Iman Ali, Vicki Baldrey, David B. Church, Dave C. Brodbelt, Dan G. O'Neill

The Royal Veterinary College, London, United Kingdom

Objectives

To report demography, commonly diagnosed disorders and mortality of budgerigars under UK primary veterinary care, with focus on sex effects, antibiotic and analgesic usage.

Methods

Retrospective cohort study of 2,155 budgerigars under UK primary veterinary care within VetCompass during 2023.

Results

From the 2,155 study budgerigars, feather colour and sex were recorded in 44.97%. Green colour was more common in males and white in females (p=0.04). Of 37.63% with companionship information recorded, 73.74% of budgerigars were housed with a companion. Of 35.68% with housing type recorded, 90.90% were housed in cages, 5.07% free-flying and 4.03% in aviaries.

Overall, 81.21% budgerigars had ≥1 recorded disorder. The most prevalent specific disorders were overgrown nails (12.90%), beak abnormalities (6.82%), upper respiratory tract infection (6.54%) and paresis/paralysis (6.45%). Beak abnormalities (p=0.002) and paresis/paralysis (p=0.002) were more common in males. Cere disorders (p=0.007) were more common in females.

Antibiotics were used at least once in 43.89% of budgerigars with ≥1 disorder, mostly enrofloxacin (72.27%). Analgesia was used at least once in 33.14% of budgerigars with ≥1 disorder, mostly meloxicam (96.55%).

Of 507/2,155 (23.53%) budgerigars with a recorded death, median age at death was 3.98 years (IQR 1.20-6.93) and 68.44% of deaths involved euthanasia. Sex was not associated with lifespan (p=0.367). The most common disorder groups causing death were respiratory tract (18.34%), spinal cord (9.66%) and traumatic injuries (8.48%).

Statement: Impact/ Clinical Significance

The high frequency of husbandry-related disorders, including nail and beak disorders, highlights opportunities for better preventive care by owner education around appropriate housing and diet. Heavy reliance on fluoroquinolone antibiosis suggests some opportunities for improved antimicrobial stewardship.