Alicia Andrews

Regular Member
  1. Hi guys.

    I had to take myQuaker Parakeet to the vet the other day and was told he has Calcium & Vitamin D deficiency to which I got given liquid calcium etc to give him everyday until he is fully on the harrisons potent food. He seems to be eating OK if I hand feed him, but since Monday he just will not come out of his cage voluntarily and he is very tired, he's making less sounds, playing less but now and again he'll play with toys or my hand or make lots of noise he's more sleepy than usual and sometimes is sleeping on both feet..

    I have to force him out with a towel to give him the medicine, when he's been out he'll sit on his wooden playstand and he tried to fly yesterday but fell onto the floor. Walked around the floor looking for food, but as soon as I picked him up again he was tired and back on his playstand.

    I've bought him a new cage, a UV lamp, more toys etc.The cage I have gotten him was MASSIVE I got it 2 years ago, and only now since he's sick have I realized it's a little too big and inconvenient for him to move around in.

    I'm so worried!! I keep having episodes of crying etc, I just don't know how to deal with this worry. He's only 6 years old..
 
Hi Alicia :welcome: to the forum....sorry to hear your little chap is off colour....
Can I ask a few questions.....was it a specialist avian vet? Did they do blood tests to assess the deficiencies? If so did they check for any readings that would indicate any illness/infection.

We all worry terribly when our birdies aren't behaving quite right or seem unwell...if you think he isn't right I would be going back to the vet again...with birds you can't take chances.
Please let us know how you get on...and post to us anytime there's usually folks around to offer help x
 
:welcome: from me too.
They do worry us silly when anything goes wrong.
Did you notice something was wrong to take him to the vets?
I believe most calcium is given in the birds drinking water or in powdered form on its food, were you told to actually give him the calcium i.e. syringe or spoon. In my opinion that is unusual and could well be making him feel unwell. I am no vet but that is my opinion. Many vets encourage the Harrisons food but for some birds it is not suitable and they do not like it or take to it. In fact none of mine ever did so they have Tidymix and fresh fruit & veg daily, plus some nuts.
I would feed him what he enjoys especially while he is feeling poorly.

As for the cage I am sure you can downsize for him and get one that is more suitable with better bar spacing.

Do keep us up to date and ask any questions we all try to help each other. x
 
Thank you for the Welcomes! Glad I found this place :)

The vet does specialize in Exotic Animals and they haven't done the X-rays or blood tests yet because it'll cost £270 ... he has seen similar behavior etc - Lui isn't flying as much and walks rather funny, as if he's leaning to one side and he hasn't got enough energy to stay awake in the day etc.

Do you guys really think I need to take him back and have the tests or wait a few more days? it's been 3 days so far but still he's pretty much sleeping all day.

I really don't know what to do and I hate the thought of going to work and coming back and his condition has worsened. It's just so much money and I'm moving house at the end of the month and I don't think I can literally afford it.

Thank you for your help
 
Hi I also have a little Quaker called Charlie, it's difficult because it is so expensive to have all these tests done, my concern would be that if the vet has got it wrong parrots can also suffer from having too much calcium.
Have lui's symptoms changed since you have been to the vets? Or is there simply no improvement? Wishing little lui a speedy recovery:)
 
Birds can be overdosed on Calcium and I am surprised he suggested Harrisons Pellets as to change anything food wise is usually a disaster.I have kept Quakers for many years(over 20)on Tidy Mix fruit in an" outside aviary" and they bred like mad.How old is your bird?And please feed what the bird is used to until is is better at least.(It is my opinion that pellets kill more birds than seeds plus fruit and veg.)
 
My personal opinion is that I wouldn't be happy for an exotic (rather than an avian) vet to decide what is wrong with a bird without doing blood tests...they are just guessing what is wrong. A good balanced diet of veg, fruit and a high quality seed mix is just as good as pellets...too many vet's get on the pellets are best platform.
 
Neither of my birds will eat pellets they just throw them out there cages, my Quaker has tidymix, veg everyday, fruit 3 times a week and avimix twice a week and anything she can scavenge haha, she's a lovely healthy little girl.
 
Well I'm too worried about this and there's many different opinions that I'd rather just be in debt over it.

The vets website says

Pets are more than just animals at Village Vets Centre Ltd – they are our patients. Our range of services consists not only of veterinary examinations, we are happy to advise you on any questions you may have on the best practice in keeping, caring for and feeding animals of many species. We are members of the British Veterinary Zoological Society, a specialist veterinary division representing all of the avian specialists across the country. We attend twice yearly conferences to keep on top of the very latest developments in the field - you can be assured that we give the very best avian service possible.

We can perform a wide variety of procedures on avian species from basic clinical examination and prescription of the most appropriate medicines to x-rays and endoscopy. We are very experienced in surgery on birds and have a ventilator during any surgical procedure to maximize patient safety. We are happy to microchip pet parrots if required. Very advanced cases may be referred on to Avian Veterinary Services. We stock a range of suitable diets for avian pets.

