FINCHforum

My female black-cheeked zebra finch that I bought yesterday to keep my male company is exhibiting some odd behavior. She's perfectly active and eats well, however she has trouble jumping from perch to perch and will occasionally fly upwards and bump her head on the roof of the cage, or accidentally fly into the other bird. To keep her from hurting herself I placed some old wash cloths in the bottom of the cage. I always put extra finch vitamins in their water, and I give them grit with crushed oyster shells mixed in, so if she has a calcium deficiency, I'm hopeful that with the care I'm giving her she'll get better. I had another female finch before her that was egg-bound when I bought her, and managed to get her to pass the bound egg and fully recover. I'm worried that these symptoms might be early signs of twirling or stargazing, which would mean she either has a neurological/genetic disorder, or an inner ear infection. I really can't tell at this point though. I'm not the most experienced finch owner out there, and being 16 I don't exactly have the money to whisk my birds to the vet every time they do something odd, and even when I do take my exotics to local vets (both cat/dog vets and exotic vets) They rarely tell me anything more than I already know, and I end up wasting a bunch of money on useless information. Could anyone here help me? I really want to know what's wrong with my finch.

welcome!

did you get your zebra from a petstore or breeder? they might allow you to return or exchange her for a healthy bird. a good breeder would certainly want to help you out, and would want to know any problems their stock have.

sorry I can't offer much in the way of helpful advice. just keep her warm and well-fed, maybe try a platform instead of a perch. she might find just sitting easier than perching, especially if it's an inner ear problem that affects her balance. best wishes that she recovers soon!

I would contact the seller and arrange for a refund or exchange. If it is behaving like that so soon, then it is a problem that the bird had before you got it.

Personal opinion, it is hard (I don't have good bird medical skills) and possibly expensive to try to nurse an ill bird. I don't want to do that with a NEW bird. One of the dangers is that the bird is going downhill and will die, despite your care and expense. So stack the odds in your favor and start off with a bird in as good condition as possible.

Thank you for the feedback, guys~ I did get her from a pet store, since there are no breeders of really any sort of animal around where I live. As much as I would love a healthy bird, I won't bring a sick bird back to a store that could have made her sick in the first place. I know that they won't end up treating her for whatever she has there, and I don't want to just turn my back on a bird that I could possibly help. <:3

I like the idea of using platforms, I think I'll rig some up asap~ Thank you for the advice!

Agreed. Most pet stores will let you bring your bird back. And certainly any breeder wanting to keep his reputation in good standing would give you a new bird.

If you do want to help this bird and you think it might be twirling, try TMZ liquid. My vet tried that on my bird, and she is doing a lot better.