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I went to a new vet to have check up for Twillinger. This was her first vet visit. I was concerned because she seemed to lost her interest in flying. It turned out that she was grossly obese. I was so embarassed!
I feed her a variety of foods and she has exercise free flight time. Her companions eat the same food etc.. but they are not obese but then, it occurred to me that Smitty constainly feeds her.....
has anyone else had this problem?

Unfortunately, obese budgies are all too common. I hope you're able to slim her down fast without too much travail.

Paca

You know.. YEARS ago when I was really young and didnt know much about parakeets and their mating habits, My parents had gotten one for me and then my dad got another one. Lo and behold the other was female and they had babies. Yada yada...6 months down the road, we have a baby and the father in a cage together. We didnt realize that Ralphie (the father) was still feeding the baby (Sweetiepie). So she was eating on her own and still getting fed, well let me tell you that poor bird I think died of obesity. I felt so bad. But obviously know more now.... but we just didnt know back then. poor birdie...

oh! and my point is, not that your keet is going to die, but the fact that you don't realize that the other bird is still feeding her. You'd think they would stop at some point but they dont! You know??

That has got to be it!
She actually doesn't eat much but Smitty thinks he is being romantic by feeding her. My husband doesn't beleive me but I am the one who works at home and sees these shannagans!
thanks for your imput. I now have to try to figure out what to do next because if I separate them they get both get so stressed out and anxious.....

Have you tried separating them into cages just one inch apart? If you cover overnight, drape the cover over both. Have sleep/favorite perches adjacent to each other, food bowls back to back.

I hope you're surprised at how fast they adapt.

Paca

hmmmm..that might work. I caught Smitty stuffing her this morning. Twill actually eats "good" foods on her own. She goes for the fresh greens. She has to lose weight gradually because it can overload her liver. I've eliminated the bird muffins. I will be talking to the vet (hopefully on friday) and I will discuss this issue with her in regards to Smitty force feeding her

bostonbudgie wrote:... Twill actually eats "good" foods on her own. She goes for the fresh greens... I've eliminated the bird muffins...

I love talking nutrition if you want to chat here about the other things you provide her. I haven't had budgies in years, but I don't think their food needs differ in type, as lories' do, just quantity!

Paca

Twill eats the zupreme natural pellets, higgins treat seed, 3-D parakeet seed, broccoli, collards, corn of cob, carrots. She loves human food like muffins, rice and pasta....
I really think her obesity is from Smitty

Another thing she liked to do is go in each cage and pull the birdy bread out of the cup and chuck it around. She would follow me cage to cage as I would change food and clean cages and she wpuld toss the fresh birdy bread around. She is a pig and a brat!

it is a week later since Twillinger's vet visit. the only thing I changed is not to let her (and her partner)have muffins, rice, pasta etc... I weighed her today but she still weighs the same.
I think her problem is her mate feeding her so i will suggest to the vet of putting Smitty in another cage.....

I do not understand..twill have been a "a diet" but she seems lazier and lazier. She is content just swinging on her swing whereas before she would be racing around the house. She weighs the same and has not be losing any weight I am tempted in separating her & Smitty (cages close to each other) and just letting her out more often but I am afriad the "separation" might be traumatic.
BTW her mother was HUGE too. Could obsesity be hereditary?

Dr Marge Wissman's excellent website includes info on budgie obesity. I hope your vet has already probed for tumors in Twill. They can add appreciable weight to such a small bird Hoping hard this is not the Twill's situation.

I know from my own dieting experience that loss isn't usually as fast as I'd like. I've tried unsuccessfully for 3 weeks to lose 5 lbs gained over the holidays. Those 5 lbs are just 3.5% of my weight. That same 3.5% of a 40 gram budgie's weight is a mere 1.4 grams. You might be looking for more loss in a shorter time than is practical or healthy for such a tiny bird.

Here's what Dr Wissman says about obesity in budgies and 'tiels:

Budgies, and to a lesser extent, cockatiels, are very prone to obesity and the problems related to being overweight. The obese budgie or cockatiel may develop lipomas, benign fatty tumors. These may be found over the crop area, the chest, or most commonly, the abdomen. In other cases, the bird may develop generalized lipomatosis, which is a layer of fat over the entire surface of the body under the skin. Xanthomas, yellow fatty tumors, may also occur. Surgery may be necessary, especially if the skin over the tumor ulcerates, but often, the tumor will recur, unless changes are made in the diet and activity level.

Obese birds usually have some degree of liver problems. When fat is deposited in the liver, normal liver cells are replaced with fat and over time, if enough normal liver tissue is destroyed, it becomes cirrhotic. Birds with hepatic lipidosis will suffer from some degree of liver dysfunction and may bleed excessively, as the liver is responsible for providing clotting factors in the blood. Hepatic lipidosis is very serious and can be fatal. Prolonged liver damage may result in the liver becoming fibrotic eventually, leading to cirrhosis of the liver. Hepatic lipidosis can have multiple causes, and may have a genetic predisposition. Birds on an all-seed diet with restricted exercise are prime candidates for hepatic lipidosis.

Thyroid dysfunction may result in obesity; however this has been rarely documented in any psittacines, and there are no reports in the literature documenting hypothyroidism in cockatiels. Toxins such as aflatoxins can result in fatty changes in the liver. Steroid administration (from topical ointments) or hormone injections (with methylprogesterone, for example) can cause a bird to gain excessive weight.

Budgies and cockatiels with liver disease may have overgrown toenails and beaks. The best indicator for liver disease in birds is an elevation in the bile acids in plasma or serum. To definitively diagnose liver disease, a liver biopsy should be performed. However, in many cases, a bird with advanced liver disease cannot withstand the stress of a surgical procedure and may have problems with hemostasis, so surgery may not be recommended or possible.

While I do not condone allowing any pet bird free-flight in the home due to the risk of injury or escape, it must be remembered that budgies and cockatiels are naturally very athletic birds, so the largest cage that is practical should be purchased. They should have toys, swings, ladders and playgyms, and owners should encourage their birds to play and exercise frequently to prevent obesity.

Obese birds, and those with lipomas, should be offered a diet lower in fat. Each case should be dealt with individually. As guidelines, I usually recommend decreasing regular seed mix and increasing millet, since millet is lower in fat than the other seeds. Sprouted seed is healthier, and should be offered daily. Harrison's pellets can be a part of a healthy diet (I use these as the basis of the diet for Quaker parakeets with hepatic lipidosis). I also recommend offering pasta and whole wheat bread, plenty of fresh veggies and fruit, and some table foods (without butter, margarine or other added fats). Increasing the activity level of obese birds should be undertaken.

To this day, some budgie books still state that feeding greens, fruit and vegetables will cause diarrhea. Of course, we all know that the consumption of foods with more water in them will cause increased urination, and not diarrhea. Feeding vegetables and some fruits is recommended and bird owners should not be put off by printed misinformation that discourages them from feeding those healthy foods.

Margaret A. Wissman, D.V.M., D.A.B.V.P.
www.exoticpetvet.net

It has been 2 weeks since her initial vet visit and I weighed her. She actualy gained 2 grams I got rid of the pasta, rice and muffins and increased the veggies but she is getting more reluctant in leaving her cage. She is only 1.5 years old and I hand raised her
Her father died of a tumor at 2.5 years old (but he was small) and her mother was huge from the beginning....
I know her mate feeds her but I am beginning to wonder if it is a tumor....

Would a tumor show up in an X-ray? Hope your lovely girl will be ok.