Mary Allen
Loneliness makes you sick. Unfortunately, this is particularly true of budgies. If this otherwise cheerful bird is lovesick, it behaves in a way that at first glance you might mistake for goitre. But don’t worry: you can take remedial action in both cases.
When the Budgie Spits
If budgies spit out the undigested grains again after eating, this is in any case a warning sign. Often love is to blame for this behavior, or rather the lack of a partner. Your feathered friend is lovesick. Usually, it is lonely males, recognizable by their blue nasal wax skin, who, in the absence of females, devote their love to their own reflection (in the water bowl, in the mirror, or a metal bell, sometimes in the windowpane). And then they feed this person opposite, just as the advertising rooster tries to conquer its female. But it can also affect females.
Lovesickness or Goitre in the Budgie
How can you tell whether your budgie is lovesick or has goiter? In the case of lovesickness, the spitting is very targeted. The budgie takes a whole beak full of grains from the bowl, then flies away, takes a position, and then gives presents to an imaginary counterpart.
In the case of goiter, he usually sits dull in front of the bowl, he chokes, and with the granules comes a lot of mucus, which mostly also sticks to the neck plumage. While the lonely parakeet looks otherwise happy, has smooth plumage and basically lives normally, the sick animal appears correspondingly lethargic, it is often weak and underweight. The cause of the disease is the ingestion of contaminated water, feed, bacteria, yeast, or trichomonads. Constantly feeding the mirror image can also lead to goiter infections.
Lovesickness and Goitre in the Budgie are Curable
It is therefore important to find a remedy quickly in any case. Usually, both can be cured. If you suspect goiter infection, you must first see the vet. If the diagnosis is made in good time, the disease can be treated well. If goiter infection has been ruled out, then you give your bird a partner to combat lovesickness, as young as possible and, if you can, of the opposite sex. Without a suitable nesting opportunity, you usually don’t have to be afraid of offspring. You should know that budgie breeding is not allowed in Germany without an official breeding license. If you want to be on the safe side, give the rooster a second male and the hen a female. At first, the “couples” will be confused, but soon one of the two will slip into the role of the opposite-sex partner. In both cases, if you act quickly, the world of your feathered friends will soon be fine again.