I called the vet and she seems to think it's AGY from my description. She will see them tomorrow. I just don't know, I mean, they look pretty bad and I'm scared they won't make the treatment. I mean, they scarf down their food in the morning then refuse to eat the rest of the day. And since they're together they both would have it. At least the budgies aren't ill. But I, I just don't know, one can't keep his food down and I don't know who it is, it's all undigested and Beaker has no energy and is just being tucked and all they want is for me to stay with them. I don't know what to do, I mean, the medication is very expensive and they aren't in good shape... I'm... I'm just scared.

Hopefully it will turn out to be something different that's cheaper to treat. I'm glad you're taking them in to the vet because it's a scary situation. It's my understanding that there's a specific test that has to be run for AGY, as well as a specific treatment for it.

Here's an article on AGY: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?A=3138 I'm no expert of course but it seems to me like there are probably a lot of different infections that could cause similar symptoms. It takes several days to get the results back from the AGY test. Your vet will know best of course, but to me it seems like a good idea to test for ordinary microbes first, which can be done on the spot at the vet's office with instant results, and if that comes back negative they can send off for the AGY test.

About a month after I got Priscilla she started passing undigested seed so I took her to the vet. The fecal gram stain was $28, which I thought was very reasonable. All vets have their own fee schedule of course so yours might charge more or less.

I hope so. I just checked on them again. I let them out and had them sit on my bed with me for a little bit. They haven't been let out in about 3 days. Jaid sat on my shoulder and Beaker held my hand. He looked terrible. His wings took over his body. I wasn't aware of how skinny he was. I just talked to him and waited for him to drift off. Now, please, don't hate me for saying this, but I think Beaker is too far gone. He lost so much weight and won't eat much else. I left him asleep under his lamp. I just don't think B will survive this. I am not, I repeat NOT losing faith, but I feel like it's time to prepare myself.

You can always hope for the best while being prepared for the worst. I hope the situation turns out well.

I would suggest giving them some electrolyte solution. This can be very helpful for giving energy to sick birds. This means Pedialyte, Gatorade or some other rehydrating sports drink, or this simple recipe:

1 quart (950 ml) water
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 g) baking soda
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 g) table salt, or 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 g) salt substitute (such as "Lite Salt," which is potassium-based)
3 to 4 tablespoons (45 to 60 g) sugar

Here's an alternate recipe where you don't need baking soda:
2 tbl. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 quart water

I asked Susanne if she had any suggestions and she said probiotics. You could give them a little plain yogurt (put it directly in their beak with a dropper if they're unwilling to eat it).

If they're still willing to eat solid food, give them something soft and mushy - that might be easier for them to digest than regular seed. Mashed potatoes would work if they'll eat it, and you can mix other stuff into it like the yogurt or other probiotics. If you have pellets you can crush them into powder and mix them into the soft food. If they like fresh bread you can try them on that, although it's not useful for mixing in other stuff. Right now the top priority is to get some calories into them that they can hopefully digest and use.

I'm so sorry that this is happening, and I hope there's still time to turn the situation around. Give them the electrolyte solution first, that often gives a weak bird the energy to start eating.

Is there an emergency vet in your area that can treat birds? Vets can provide more effective treatments that we can, like crop feeding and injecting fluids. Emergency treatment is very expensive though.

I am so sorry and worried, your birds are like my extended bird-family and I hope they will get better and soon!

I slipped him some Gatorade and he took it like a champ, so I'm praying it will work. I can try mashed potatoes and ground pellets in the morning.



Thank you.

If he perks up any tonight, see if he'll eat anything tonight. If he can digest some food it will help give him strength to sustain him until morning. I'm really scared about him, the situation sounds a lot worse than I realized.

It's an encouraging sign though that they've held on for this long. Birds can go downhill very very fast, but they've lasted for several days with this problem. They're fighters for sure, and hopefully they'll win the fight in the end.

He ate some broccoli, but that's it. He doesn't eat much at night since he became sick. He scarfs down food in the morning, but that's about it. He'll snack maybe twice during the day.

Yes. Those are truly my boys. Stubborn as heck and won't go down without a fight.