Is My Parakeet Sick? What Do I DO?

Question
I am looking for anyone who can help me.  I got a 6 month old Budgie 3 weeks ago.  He is hand reared and VERY sweet.  We bought him from an exotic pet store.  He was the only male in a flight cage of around 20 other females and seemed quite playful.  We brought him home and was told to leave him alone for two weeks.  After two days i noticed that he was super quite and just sat on the bottom of his cage.  I went back to the store we got him from and they said just wait a couple days and give him a toy, so I did, but the next day he stated wanting to close his right eye.  So I went back to the pet store and they sent me home with Ornacyn Plus (antibiotic) and Millet.  He was on the med for 5 days. His eye got really swollen and would not open at all for a while and got bad diarrhea, but he is starting to open it again.  He has been off the med for 2 days now and he is no longer just sitting on the bottom of his cage.  he is eating fine, and his diarrhea has subsided.  What concerns me is he never leaves his bottom Perch, does not play, climb, preen or use his cuddle Bone.  He is anxious to get on your finger and come out of his cage and is sweet.  But he does not want to move and NEVER makes one sound..no chirp or peep yet.  I have asked everyone I know...contacted the vet and looked on line and no one knows if this is normal.  Can you help PLEASE.  I am already attached to him and want him happy and healthy.


PS... He does seem to be "sleeping a lot, but never tucks his head (just hangs it) and never lifts one leg.
i am in Modesto and we have vets the treat birds bit they are no certified which i feel is important, i would not take my horse to a dog vet just because he was willing to see it...  

Answer
Sheree,

 It certianly does sound as if your little guy has some sort of problem, Whether it is a bacterial infection or something else would be impossible for me to say but I am encouraged by the fact that he is eating and coming out to play. Ut's the lack of movement and sound that bother me. I also do not like to use any of these supposed antibiotics like Ornacyn that the pet shops sell. I think those products are too weak and are intended to cover too broad a spectrum to really be effective for anything more than making a profit for the manufacturers.

 I can not imagine why this pet store told you to just leave him alone for two weeks. A couple of days might have been understandable so that he had time to settle in a bit but two weeks is... well not something I have ever heard of. I have to say that it does not sound as if this is a place you should have any further dealings with. If they are giving that kind of advice on birds they sell, I would personally take ALL of my business elsewhere.

Now as for your bird; look up the Assoc of Avian Veterinarians website and there you will be able to enter your zipcode to find the nearest certified avian vet. Being in California, I feel sure you will be able to find one within driving distance. When you do, get your bird an appointment as soon as you can. You are absolutely right about not taking your bird to just ANY vet. I am glad to hear there are others out there that feel the same as I do about that.

One other things I would like you to take a look at is the location of your birds cage. Do you have it in an area with open space on all four sides or near a big window? If so, try moving the cage where at least one side is near a solid wall and it is not right near a window. A bird with no solid space around it's cage will often feel insecure and not move around much. A bird near a big window will see scary things flying by, etc... that we don't even think about. A simple change in cage location can sometimes be a big help.

It sounds as if you are making a good start at being a loving bird Mom. I hope all this works out for you and you have many happy years together.

Best of luck to you and your bird. :-)

Jan