How to Help a Choking Budgie ( Find Out!)

Last Updated on January 27, 2023 by Ali Shahid

As with all birds, budgies exhibit a natural sense of adventure. This can result them in biting, chewing, or swallowing things they shouldn’t. Even though budgies normally swallow their food, they can occasionally choke. In this situation how are you going to help a choking budgie?

The keel bone of the budgie may be gently massaged. Wait for the budgie’s airway to clear itself if the budgie is choking on liquid. It will naturally cough up the liquid. If you notice damage to your budgie’s throat, please call an avian vet immediately.

How to Help a Choking Budgie

Signs of a Choking Budgie

The act of choking is caused when something obstructs the windpipe and the bird is unable to breathe. The smaller the pieces from a bird toy, the easier to choke on liquids or pieces. The choking bird can find it difficult to swallow, it may gasp for breath, or open his beak exaggeratedly, as he tries to regurgitate.

Short-term Help

Seek Veterinary Help

You should seek veterinary care as soon as you suspect your bird has aspirated. You will almost certainly need a radiograph to locate whatever is stuck in your bird’s throat.

Allow Bird to Get Rid by Itself

Cotton swabs are bad tactics in my opinion, especially when it comes to choking objects. To prevent an aspirate from occurring, I recommend turning the bird upside down without restraining its head. The bird can then dislodge the object, assisted by gravity and its natural jaw movements.

Heimlich Maneuver

Unlike humans, birds do not have a diaphragm dividing their chest cavity from their abdomen. As a result, one cannot perform the Heimlich maneuver to treat choking birds.

You can still dislodge a seed hull or other small object lodged in a bird’s trachea if you use your fingers to compress the keel inward a few times while the bird is on its back. Consult a veterinarian as soon as possible after performing this procedure.

Long-term Help

• Endoscopy

To cure choking, an endoscopy may be required to remove the substance that is causing it. A dose of antibiotics or antifungals may be recommended to prevent secondary infections.

• Nebulization

A liquid or semisolid can enter the respiratory tract, which may require nebulization therapy. As a result of aspirated liquid or semi-liquid, there may be some scarring of lung tissue or air sac, but unless it is severe, the bird shouldn’t have any difficulty with its normal level of activity.

• Surgical Technique

If an upper airway obstruction causes the bird to choke, an avian veterinarian can surgically place an abdominal air sac tube.

An obstruction can prevent a bird from breathing until it is removed, so this procedure can be lifesaving. Depending on the cause of the bird’s choking, the bird may not require any additional treatment in the long run.

Things Budgies Choke On

Why did the blockage occur in the first place? It is not uncommon for budgies to swallow sharp or hard objects without choking, but sometimes accidents do occur. These are some of the items that commonly choke budgies:

Broken Toys

Your bird may break a piece of the toy as it plays with it. Toys and food items made from thick plastic, discarded bones, or chunks of wood are especially susceptible to this. However, some budgies mistakenly swallow the fragments despite knowing better.

When toys have rubber parts, buttons, or beads, they are especially susceptible. Budgies in the wild may eat bone fragments, but they do not pick out the marrow.

When it’s curious, it might swallow a piece of its toys and choke on them.

Chunks Of Food

The budgie will naturally enjoy pulling apart the shells if you feed it nuts or shellfish. However, this can pose some dangers as well as be a healthy enrichment. The bird might accidentally swallow a piece that cracks off.

Ornaments

The bird would choke if the piece got lodged. Remove small ornaments, jewelry, or loose buttons. Your budgie can swallow an earring or bead from your necklace.

Seeds

Seeds are safe for Budgies to eat, but accidents do happen. Rather than bite at the seed, your budgie may have swallowed it whole. If it gets lodged at an awkward angle, choking can result.

Can Budgies Choke To Death?

Unfortunately, budgies are capable of choking to death. As mentioned earlier, budgies rarely take bigger bites than they can handle. Pet owners must use caution when feeding their pets, including budgies. Slice or dice your pet’s food if you want to prevent any incident of choking.

Conclusion

Birds such as budgies may be exceptionally intelligent. To ensure their safety and wellbeing, pet parents must show good sense to an intelligent pet such as a budgie. Indeed, budgies don’t tend to choke on their food.

You should never put your bird in situations where it may choke even if it’s a small possibility. For this reason, don’t provide your pet with toys or playthings it can swallow, and always provide bite-sized food items to your pet.

You should go straight to the vet if you have no idea how to help your beloved pet.