Health

Colds, Pneumonia & Bronchitis

A budgie that is having mild breathing trouble may get better is you keep him warm. If his breathing doesn’t get better quite quickly though, or is his breathing gets worse, then he will probably need prescription drugs from the vet.

It is important to treat respiratory trouble quickly. These problems can get worse very fast and can kill your budgie if left untreated.

Feather Plucking

Feather plucking is a dangerous habit for a budgie to start. Even though it can be painful, a budgie will pull his own feathers out anyway. Apart from the initial pain of pulling the feathers out, this can lead to serious illnesses.

People think that there are several different reasons why a budgie will start pulling his feathers out. He can start doing it through being bored and lonely or possibly from a medical condition. Read more about feather plucking

Overgrown Beak

Your budgie’s beak continues to grow throughout your budgie’s life. Usually small pieces of the beak get worn away and break off. Sometimes the beak grows faster than it gets worn down though. This happens more often in older birds.

Often it is just the upper beak that grows too fast. Occasionally the problem occurs in the lower beak or in both at the same time. Read more about overgrown beaks

Overgrown Claws

Now and again a budgie’s claws will get so long that they need cutting. You need to have your vet do this, as it is quite distressing for some birds. Even though it is stressful, it needs to be done from time to time.

Claws don’t need to be clipped as often if your budgie’s perches are covered in a rough surface. You can buy disposable sandpaper perch covers or you can take a piece of coarse sandpaper to wooden perches to roughen them up.

Red Mites

When people say budgie mites, they are usually talking about red mites. Of course, there are other mites that can harm your budgie, like the mites responsible for scaly face.

Red mites are little blood suckers that about 1mm in size. In the day time they hide in secluded spots like the corners of your budgie’s cage. At night they jump up onto your budgie for a feast.

Scaly Face

Scaly face is caused by little organisms that live on your budgie and don’t usually cause any problems. But when a budgie gets weakened they can start causing trouble.

Little mites prey on the budgie, tunneling downwards and feeding on bits of skin and lymph. As the mites tunnel down, your budgie’s body produces horny growths as a way to defend itself