My budgie is making strange squeaking noises. Is it a sign of illness?

I would recommend taking your bird to the vet as soon as you are able. Respiratory disease can be very serious, especially in small birds. If you have the capability to nebulize at home it could be helpful until you can get her seen. You veterinarian may recommend performing X-rays to help determine what is going on. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck!

Unfortunately, these symptoms point to illness. A visit to your veterinarian or an experienced avian vet would be recommended. Birds are quite adept at concealing illness, so by the time they are showing symptoms, they are already quite ill. For now, clean and sanitize the cage, bowls, toys and perches. Discard anything that cannot be sanitized. Use paper towels on the bottom and change daily. Keep the cage away from strong drafts and keep your budgie warm and as stress free as possible until she sees the doctor.

This is a very serious problem in a bird and indicates illness. What you are describing sounds most like an upper repiratory infection or illness. Your bird needs to see a vet right away. Birds are good at hiding illness and are often sicker then you think. Using a small cage or small aquarium (lined in paper towel and have a screen lid) with a heating pad on low underneath, can help your bird out until you get to a vet.

He have a respiratory infection, air sac mites or other condition. Jeff should be examined by your veterinarian or an experienced avian veterinarian as soon as possible to diagnose and treat the underlying cause. He may be very sick. Birds are very good at hiding illness or injury until it is quite serious. Try to impress upon your brother the seriousness of the situation and also that he may be putting his pet's life at risk by not seeking veterinary attention.

Anytime a small bird like a budgie has abnormal breathing sounds I recommend they get checked out ASAP. This is because respiratory diseases can become very serious, very quickly so early diagnosis and treatment is important. Your veterinarian may need to do tests but in some cases an exam and antibiotics are what is needed.

A sudden voice change can sometimes indicate an issue such as a problem with the throat or surrounding tissues with impactions, or fungal/bacterial infections. I would keep an eye on your budgie and if she continues to sound odd for more than a day, or shows other signs of illness such as not eating, vomiting, changes in stool, etc, seek out veterinary care in person.

Thanks for reaching out about Indigo. This sounds like it could be a respiratory infection. Providing supplemental heat in the 80-85 F range can improve the immune system but a veterinary visit is recommended for diagnostic/treatment plans. Hopefully is bacterial and antibiotics will resolve the issue. Good luck.