HELP! Sick new mother

Marianne · Post by **Marianne** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 9:10 am

I have two pairs of zebras in a large divided flight cage (64" x 36 x 21).
One pair has a nest full of 3-5 day old chicks. All has been fine until this morning, when I found the hen puffed up with eyes closed first on the perch, then on top of the nest. (Dad is sitting with the chicks). Should I isolate her with a heat lamp? (In the meantime I have that half of the cage covered with a blanket). I don't have an infrared lamp but can go out and get one.

If I have to isolate her, will the male be able to take care of the chicks on his own? Up until now there was always on parent on the nest while the other fed, bathed, etc. Also, if she gets better (I hope!) will she go back to caring for her young if she's separated from them for a while?

I don't believe I can let the other pair help to care for them, as they were very aggressive toward each other before I got the divided flight. (I'm afraid they might harm the babies)...(The other pair has been laying eggs nonstop but have not incubated their own eggs).

Please give me some advice! I'm new at this...
THANKS.

tammieb · Post by **tammieb** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 11:28 am

The male should be able to care for the chicks. It's been my experience that the male is a better parent to the chicks anyway as the hen is usually more interested in starting a new clutch.

I would add a heat lamp to one end of the cage, near a perch, so the hen can warm herself as needed. You might try adding some electrolyte supplement or even a bit of honey to the water supply for a few days. If she isn't suffering from something more serious, this should give her system a boost.

Keep us posted on her condition.

And you are correct thinking the other pair will be NO help with the chicks. Don't even attempt it.

Marianne · Post by **Marianne** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 12:26 pm

Thank you so much. In the meantime I went to talk to a local pet shop employee whom I know has a lot of experience with finches and has done internships with Kaytee Corp. She recommended that I put the female in a small cage w/heating pad underneath and give her electrolytes (as you recommended) with some "extra nutritious" food. As soon as I put her in the cage she started eating and wasn't fluffed ---much to my relief, as she was only sitting fluffed up in a ball and not eating for several hours this morning.

I'll give her until tomorrow to see if she's "perked up" enough to put her back in the other cage.

I may go out and get a heat lamp for future use, or if I find the heating pad doesn't do the trick! I really didn't want to take her out of the large cage in the first place...I will try adding the lamp to one end in the future (or if my first course of action doesn't work).

I'm pretty sure she's just worn out from her parenting duties. When I "inherited" these four several weeks ago, her tail feathers were missing due to aggression with the other female- hence their divided cage. So I'm thinking the added stress of moving then having chicks right away might have added up.

Thanks so much for your timely reply.

Post by **Hilary** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 11:55 pm

Marianne -

Even a regular lightbulb in a clamp light can do the trick for heat. I'm eventually going to suck it up and buy a ceramic lamp, but in the meantime I use regular bulbs in the day and an infrared at night. Hope your hen does better with a little R&R.

Hilary

FINCHforum

HELP! Sick new mother

HELP! Sick new mother

Thanks Tammy