New English Budgie

2455 Views 6 Replies 3 Participants Last post by StarlingWings, Sep 23, 2017

Yondu

Discussion Starter · Sep 23, 2017

Hi everyone! I'm new here and have a new English Budgie named Yondu. I'm not new to birds at all but I am new to English Budgies! So I have a few issues I need help with! First I've had him almost a month with no progress in trust, I sit my hand in his cage multiple times a day, offer treats and millet from my hand (that he is super hesitant to take) now here come the issues, I know birds need out of their cage...so I would bring him out once in awhile and that takes our"bonding" back a few steps....but if I leave him in his cage he will chirp then angry dolphin call. I don't mind him being noisy, it's cute. but when he does the angry dolphin I know he wants out, (only cause I bring him out when he does it and then after he's out for awhile and goes back in his cage, the angry dolphin call stops) but that regressed our trust/bonding so many times. I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO! Also his beak is flaky and scaly almost like a female Budgie during molting, (and oh boy is he molting! Feathers everywhere and his head has lots of pin feathers) I've wondered if he's female but his beak is dark dark blue with no white around the nostrils or anything, so I assumed he had scaly face mites and put scatt on him 3 days ago (no improvement yet)

Does anyone have advice on what to do about bonding? Angry dolphin noise and scaly cere?

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FaeryBee

· #2 · Sep 23, 2017

Hi! :welcome: to Talk Budgies

It would be helpful to have a full sized, clear, in- focus picture of Yondu's cere/beak taken full-frontal view.

Please use an image sharing service such as Imgur rather than simply attaching the image directly from your computer.

Yondu may have a nutritional deficiency or the beak/cere may simply be overly dry at this time.
What are you feeding him?

When you respond to the "angry dolphin noise" you are reinforcing that behavior and allowing him to train you.

Do you have a small room you can bird-proof?
If so, then you could provide Yondu out-of cage time there.

Don't move him out of his cage, simply open the cage door and allow him to come out on his own if he chooses to do so.

I have untamed budgies that go back in their cage because I've used positive reinforcement training to teach them they will get a reward when they do so.

Initially, when I was ready for them to go back in the cage I would first dim the lights and pull down the shades in the room. If the radio or TV was on, I turned it off.

Then I would stand by their cage and ringing the bell on one of their toys while telling them, "It's time to go in your cage now!"

Once they went back into the cage, they were given a small bit of millet.

This method worked well and they now go in the cage when asked to do so without the lights being dimmed or the blinds lowered and the TV or radio can stay on.

Getting the millet reward is the best part of "going back home"

You can also consider attempting clicker training with Yondu.

http://talkbudgies.com/taming-bonding/237105-using-positive-reinforcement-training.html

http://talkbudgies.com/taming-bonding/265337-basics-clicker-training.html

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
http://talkbudgies.com/general-budgie-talk/333106-posting-forums.html
http://talkbudgies.com/general-budgie-talk/388145-lets-talk-budgies.html
How-To Guides
FAQs Frequently Asked Questions
Budgie Articles
http://talkbudgies.com/general-budgie-talk/295001-list-stickies.html
http://talkbudgies.com/general-budgie-talk/295033-prepared-veterinary-care-expense.html
Avian First Aid
Why Quarantine?

http://talkbudgies.com/articles-general-budgie-info/227841-50-common-budgie-dangers-watch-out.html

http://talkbudgies.com/budgie-breeding/327881-heartfelt-plea-forum-members-new-old.html
When We Don't Want Eggs

http://talkbudgies.com/housing-budgies/24411-cage-sizes.html
http://talkbudgies.com/housing-budgies/31719-essentials-great-cage.html
http://talkbudgies.com/general-budgie-talk/339826-resource-directory.html

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:
http://talkbudgies.com/how-guides/175818-how-post-full-size-pictures-photo-sharing-site.html

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.

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Yondu

Discussion Starter · #3 · Sep 23, 2017 (Edited)

Heres a few pics of my little man!

As far as food goes he's on nutriberries (and regular parakeet seed with vitamins mixed in...) which has been hard to get him to eat the nutria-berries but I crush about 3-4 and mix with a little parakeet seed. Ive tried offering cooked rice, hard boiled eggs, (mixed with a tiny bit of seed to attempt him to eat it) Ive tried giving him Kale, a tiny bit of parsley, Ive tried corn and peas and carrots.... I can't get him to eat anything other than parakeet seed so I bought some vitamins and mix that in with his water and his seed.... but I know he needs to eat more than seed. At this point Ive barely got him to eating Nutri-berries (he picks what he wants out of the seed) So I'm lost on what to do.....

THESE ARE FROM WHEN I FIRST GOT HIM about 3-4 weeks ago

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FaeryBee

· #4 · Sep 23, 2017

There is nothing wrong with Yondu's beak and cere. Your budgie is a female and is currently in breeding condition which is why her cere is brown and crusty looking.

When she comes out of condition her cere will be a pale tan/whitish color.

http://talkbudgies.com/budgie-breeding/327881-heartfelt-plea-forum-members-new-old.html
When We Don't Want Eggs

You've only had Yondu for a very short time.
It takes both time and patience to entice budgies into trying and liking new foods.