I've rang in work and said I'm going to take him the vets. I'm just going to ring tomorrow as early as possible and tell them I want the testing today. (They have said on the phone when needs be you can just bring him straight in) because I want to know what's wrong with him. I would rather know that I did all I could than nothing at all or hesitated because I can't afford it. Currently looking at bird insurance for if this ever happens again.

I couldn't live with myself if he died or became critical and I hadn't gone the vets sooner because of financial issues.

Lui is currently still in his cage, as he has been all day, sleeping and rarely playing with his toys. Won't come out to eat have to spoon feed him or give him millet.

Here's the tests they'll be doing

Anesthetic £60
Xray exotic first 3 views: £84
Blood sample £36
Pals exotic avian health 2 (what is this?) £56
Consultation fee £39
 
I'm with Parrot797 - he's a specialist breeder of rare parrots and knows his nuts from his grape juice! And Kirsty1508 I think is running on the mark too.
You need your bird to eat and that means whatever it takes as once its back to full health then you can have a go at messing with introducing food ... for me I always think don't fix what isn't broken and a really good decent mix like Tidy mix is a great used to feed my quaker that until he went to live in a huge aviary with heaps of other quakers now he's on a breeder specific seed mix like his new pals.
If the bird has become lethargic and unresponsive since giving the medication rather than before it I would think its causing an issue ...... How much and how often are you giving it? Better to ring your vet and have a chat with them to update them as to what's going on too.
Birds can quite happily live on seeds etc as long as they get fresh fruit and veggies plus something like Nutrobal twice a week (a tiny pinch and I mean tiny!) to cover anything we may miss getting into them
Please do update us to let us know how you get along at the vets and how your feathered beauty is doing.
 
Thanks so much for the quick responses.

I have been feeding him what he usually has too, and only 0.1ml of ZOLCAL-D a day, since Tuesday morning.

He was the same before the vets, not flying, not coming out of cage. But the day before all this happened he was flying weirdly, flew a few times onto the floor and was being over cuddly, sitting in weird positions on his ring ropes etc. The day after is when he became lethargic and strange behavior with staying in the cage.

I'm feeding him chicken and millet, sweet potato etc right now- whatever he'll take from my hands to be honest. He was just screaming for food then but won't come out still, his cage has been open all day. I was crying in my bedroom and had to get a grip to go in to him and feed him. Honestly I don't think I've ever been this upset I have no idea what's wrong with him. He's back resting now with his feathers puffed up and cracking his beak so his must be content.

Am I right in still taking him to the vets tomorrow and spending £270???
 
Cut down the chicken that's a lot of protein for a little one. I feed it to mine about every 10 days to two weeks just a bit and they are african greys and amazons.
Millet is good and so is the sweet potato.
Random sideline note sitting weird lopsided and flying strange etc ... why does that make me think about ear infections?! BUT I am NOT a vet so go with the vets thought process. I would forget the x-rays and go for full set of bloods myself they are the best indicator of anything and almost everything.
 
Yeah sorry I'm not being very specific because I'm so emotional over it :/

I rarely feed him chicken I was just trying everything!

I just want to know, WHY WON'T HE COME OUT OF HIS CAGE?!?!?!?!
 
Apart from obvious signs that indicate lack of vitamins that most vets should notice with out bloods being taken then its not possible for the exact dosages to be known and how often and for how long? I will say the procedure of putting your bird to sleep when it is not too well can be a little risky although I will say it should be up to the vet to decide what should happen next. going through all tests can also put a bird under stress the same as changing diet and some thing I would never do to a sick bird although I will if his results require urgently changing. I can tell you love him and birds have a way of worrying us sorry I should remember my manners welcome to this great club. you will improve his life with the lamp as this aids the body to digest the vitamins better. you can try nutraberrys as an extra to his normal feed. wishing this little one gets back to its old self soon
 
just had a thought as its this time of year have you given him some sticks so he can build a nest in his cage? it may help to perk a quaker up
 
Ok here's a thought for you .... when your feeling poorly and not very sociable etc etc .... you tend to go to your "comfort zone" usually with humans its a bed or wrapped up on the settee with a blankie. If you feel under the weather and your really not happy and you want to be in your safety zone as a little birdie then you naturally stay where you feel most comfy and have everything you want food, water, attention and resting places
 
He/She doesn't need to be burning off energy that he hasn't got he needs to conserve it and as weight drops off them when they are ill its best not to force him / her to do anything that they don't wish too at this time. As much as you want your feathered beauty to come out and act normal just open the door so the offer is there should it be wanted
 
I've tried giving him sticks in the past but he never liked them, he usually just chews up newspaper and tries to stick that in places lol.
I've also purchased nesting material etc, never took to it.

Yes, he definitely must be sick or ill or something. I just wish I knew whether he could fight it on his own or whether he needs the vets.
It's upsetting me even thinking of having to put him through the stress of going the vets again and getting a needle or whatever else.

Thank you so much guys you've honestly been so helpful and quick to respond.
 
Back
Top Bottom