Budgie Land Aviary
~ Home of Sweet Little Budgies ~
&
~ Beautiful Companion Cockatiels ~

March - April 2008
My story:
As you are aware I have a rescue and adoption program going full force here in my home and aviary, however since December 07 I have been very reluctant to bring any birds in because we may have been hit with a nasty virus... Nonetheless, I have since then medicated every bird with the most powerful antibiotics you could image and paid for several batch (cutler) tests, which by the way all came back normal. My birds aren't sick and never were! Yet, it still doesn't explain why three babies since then have died from a yeast infection in their crops. Unless, their parents are carriers of this yeast, just as we can infect our children at birth, their babies have more yeast in their bodies than they can handle…

Anyway, what makes this story even more devastating is the fact that these aren't just little babies, their over 6 weeks old and have developed personalities and human bonds that can last a lifetime.
"They have become part of our family"

Well, it happened again, I have a 5 week and a 6 week old baby Lutino's who have a yeast infection, but this time I was prepared with a complete collection of medications to combat it! I was so worried that this could happen again that I watched every baby every day and very closely.. I weighed them, measured their food intake, and kept meticulous records. If a baby got sick I wanted to show the Vet I knew what I was talking about… You see, back in December the avian vet made me feel so insignificant that I was unable to bestow my grief when the babies died. However, I was able to attain all the medications needed just in case this issue showed up again. Nonetheless, even with meticulous cleaning and careful monitoring nothing I did was helping our sick babies...

Until I they started eating "PEANUTS"

Yep, I said "peanuts". I was trying to comfort the sick ones with a little extra attention and affection, because they were very sick. The medications wasn't curing or stopping the yeast's severity, one day they looked as if everything was going to be okay and then the next day they were as sick as ever, and I knew they were going to die sooner or later!

I had only one option, I had to
"love them like they were the most important things in the world"

That's when it happened! I was playing with them (gently) on our birdies play stand were there is tons of treats and toys and I noticed they were trying to nibble on something they couldn't quite get their beaks around, and there it was ~ a peanut! I broke it up into little pieces and feed a little at a time until they were completely satisfied… I think I enjoyed this experience more than the babies, because it was the first time they showed any response to my attention, and it also seemed a light came on behind their little red eyes. I couldn't what to try in again, to play with them and feed them those tiny little peanuts. The next day they ate even more peanuts then the fist day, and every day there after they gobbled up more and more.

Today these little birds are playing with me,
the light that came on behind those little red eyes was more than a glimmer,
it's LOVE!

Now these babies are still very sick and any experienced bird person can plainly see they still have a yeast infection, but its no were near extreme as it could be. I do know the medications were not working as well as they should have, even with my vigilance, the little Lutino babies seem to have gotten weaker and weaker everyday. Maybe its because Lutino's have a weaker immune system and don't respond well even with the proper treatment and medications, but I do know there is something in those peanuts that seem to help… I don't know why, and no one has even suggested this to me, but if you could see the difference in one day of eating peanuts has done here I think you would investigate the peanuts too.

Today I can only hope these two little birds will live past their 8 week hatch day, and I will continue to love them like their the most importing thing in my life... but I can't be sure yet!
It's the light behind their eyes that makes this so hard!
Sheila ~:}

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{Update: May 10, 2008 - Babies with Yeast}
The little babies with yeast are still alive, which is absolutely amazing, but some lingering side affects of their illness is starting to appear. First, their younger sibling has been weaned for several weeks, and her and her sister are still demanding hand feeding formula. I've also noticed a reduction in their size, they are both a good weight, but visually they seem smaller than birds younger than they are. I've also noticed a slight gap in the sicker one's beak. It's not very large and may be corrected with a good trimming, yet its there. There is also some slight crippling visible, mostly in the sicker baby. It's not very extreme, and can be seen with an experienced eye, yet she doesn't seem to have good posture and looks crunched low when perching.

They still love eating their "Peanuts" and this brings to mind another point I wanted to make. It is entirely possible that these two babies might not have yeast at all and that their condition could be caused by an allergy! Yep, I think it's possible too! You see, the vet's treatment and their medications had little affect on their illness. It wasn't until they started eating peanuts several times a day their condition greatly improved and possibly kept them alive. So, the only possible cause was the hand feeding formula. However, I did change their baby food from Kaytee to Pretty Bird and there was no visible differences or improvements in their symptoms and their crops still look as if they have a yeast infection.

These little babies are extremely tame and loving, which is probably due to the extra handling, and both will make excellent companions...
Sheila ~:}

~ PHOTOS ~

{April 22, 2008}
 

 

{May 2, 2008}

{Paris is on the right and is about 3 weeks older than the Lutino babies}
It's hard to believe that just a few weeks ago their crops were almost 3x's this size!


{July 4, 2008}
  
Sunshine the Surviving Baby

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{Update: June 9, 2008 - Babies With Yeast ~ The End}
She didn't make it... the sickest baby passed away last night and we are (I am) going to miss her silly little plateful antics immensely! They were both doing so well that I stopped giving them extra attention and started focusing on the other babies in the nursery! You see, they are a little stupid or retarded, from their lingering illness and needed to be reminded several times a day where their food and water is.. Well, I noticed them eating and drinking on their own and so I honestly believed they would be okay, and so I basically forgot about their special needs.

They are both demanding little creatures and often spent time sitting on the arm of my chair crying, all they wanted was to be picked up and hugged.. and I did hug them, and I kissed their little tummies and told them how special they were. Nonetheless, 2 days ago, the one (who's the sickest and the smallest} started crying more than usual. At first I didn't pay any attention and I would hug her as I would normally, but it got worse and worst, until she stopped crying all together. There wasn't anything I could do, she would just sit there on the are of my chair and look at me. I know something was seriously wrong at that point, so I made her drink Pedialyte and held her for hours and hours. That's when I realized she was going to leave us and we had to say good-by. We made her as special place to sleep and she was so comfy that she settled down in her soft spot and went to sleep almost immediately. That was her last night with us! The next morning I found her exactly as I left her the night before {in the same position as she went to sleep} Gosh, I cried and cried too, poor little thing held on just long enough to get a little more love before she left us.

I know this is a crappy ending for such a sweet little bird, but we all know things happen and we do learn from our mistakes.. I honestly know it was not my fault, that little bird knew how to eat and drink on her own, and even if I had spent more time caring for her, the chances of her survival were slim in the first place. Actually, it was amazing she lived as long as she did, and I am very grateful to our Lord Jesus for letting such a loving creature be apart of our lives.

We named the surviving baby "Sunshine" because the light behind her big red eyes is so bright... Plus, I make it a point to show her where the water dish is several times a day just in case she forgets, and she doesn't get any more baby formula even if she cries and cries for it (not even a taste). She also has a job in her future; she is destine to be a therapy bird for the elderly and handicap shut-in's. Yep, I was training another baby for this job, but since Sunshine is so genital and sweet tempered, I just knew she'd be the bird for the job.

Sheila Wallace
The End