It can take several weeks (or even months) for budgies to decide to try a new food.
Fruit is high in sugar content so vegetables are actually healthier for your budgies with fruits given only occasionally (once or twice a week)

http://talkbudgies.com/articles-diet-nutrition/315033-healthy-diet-your-budgie.html

http://talkbudgies.com/articles-diet-nutrition/309849-quality-seed-mix.html

http://talkbudgies.com/articles-die...ttlebones-mineral-blocks-manu-clay-roses.html

Please take the time to read the Budgie Articles and the Stickies posted at the top of each section of the forum.
Most basic questions have been answered there.

You will find many different tips with regard to presenting vegetables and encouraging your budgies to try new foods in the Diet and Nutrition section of the forum.
The first vegetable which my budgies that had not been weaned to vegetables tried (and loved) was sweet corn kernels sprinkled with a teeny bit of garlic powder (NOT salt).

Budgies seem to love "spicy" tastes.
They also adored fresh basil, cilantro, chickweed, zucchini and red pepper.

Diet and Nutrition - Talk Budgies Forums

Using Apple Cider Vinegar (with the mother)
as a natural pro-biotic is very beneficial to your budgies:

http://talkbudgies.com/articles-holistic-natural-remedies/103936-apple-cider-vinegar.html

When I introduced pellets to my budgie, my Avian Vet recommended using Harrison's High Potency Mash and sprinkling it on the budgie's seed mix every day. This way, when the budgie hulls the seed it tastes the pellet mash and ingests bits of it as well. This helps the budgie identify the taste as a food source.

Many members seem to find the easiest pellets to use for introducing pellets to their budgies to be the CANARY sized Zupreem fruity pellets. Most budgies like the taste and the "Canary" sized pellets are tiny enough for them to easily eat them. Once they've become accustomed to the Fruity Pellets, introducing the smallest "natural" pellets is then an easy step.

Other than when I was using the Harrison's mash, I've never mixed my birds' pellets and seed together. My birds have three separate dishes each with a different brand/flavor of pellets available to them 24/7. Their seed is rationed to approximately 2 teaspoons of seed per budgie each day. I give them seed first thing in the morning right after putting clean newspapers on the bottom grate of the cages. I sprinkle their morning ration on the paper so they can forage for the seeds. I then do the same thing in the evenings (after replacing the soiled newspaper with clean) and again allow them to forage for their seed.

All of my birds have the option to eat the available pellets whenever they like throughout the day and they all enjoy them!

__________________
With a healthy diet, you should not need any vitamins or supplements other than Vitamin D3 which is used for birds who get limited direct sunlight.

Lady Gouldian Finch .com - Soluvite D

Here is an article about Full Spectrum Lighting:

http://talkbudgies.com/articles-bud...lighting-how-much-should-your-budgie-get.html

This link gives you an idea for a small full spectrum light:

Clamp Lamp and Incandescent Spot Lights at Drs. Foster and Smith: Portable lighting for pet birds

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Yondu

Discussion Starter · #5 · Sep 23, 2017

Thank you so much for the info! I was starting to suspect female but the dark blue cere in the pictures from 3-4 weeks ago threw me off! She's banded from 2016 so I assumed she's about a year and the cere was blue and she was a he! Is it possible her cere will stay blue? I only ask cause those pics from before are really throwing me off. thank you so much for all the info I super appreciate it

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FaeryBee

· #6 · Sep 23, 2017 (Edited)

OK, let's backtrack since you've now confirmed Yondu's cere was a deep blue when you got him.
I was just getting ready to post and ask that question.

I initially thought the older pictures showed a deep blue cere and then decided it was simply that the pictures were so dark that I was mistaken or that my computer monitor wasn't showing the coloration properly. I should have asked you in my first post but the degree of brown crustiness really made me question my eyesight.

However, if Yondu had a royal blue cere when you got him three weeks ago, then there is definitely a health problem. When a male budgie's cere actually turns brown and crusty like your bird's has, then there is a hormonal problem with the worst case usually being testicular cancer.

You'll need to get an appointment with your Avian Vet for Yondu as quickly as possible.
The sooner he is started on the proper treatment protocol, the better.

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.

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StarlingWings

· #7 · Sep 23, 2017

Hi there and :welcome: to the forums!

Wow, what a handsome guy you have there!

I agree with FaeryBee's above post. If I would have just seen the "now" photos rather than the "before" ones, I would have said he was female too, the brown and flakiness is very uniform. However, judging by the "before" photos and your confirmation of the cere's previous colour, I'm also inclined to believe that your guy has a hormonal imbalance.

I definitely would second the recommendation to see an avian vet as soon as possible. If it is serious, you don't want it to get any worse.

Meanwhile, be sure to read through the forum's many Budgie Articles and "stickies" (threads "stuck" to the top of each subform for easy reference) to ensure you're up to date on all the best practices for budgie care.

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

I look forward to seeing you around the forums! Please keep us updated on Yondu's condition

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