Chiasma is a budgeriger who sadly, like many budgies, became a throw-away pet when his vet bills exceeded the price of his purchase. Suffering from a long-untreated parasitic infestation that deformed his beak, the bird was near death when he came to ACS a little over a year ago. Sadly, the long-term effects of his poor care and the subsequent intensive treatments for his medical conditions have resulted in chronic renal failure, and he only has been given about one more month to live. (Above - Chiasma after successful treatment for Cnemidocoptes mites)
Cnemidocoptes sp. are a family of mites that, much like sarcoptic mange, burrow into the tissues of animals, resulting in pain, discomfort, and damage to soft tissues. In birds, these parasites are responsible for a condition called "scaley beak and leg disease." The condition is especially problematic for the beak, making it porous, weak, and deformed as it progresses. It can become so severe that the bird's beak may fracture apart.When Chiasma was surrendered by his owner, he had severe deformity of the beak and was roughly half the weight he should have been for an adult male budgie. In addition, the chronic stress of his condition & a poor diet had caused an upper respiratory infection. Chiasma had to be on intensive anti-parasitics and anti-biotics for quite some time to recover, needing to be tube-fed and administed fluids therapy during rough patches in the recovery process. He also needed extensive and frequent trimming and re-shaping of the diseased beak tissue. The bottom jaw was permenantly effected by the beak's positioning, and as a result, Chiasma still needs routine beak re-shaping so that he can eat properly. (Above Left - Chiasma upon arrival ; Below Right - Chiasma during treatment)
Budgies are parrots; they are Psittaciformes just as much as an African Gray or Macaw is. They require the same specialized diet, stimulating environment, and social interaction as any other parrot. Yet because they are small, inexpensive, and breed readily in captivity, budgies have become one of the most rampantly abused, neglected, and commodified birds in captivity. Few live even half of their potential lifespan, and most spend their lives in undersized, unenriched cages eating sub-standard seed based diets. Because they can be purchased cheaply, many owners do not bother to take them to a veterinarian when they fall ill; they allow the bird to perish and simply buy another.
This flagrant disregard for the wellbeing of budgies has resulted in an epidemic of their homelessness; I defy you to go to the 'pet' section of any online classifieds site and not find at least one budgie per day that is being given up. Their owners grow tired with the mess, the noise, or the minimal cost of husbandry, and assume that someone else will want them. Often times, no one does; bird sanctuaries are literally overflowing with unwanted budgies (ACS is home to seven). Others still will perish outdoors after having been released. Karen Lee of Foster Parrots Inc. said it best: "... if you buy a cage and all the accessories, you get the parakeet for free. If people are throwing away a parrot they spent thousands of dollars on, what chance does an animal have that is given away for free? None."
Here at ACS, we feel that all lives are valuable, regardless of their monetary cost, size, or rarity. Chiasma doesn't want any other budgies to wind up like him, and would like to share the following tips about parakeets:
1. Parakeets are parrots. They may be small, inexpensive parrots, but they are parrots nonetheless. This means that they are intelligent, active, social, and require a specialized diet & plenty of mental stimulation to be happy and healthy.
2. All pets need vets - even inexpensive ones! While with proper care your budgie may never need an emergency visit, there are a number of potential health conditions they can suffer from. If you are not willing to spend much more in vet bills than you did on the bird itself, please do not buy a budgie.
3. Prevention is the best medicine. Once a bird is showing signs of illness, it is often too late. However, many illnesses can be avoided with appropriate husbandry. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Good Diet - budgies, like all parrots, need a mixture of grains, legumes, fresh fruit, vegetables, leafy greens, and seeds/nuts to remain healthy. A balanced pellet is also reccomended, but not as the sole diet.
- Clean Living Conditions - a parakeet's cage should be spot cleaned daily and thoroughly cleaned at least weekly. This means daily removal of droppings, scrubbing of perches and bars, and decontamination of toys. Food and water should always be fresh as well.
- Physical Activity - just like us, birds get sick from being sedentary. A parakeet should have a large enough cage for flight, or time out of the cage, as well as plenty of perches to climb on and toys to play with.
- Mental Stimulation - parakeets are very intelligent animals and need to be stimulated mentally. Foraging toys and behavioral enrichment are a daily must.
4. Research before buying; believe it or not, whatever advice your 80 year old grandmother or the 16 year old pet store employee has for you may not be accurate. There is a lot of "folk knowledge" about parakeets rooted in inaccuracy. For example, did you know that the misconception that budgies need grit is a throw-back to chicken husbandry, and utterly irrelevant since their beaks are designed to hull seeds?
5. Make a commitment for life or don't make one at all. A bugdie should easily live to ten years of age if properly cared for, and yes, during those ten years the bird will indeed poop, scream, scatter food, bite, destroy toys, and probably need at least a couple of vet visits. If you aren't prepared to care for the bird will unwavering dedication for the full duration of its lifespan, do not get one.
