Basics

Respiratory disease

Breathing difficulties, dull or swollen eyes and ruffled feathers are also symptoms of other problems, such as serious respiratory disease.

Feather plucking

Feather plucking is sometimes seen in budgies that are left alone, and it is usually due to boredom or stress. It is similar to a human biting their fingernails and this is the most common reason for budgies to lose their feathers.

There are other reasons why budgies can lose their feathers, such as parasites, that can be easily treated by the vet. Remember that moulting puts a budgie under nutritional stress, so they should have extra protein in their diet at this time.

Feet problems

It is always a good idea to check a budgie's feet for lumps and bumps at least once a month. If their claws are caked in dirt, then you can put the budgie's foot in a container of warm water. When this dirt is soft, it can be gently broken off, taking care not to harm the feet. Claws may have to be clipped if they are growing at an odd angle, or curl around so that it is difficult for a budgie to get around. It is best to get these clipped by a vet if you are not confident about doing this yourself. If you use scissors, the claws may split when you cut them, so you will need to get special clippers.

One serious disease that affects a budgie's feet is pododermatitis or 'bumble foot'. This problem is fairly common in budgies, and starts off as a penetrating wound of the underside of the foot. It can be caused by flakes of iron oxide rust picked up as a budgie walks on a rusty iron grill on the cage floor, or through clinging to rusty bars. The affected joint is swollen and there is obvious pain and quite often an affected bird will try to take the weight off the leg, possibly by leaning against the corner of the cage. If bumblefoot is untreated, it can spread up the leg and the affected budgie can go off their food and develop septicaemia.

If birds are kept in cold conditions in an outside aviary, the temperature can seriously affect their feet. The affected birds will have difficulty in walking, peck at their feet or have blue coloured toes. Sometimes these blue feet can be the sign of a very serious disease, and frostbite is quite often seen in outdoor kept birds, where they grip the outside wire netting of the enclosure.