Budgies are very fragile birds, not only because the birds are small and can be injured very easily but because they can get sick and die quite easily as well.
If your bird’s behavior has suddenly changed, if the bird is hanging its head then this article will help you figure out why
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Why does my budgie hang its head?
A bird hanging its head definitely means that there is something going on with the bird, some reasons why a bird may be hanging its head include:
Natural posture:
Not all budgies are the same and some birds will simply have a posture that is not straight up.
Budgies usually perch with a posture that is slanting forward and this is normal but other birds may simply hang their head down naturally when they perch, this is also normal too, well, normal for that bird in particular.
What to do:
If you’ve just received your bird and it is hanging its head down don’t be alarmed, this may simply be the bird’s natural posture.
Keep an eye on the bird to see if it shows any other odd signs or any signs of distress, if not then you can assume that this bird’s head is hanging because of bad posture.
Submission:
A bird that is new to its environment will also express this type of posture. The bird is likely feeling unsettled in this new environment and is acting submissive towards you by keeping its head down and not acting too loud or excited.
This is normal behavior and may continue until the bird has gotten used to you. This may take about two weeks to grow out of
What to do:
Have patience with the bird, it is still getting used to you and getting used to the new environment.
You can show the bird that you’re not there to hurt it by being around it but not interacting with it for the first two weeks of living with you or until the bird acts less submissive.
Vertigo:
Vertigo is not only something that affects humans, this ailment affects budgies as well. Vertigo both in humans and in animals is the sensation of being off balance.
Vertigo in budgies develops when the nerve that is responsible for balance becomes irritated. A variety of things can cause this nerve to become irritated including a bacterial infection, trauma, viral infection, or a stroke.
When the nerve becomes irritated the bird’s head may hang down and the bird’s overall balance may be thrown off.
What to do:
In order to treat your bird you need to find the root cause of the nerve irritation, there are a variety of reasons why this may be happening so it is recommended that you have a vet take a look at the bird over you trying to figure out what is wrong with the bird.
If you cannot immediately get the bird to the vet then you would have to place your bird in a hospital cage until you can get the bird to the vet.
The hospital cage should have food and water for the bird, should have soft flooring like a thick towel on the bottom of the cage and you should make sure to remove all the perches from the cage in case the bird sits on the perch and falls off because of a lack of balance.
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other duck related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Budgie bleeding under wing, My Budgie’s Beak Turning Blue, Budgie Flakey Beak, Budgie Bruised Beak, Bare Budgie Bottom