[DashedFx]

Hey guys, so long story, about 5 months ago I was at work and a yellow budgie randomly flew into our huge warehouse, seemingly lost and distraught. I work in an industrial area so I have no clue where she came from. A co-worker and I didn't know what to do so he ran to grab a some water and a nutrition bar and while he was gone the little bird flew over and landed on my arm. We took her into a smaller space where we kept a water dish and food. It was about 6pm on Sunday so we couldn't contact anyone to help us out. We talked to one veterany office that gave us good advice but also said the budgie could die from shock within the next few days.. Well I still have the Budgie, her name is Opal, I call her Opie. While we had her in the smaller room she was very social and lovable! I resorted to buying a small cage from Walmart as it was my only option. Which later in the week I ended up buying hundreds of dollars worth of a cage and toys! She lives a good life, I try to talk to her everyday I try feeding her fresh fruits and veggies everyday but she only likes a seed mixture. It took about a month to get her to eat millet. I took Opie to the vet after I found blood in her cage about 2 months after finding her and she checked out very healthy, just a small laceration on the lower back. About 2 months later I had an incident where I woke up and her head was covered in dry blood. I took her to the bathroom and ran her under some sink water to clean up and she began vomiting/regurgitating pellets and spiting out/vomiting blood. I figured she was a lost cause so I left her alone and basically waited for her to die. but she is still hanging in there. Today, she is very healthy but extremely quiet and seems sad, after so much time I have spent with her she barely eats off my hand. Some days when I deep clean her cage and let her roam the house she totally hangs out around me. But other times she flies up to the curtain rod and just sits there for hours. I'm looking for any kind of advice for my little Opie to get her more comfortable and tame! She is only a year old, I personally feel a deep connection with this bird so I don't want give up on her, also I tried searching for a previous owner with no luck. I may have missed a few key points but this is already very long so I'll wrap it up here. Sorry for the uber long novel just figured a little back story might help.

 

[FaeryBee]

Hi! :welcome: to Talk Budgies

First, thank you for rescuing little Opie and for giving her a safe and loving forever home. Karma to you for your kindness. :hug:

How long ago was the incident of vomiting blood?
Did you take her to an Avian Vet at that time?

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.

Distinction between an Avian Vet and a Vet that "Will See Birds"

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.

How much time are you able to spend with Opie each day?
Do you play music or the TV for her when you are not around?

If the Avian Vet tells you there is nothing wrong with her physically , then perhaps she is depressed. If that is the case, she might do better if she has a same species friend to keep her company when you are away at work.

If you do choose to get a friend for Opie, please be sure you follow the proper quarantine practices and methods for introducing two budgies when the quarantine period is over.

Quarantine means housing your new bird in a different cage in a different room as far away as possible from the room where your current bird(s) are housed for a period of 30-45 days.
Budgies mask symptoms when they are ill. Symptoms may not show up for over two weeks.
Often you will not even realize your bird is not well. Many budgie illnesses are airborne which is why you need to quarantine your new bird in a completely different room.

When you are ready to introduce your two budgies after the 45 day quarantine period, please be sure to introduce them in neutral territory. Sometimes having two or three supervised meetings prior to moving them into one cage is advisable. Before introducing a budgie into another budgie's cage, the cage should be completely rearranged (perches, toys, food and water dishes) in order to help prevent any potential territorial issues.

http://talkbudgies.com/new-budgie-arrivals/34707-introducing-two-budgies.html

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

You'll find most of your basic questions about budgies and caring for them will have been answered after you've read through all of them.

Site Guidelines
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/333106-posting-forums.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

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 PhotoBucket and follow the steps in these instructions:
http://talkbudgies.com/how-guides/175818-how-post-pictures-photobucket.html

For gender and/or mutation help - Lighting and Angle DOES matter

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:

 

[StarlingWings]

Hi there and :welcome: to the forums!

It's great to have you here on the forums and we look forward to meeting your Opie when you get a chance

FaeryBee has given great advice; I don't feel as if I could add anything more beneficial

If you have questions after reading through all the links provided, however, please be sure to ask as we'd love to help

Cheers! :wave:

 

[Budget baby]

As Opie was a rescue taking her for a thorough check up with an Avian vet would be extremely in your favour. They can tell you what sex, how old roughly, and if her general well being is ok. It may be a case of she is sick and will need some medication to clear up. Please lets us know how things are soon.:wild: