Budgie's eyes closed and is limping a little...

by Candice Dennis
(Thousand Oaks, Ca, USA)

I'm not sure what to do. I have a budgie that flew onto the top of my car hood a couple of years back and decided to keep her. She seemed to be a little older than younger but I have no idea how old she is.

I looked in the cage a few days ago (and am continuing to keep an eye on her) and saw that she's staying puffed most of the time, is keeping one of her eyes shut if not both of them and one of her legs/feet isn't working properly.

She gets around but does not seem to be herself. I have another budgie in there with her and he's been less than accommodating to her but she loves him so much that if I take him out into another cage she seems to get sad.

The internet is full of stories about potential problems and solutions but I've never had an issue like this with my other birds in the past. Do I need to contact a doctor? Is this just something that happens to some budgies when they get older (she's never had a really strong foot grip since I've had her)? I really feel bad for her and want to do the right thing. I've included a photo. Her left eye is closed and her right leg/foot is the one that's not working right.

She's not very tame despite my continuing efforts and it's hard to get her to let you take a closer look. Can someone give me a little direction or an idea as to what is going on? Thank you for your time- Candice Dennis