Ask Lafeber

Handling & transport for budgie not used to human handling

Hello,

I have 2 budgies: 1 white & blue-colored male and 1 yellow/green female. The male budgie, Zeke, is ~10-11 years old and was originally with a different female that I no longer have. The female, Zena, was rescued with a different male (who passed away 4 years ago), and at the time I was told that she was around the same age as my original budgies. in 2019 Zena started laying eggs randomly and the egg-laying behavior would occur for ~1 week before she actually would pass an egg. for the past week she has been acting the same way, but i noticed her vent is really dirty and the large volume of droppings looks like it is getting stuck/looks caked on to her vent. I did my best to restrain her and clean off the area with a q-tip and warm saline solution, but neither budgie is used to being handled nor did they ever trust/enjoy human interaction. I didn’t want to stress her so before I had a chance to lubricate her vent I gave her a break. I am starting to worry something is very wrong. She has never been to a veterinarian before or without another budgie. have a cat carrier i can bring her to the vet in, but I have never been in this situation before. Is there any advice you can give me as far as the best way to capture, handle, restrain, and transport her with as little stress to her as possible?

Hi Christa,

The cat carrier is fine if the holes in the door grate aren’t too large. You can always use a sturdy cardboard box with holes for air. Cover the carrier if you use that. She will transport better if she can’t see out of the carrier. You can use paper towels or a dish cloth on the bottom for her to sit on. But nothing with a loose weave like most towels or she can get her nails caught. She is definitely old to be laying eggs. She could have one stuck, or she may have an intestinal infection.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda