Is it normal for my new parakeet to not eat, drink water, & has a dark green runney poop?

Question

I purchased "girlfriend" 2 days ago & she has yet to eat or drink. Although, she seems healthy, she has begun to chirp, she wont move off the top perch, & is not playing with her toys, nor eating, or drinking. How long does it take for her to adjust to her new enviroment? Are these behaviors normal?What can I do for her? I brought her home from a pet store where she was caged with numerous other parakeets.PLEASE help!!!!

Answer 1

If your new bird is *not tame*do not begin handling or training until the bird has had a week or so to settle in. Birds that are nervous around humans go through more stress during a move and need an adjustment period.
Making sure your new bird is eating is the most important thing to accomplish in the first day. It might be helpful to place the food and water cups near the topmost perch initially. If the cups are low and can't be moved, then you might try having only one perch in the cage, down low, by the cups. That way he will be looking right at his food and water.
Keep an eye on your birds dropping,if after a couple of days there is no improvement, you will need to see a vet. I think this is just her adjustment period. She is probably very frightened ,some take at least a week or longer to settle. Be patient. A word of caution here. Birds have an uncanny knack of hiding illness,and the first you know about it is when your bird becomes very sick. As time goes on,get to know your birds habits,pay attention to her, so you can recognise early any signs of illness. Birds need medical attention QUICKLY,when sick.If you suspect your bird to be sick,please see your vet within24 hours if possible to give your bird every chance of recovery. As a new bird owner,the information below may be of use to you. Good luck with your new bird.
SIGNS OF ILLNESS
Discharge from eyes
Change in clarity or color of eyes
Closing of eyes
Swelling around the eyes
Discharge from the nostrils
Soiling feathers on head or around nostrils
Sneezing
Inability to manipulate food within the mouth
Reduced appetite or not eating at all
Fluffed-up feathers
Inactivity
Droopy wings
Decreased preening or feather maintenance
Break in bird's routine
Changed or no vocalization (may be serious)
Weight loss
Equilibrium problems (very serious!)
Inability to perch (bird on cage bottom)
Limping or not bearing weight on 1 leg
Swollen feet or joints
Change in quality or quantity of droppings
Open-mouthed breathing when at rest (very serious!)
Tail pumping (rhythmic back and forth motion of the tai I when at rest) (very serious !)
Lumps or masses anywhere on the body
Bleeding (always an emergency situation, regardless of origin)
If you suspect illness in your bird, do not delay in making an appointment with your veterinarian. Either transport your bird to the doctor's office within its cage or use some other suitable container (smaller cage, pet carrier box). Never visit the veterinarian with your bird perched on your shoulder. This method does not provide enough protection for your pet. Whatever container you choose should be covered to help minimize the stress to your sick bird during its visit. If you take your bird to the veterinarian in its own cage, do not clean it first. The material you discard could represent valuable information to the veterinarian.
After a sick bird has been initially treated by a veterinarian, home care is very important. Sick birds must be encouraged to eat and must be KEPT WARM. Illness can cause significant weight loss in a matter of days, especially if the bird stops eating. If this happens, the patient must be hospitalized. However, even a sick bird with a 'healthy appetite" can lose substantial weight because of the energy drain caused by the illness.
As a general rule of thumb, any caged bird that appears ill to its owner is seriously ill. One day of illness for a bird is roughly equivalent to 7 days of illness for a person. The tendency for pet bird owners in this situation is to first seek advice from pet stores and there purchase antibiotics and other medication for their sick pet bird. With very few exceptions, these non-prescribed products are worthless. They allow the sick bird to become even sicker, and greatly compromise the results of diagnostic tests that the veterinarian may require to properly diagnose and treat the patient. Contact your veterinarian at the slightest sign of illness in your bird.

Answer 2

If after a few days she doesn't start eating and drinking, and her poop stays runny, you might want to go to an avian vet. I got my parakeet from a bird farm where he was hand raised and after a day or two I realized he seemed really sick. I took him to the vet's where they tested him and found out that he had way too much bad bacteria in his system. He was on meds for two weeks, but would have soon died otherwise. So keep a close watch on your new bird. Good luck!

Answer 3

I would say if in another couple days she's not eating or drinking, take her back to the pet store. I had a dove and it took him 4-5 days to adjust.

Answer 4

Shes suffering from stress. Sometimes at petstores they have medicine for the diarhea. If she doesnt get better in around 2-3 days , take her to the vet. You should try to let her adjust to her cage by herself. Try little interaction the first few days to minimize her stress. Hope i could help.

Answer 5

She need's to have a friend.You should always couple them up. They need to be in PAIRS. It also takes about 2 weeks to get use to there new enviroment. Good luck birds are a lot of fun to have.
The poop has to do with the change in her enviroment.

Answer 6

GIVE HER A WEEK OR SO TO ADJUST.THE POOP IS NORMAL, FROM DRINKING WATER. ALSO PARAKEETS LIKE COMPANY, SO BUY HER A MIRROR TO PUT IN THE CAGE OR EVENTUALLY YOU MAY NEED TO BUY A COMPANION FOR HER . THAT ALWAYS HELPS. LEARNED THIS BY WORKING IN A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT PET STORES.

Answer 7

Parakeets can sometime act funny in a new environment, if she doesnt act normal by the third day return it to the store......

Answer 8

Parakeets are very social birds. When you took her away from her "family", you have to make up the difference. Talk to her alot, hold her, and jiggle toys to enrice her to play.

Answer 9

dark green running poo is what they do she will adjust to the new environment and when she gets hungry she will eat she is probably just really scared

Answer 10

Most disease in caged birds is directly or indirectly related to malnutrition and stress. Malnutrition most often stems from what the bird eats, rather than how much it eats. Most caged birds are offered enough food, but they do not receive enough of the proper foods and in the proper proportions. Stress results from any condition that compromises a bird's state of well-being. Examples include poor husbandry, inadequate diet, rapid temperature changes, and trauma.

All owners of caged birds must understand that birds tend to "hide" signs of illness. Birds can compensate for serious internal disease in such a way that they appear healthy externally. It is theorized that evolution has "taught" birds to hide signs of illness to avoid being harassed and possibly killed by other birds in the same flock.

Because of this disease-masking tendency, by the time a bird owner recognizes illness in a pet bird, the bird may have been sick for 1-2 weeks. Therefore, one cannot afford to take a "wait and see" approach and hope the bird improves. Be observant and act promptly. Learn to look for subtle signs of illness, and take special note of changes in the routine and habits of your pet bird. Seek veterinary assistance promptly if you suspect illness.

Following is a list of signs of illness easily recognizable by the concerned bird owner. Alone or in combination, they signify potential illness in your bird.

Signs of Illness

-- Discharge from the eyes
-- Change in clarity or color of the eyes
-- Closing of the eyes
-- Swelling around the eyes
-- Discharge from the nostrils
-- Obstructed nostrils
-- Soiling of feathers on head or around nostrils
-- Sneezing
-- Inability to manipulate food within the mouth
-- Reduced appetite or not eating at all
-- Fluffed-up feathers
-- Inactivity
-- Droopy wings
-- Decreased preening and feather maintenance
-- Break in the bird's routine
-- Change in or no vocalization (may be serious)
-- Weight loss
-- Equilibrium problems (very serious!)
-- Inability to perch (bird on cage bottom)
-- Limping or not bearing weight on 1 leg
-- Swollen feet or joints
-- Change in quality or quantity of droppings
-- Open-mouthed breathing when at rest (very serious!)
-- Tail pumping (rhythmic back & forth motion of tail when resting)
-- Lumps or masses anywhere on the body
-- Bleeding (always an emergency situation, regardless of the origin)

If you suspect illness in your bird, do not delay in making an appointment with your veterinarian. Either transport your bird to the doctor's office within its cage or use some other suitable container (smaller cage, pet carrier, box). Never visit the veterinarian with your bird perched on your shoulder. This method does not provide enough protection for your pet. Whatever container you choose should be covered to help minimize the stress to your sick bird during its visit. If you take your bird to the veterinarian in its own cage, do not clean it first. The material you discard could represent valuable information to the veterinarian.

After a sick bird has been initially treated by a veterinarian, home care is very important. Sick birds must be encouraged to eat and must be kept warm. Illness can cause significant weight loss in a matter of days, especially if the bird stops eating. If this happens, the patient must be hospitalized. However, even a sick bird with a "healthy appetite" can close substantial weight because of the energy drain caused by the illness.

As a general rule of thumb, any caged bird that appears ill to its owner is seriously ill. One day of illness for a bird is roughly equivalent to 7 days of illness for a person. The tendency for a pet bird owner in this situation is to first seek advice from pet stores and there purchase antibiotics and other medication for their sick pet bird. With very few exceptions, these non-prescribed products are worthless. They allow the sick bird to become even sicker, and greatly compromise the results of diagnostic tests that the veterinarian may require to properly diagnose and treat the patient. Contact your veterinarian at the slightest sign of illness in your bird.

Supplemental heat (space heater, heated room, heating pad under the cage bottom or wrapped around the cage, heat lamp) is vital for a sick bird. It is especially necessary if the bird's feathers are fluffed up. Provide just enough heat so that the feather posture appears normal. Overheating the patient must be avoided at all costs. Heat-stressed birds pant, hold their wings away from the body, depress their feathers lose to the body, and appear anxious and agitated. Heat stroke and death can result if the bird continues to be overheated. The environmental temperature should be kept at 80-95 F for sick birds. The patient's cage should be covered (top, back and sides) during its convalescence.

If a bird refuses to crack seeds or eat other foods that require a great deal of work, offer hulled or sprouted seeds or other "easy" foods, such as warm cereal, cooked rice, cooked pasta, vegetables, applesauce and other fruit sauces, and peanut butter. Remember, birds that refuse to eat must be hospitalized. Few people can successfully force-feed a sick bird at home.

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