounds as though little Lala is beginning to settle into her new home. :thumbup:

I've merged your two threads and changed the title. Please post your updates about Lala's progress in this thread.