We have been asked a lot – “Why is my male budgie squeaking?”
Perhaps, your pet has been going about its usual activity. Nothing seemed wrong until you heard it suddenly squeaking. As a pet owner, you may be baffled and even a bit concerned why this is happening.
After all, your budgie never used to squeak a lot in the past, so why should it do that now?
This is why we have decided to create this post to give you a better understanding of this squeaking issue and whether you should be seriously worried about it – or if this is completely normal. Let’s get right into it.
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Why Is My Male Budgie Squeaking?
Now, when it comes to squeaking, there are so many reasons why you may hear your budgie producing this sound. For instance, it could be a pathogen inside its body, or perhaps nutritional issues, and there are also cases when your pet has accidentally ingested some foreign objects.
Thus, if your budgie has a pathogen or a foreign body inside it, then it is quite obvious to notice a change in the way your pet breathes, sings, and chirps.
Initially, you may also observe some clicking or squeaking sounds that may happen rather occasionally than commonly. Yet, as time passes by, this condition may be followed by some labored breathing also referred to as dyspnea.
When your budgie struggles or puts so much effort in its breathing, you may notice a few other symptoms including holding its wings away from its body, some evident sternal movements, and bobbing of the tail. So, it is best to conduct some checks such as the following:
1. Check your pet’s iodine levels
Budgies, aside from many other animals, need iodine for optimum health. Moreover, there are several birds that suffer from poor iodine supply in their health, which is why they are predisposed to make clicking or squeaking noises. This is largely due to their swollen thyroid gland that compresses the airway.
With this in mind, it is best to have your avian vet check your budgie’s iodine levels. Once it has been confirmed that your pet is indeed low in iodine, then you can go ahead and provide proper supplements. Do know that a seed-diet is most definitely not suitable for any bird. Unless you also provide supplements, your budgie is at risk of nutritional deficiencies.
Therefore, you should provide a balanced diet and inquire from your vet about the best supplement to give to your pet.
2. Get your pet tested for worms and mites
When there are worms or mites infesting your budgie, you may hear it make some squeaking sounds more often. In fact, air sac mites are quite dangerous and can take a toll on your pet’s respiratory system.
There are also sternostoma tracheacolum mites, which impact the trachea of your budgie, as well as the respiratory system. This is why you may notice your pet is squeaking more, in addition to a few other symptoms such as nasal discharge, sneezing, and producing clicking sounds.
There is also the syngamus trachea noted to wreak havoc to birds’ health. This parasite gets into the trachea of your budgie and causes some labored breathing issues. Budgies may get this worm into their bodies by ingesting the larvae accidentally.
For the most part, birds that often stay outdoors may be vulnerable to parasitic infections. This is why we highly recommend that you keep your pet indoors to prevent such health threats.
3. Foreign objects stuck in the throat.
Squeaking noises in birds are most definitely unusual. But it can happen when your pet has accidentally ingested an object such as a piece of material from its toy or anything it has swallowed by accident. As a result, they may have a hard time breathing and tend to squeak just to find some relief.
Among the common objects that these birds may ingest include some fabrics, plastic, metals, and hulls of seeds. Hence, you should provide seed pods and wooden perches for your bird instead of any harmful materials that they may accidentally swallow and cause health issues.
4. Fungal infection may be a possibility
When your budgie has a fungal infection, it may be prone to making some squeaking noises. One type of fungus that can cause this issue is the aspergillosis fumigatus, which is a threat to budgies that are in areas with a higher temperature and humidity levels.
But aside from the ambient temperature, poor hygiene can also cause fungal spores to spread. Thus, if your pet suffers from fungal infection, it is important to provide antibiotic treatment for a period of time. Otherwise, the immune system and microbiome may be compromised severely.
5. Consider bacterial infection
And next up, bacterial infection is another possible cause of your male budgie squeaking. Your pet may have been infected by certain bacteria such as the chlamydophila and mycoplasma, which are both dangerous to your pet’s health.
Furthermore, these bacteria cause respiratory problems and cause damage to affected organs when not treated early on. This is why your pet would require further checks and proper medication to get this issue resolved.
6. Provide optimum nutrients from food and supplements
And as we have mentioned earlier, nutritional deficiencies are linked with squeaking sounds in budgies. It may not be a disease per se, yet the lack of essential minerals and vitamins may cause these problems. As an example, a deficiency in vitamin A may cause the respiratory tract to become undeveloped, which reduces their defense to fight microorganisms.
Read More: Why Is My Male Budgie Squeaking? Common Causes And What To Do
Other Points To Consider
If your pet appears to be normal and not having other symptoms except for the squeaking noise, then it could be nothing. Perhaps it may also be a sign of mating, especially when male budgies want to attract another bird of the opposite sex. Squeaking may be a mating ritual (or at least part of it) so if this is the case, then there is nothing to be concerned about.
Just be sure to pay close attention to other symptoms if there are and have these resolved by visiting your avian vet for professional medical attention.