By Margaret A. Wissman, DVM, DABVP, Avian Practice
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Courtesy Karen Karbashewski
It can be hard to determine the sex of young budgies/parakeets.
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What are the common ailments for pet budgies/parakeets?
Pet budgies/parakeets may suffer from chronic, low-grade bacterial infections, especially if they are offered water from a water bowl. Fresh, clean water easily can become contaminated with droppings or food particles. If your budgie has excess bacteria in its oral cavity, every time it drinks from the bowl your pet budgie will put bacteria back into the water. Avoid this by offering your budgie water from a water bottle. Budgies are so smart, they easily figure out how to use a water bottle.
Budgies consuming a primarily seed-based diet may suffer from nutritional imbalances. If they do not eat enough plants or pellets containing beta-carotene or Vitamin A, they may develop a yeast infection, commonly from Candida sp. This may look like white plaques in the oral cavity (usually visualized by the use of a focused light source and magnification) or excessive mucus. Another common nutritional problem is obesity. Over time, an obese budgie may end up with liver problems due to excessive fat deposits in the liver. Overgrown beak and toenails can signify liver disease, although in many cases this can also result from the nails and beak not wearing down normally.
Regurgitation may be a sign of a crop infection, but many happy pet budgies regurgitate to their favorite toy or person and this is not a sign of any infection.
Parasites, such as Giardia, and roundworms may occur in budgies. Mites (other than Knemidokoptes) are not usually found in pet budgies, so mite protectors are unnecessary. They are also bad for pet birds, as they contain a compound that is toxic if inhaled.
Budgies, like almost all birds, can become infected by the primitive bacterium, Chlamydophila. (More on that later.)
My pet budgie’s/parakeet’s nares and cere are crusty. What does that mean?
The most common reason for this condition is a mite called Knemidokoptes. This usually appears as a fuzzy or crusty overgrowth of the tissue of the cere (the band of tissue over the beak), around the nares, around the skin of the eyes, around the vent or on the legs.
Your avian veterinarian can easily diagnose this condition and prescribe a course of treatment. This condition is usually found in young birds, but may also occur in older birds, as well. It may have a genetic component or may also be found in immunocompromised birds or ones suffering from another condition affecting the immune system. All birds in a cage should be treated if one is diagnosed with this mite, although it is not usually considered contagious.
While this organism isn’t life-threatening, it should always be treated after diagnosis. If not, over time, it can result in permanent deformity of the beak or toenails.
My pet budgie’s/parakeet’s feathers are really bright. Is this a good or bad thing?
A healthy bird should have brightly colored feathers that are not frayed, broken or bent. When birds preen, they run their long feathers through the beak to re-zip the barbs and barbules. Budgies have an uropygial gland that provides oils that help keep the feathers shiny, waterproof and supple. If the uropygial gland is not working properly due to hypovitaminosis A, feathers can end up appearing ratty or dusty.
Rarely, liver disease can cause yellow or white feathers to turn bright yellow. This can be diagnosed by appropriate diagnostic tests by your avian veterinarian.
My pet budgie’s cere has turned a different color. What does this mean?
The cere is the fleshy band of tissue containing the nares. Young budgies of all colors start out with a pale bluish or light tan cere, depending on the budgie’s feather color. As they reach sexual maturity, the cere color will usually change. Males of most colors will turn a vibrant blue, and females will change to tan. It can be hard to determine the sex of an adult albino, lutino or dilute-pastel-colored budgie, although many females will have a tan cere.
Sometimes, a male budgie will have a color change of the cere from blue to tan. This usually occurs because the budgie has a tumor of the testicle that is producing female hormones, resulting in the cere color change.
Females with a tan cere may develop brown hypertrophy of the cere, a thickening of cere tissue. This occurs from hormonal activity and is not dangerous nor does it need to be removed. Normally, the flaking hypertrophied tissue sloughs off over time and only becomes of concern if the tissue occludes (closes off) the openings to the nares.
My pet budgie eats his poop. Is that normal?
This is called coprophagy and is not normal. Keep your budgie in a cage with a grate on the bottom that allows the droppings to fall through, making them unobtainable to your pet bird. You can spray the grate with a non-stick cooking spray to help the droppings slip through more easily.
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