All Entries Tagged With: "disease"

Tails You Lose! – Part 2 of 2

Avian Polyomavirus (APV) infection, otherwise known as Budgerigar Fledging Disease, is the primary cause of tail feather loss although other factors are often involved. Budgerigar breeders recognise symptoms of APV in their birds as French Moult. Prevention is the only cure as there is no treatment for APV.

Budgerigar Health Part 5 of 5 – Problem Solving

A systematic physical examination of the sick or dead budgerigar helps reveal more subtle symptoms and improves the accuracy of self-diagnosis, but when in doubt contact your avian veterinarian. Individuals that display distant signs of failing health or disease should be caught and examined more closely in order to identify the exact nature of the health problem.

Budgerigar Health Part 4 of 5 – Medicines

Budgerigars are particularly susceptible to environmental diseases that may cause catastrophic losses and illnesses that affect their wellness and ability to breed. Medicines are needed to cure and prevent these diseases such as coccidiosis, worms, lice and mites.

Budgerigar Health Part 3 of 5 – Self Diagnosis

For breeders, an ability to detect the first signs of an illness is essential as many budgerigar diseases are rapidly fatal with the best quality show birds often being the first to die.
Changes in the behaviour or physical appearance of an individual bird may indicate the beginning of an illness or an inherent weakness.
Individuals that [...]

Budgerigar Health Part 2 of 5 – Medicine Selection

Sick birds are given their best chance of being saved by adding an appropriate medicine into the ER/Quik Gel formula and administering it directly by crop needle.

At the same time, whilst waiting for the final outcome of veterinary tests, adding Quik Gel to the drinking water may temporarily protect healthy in-contact birds.

Budgerigar Health Part 1 of 5 – Emergency First Aid

The first response to failing health should be to isolate any sick bird(s) to a hospital cage. The hospital cage should be pre-heated to 25-30 degrees Celsius, possess a perch, fresh seed and have Quik Gel in the drinking water. The floor should be lined with clean paper so that the droppings can be clearly viewed.

Quik Gel

Quik Gel provides an immediate and sustained source of energy to sick birds and is also used during critical times such as breeding. The disinfecting qualities of Quik Gel help protect against the spread of infection.

Quik Gel is a high energy emergency gel also containing vitamins and disinfecting agents. It is used to accelerate recovery from illness and temporarily prevent an infection from worsening while waiting for the results of culture tests. Very sick birds may need crop needle feeding.

Dr Robert Marshall

Any fancier can easily find an emergency solution, via a step-by-step diagnosis of any sick bird, to see exactly the right course to follow and drug(s) to give.

Dr Marshall is also arranging for supplies of the relevant approved drugs to be available within the UK for distribution worldwide.

Worming – Purchasing – Vitamin D – Showing Hens

Vitamin D that is lost in this way should be replaced artificially via multivitamin solutions and / or cod liver oil bought from your pharmacy.

Avian Influenza

In 1997, the first reports of a human death from avian influenza originating in the Far East appeared in the press. By 2003 it reached a more noticeable level.

This was attributed to a specific avian flu form in poultry which also occurs periodically in wild birds. The particular strain of avian flu involved is called the H5N1 variety and is pathogenic.