What could have happened to our Gouldian finch?

[zootor]

My girlfriend and I purchased a male and female Gouldian finch as well as one society finch over the weekend. We previously had 2 society finches but recently lost one of them.

We brought the birds home and added the 3 new birds plus our current society finch to a brand new, bigger cage that we bought at the bird shop.

Everything seemed to be going well with the birds, however, the next day we noticed that the male Gouldian looked way larger than usual and was eating excessively. We did some research and found that this was the norm for the birds to be eating so much.

This morning, being 6 days later, we found the male face down in the cage. When we went back to the store, the owner told us that because of the excessive size it was most likely ASM.

He told us the day we bought the birds that he would not be responsible for the birds 48 hours after we purchased them.

The night before the gouldian passed, my girlfriend said she noticed a weird sound coming from him so that could be one of the symptoms of ASM, but we just find it strange that it would have died within six days of us having it. Could it be that it already had the mites while at the store? If that is what caused it's death.

We are just not sure. The owner of the store gave us some spray for the other birds to treat just incase. We are really confused and are not sure if he should be held responsible in some way as we have no idea if ASM can kill a bird that quickly. Could it be from the society we already own?

Any advice would be great appreciated!!

Thank you!

[finchmix22]

Yes, it sounds like your new birds have ASM. You need to treat all the rest of the finches, including the ones you had before the new ones were brought into the group. They can die quickly of ASM and the male probably had it for a while, if he died that fast. You could still lose the other one, because if they had ASM for a while and you treat them, the dead mites can clog their airways and they'll die that way. I would take the remaining finches to an avian vet for medication, since you don't have time to order some online. If you don't have a vet, go to ladygouldian.com and call Lorraine and she is very helpful about medication and dosing with finches. She could suggest which ASM med would be best and ship overnight. I pray you don't lose anymore. The store where you purchased them was not acting ethically. Even PetSmart offers a 14 day guarantee on their finches. Two days means the owner knows they could be sick and die, in my opinion. Keep us posted.

[nelloyello11]

In addition to what Deborah said- I do not believe that there is any kind of spray medication that will effectively treat ASM. So the stuff the shop owner gave you will likely do nothing at all.
To me it sounds as if he was aware that they might be ill already, and thus the 48-hr warning. I don't here is any way he could have gotten infected after you brought them home (he wouldn't have died quite so quickly I don't think). So it is very likely that some or all of the birds he has in the shop are also already infected. It seems foolish that he might try to "treat" them with this spray, and irresponsible that he will likely try to sell them to others, knowing they could be sick. If it were me, I would not return to that store.

[cindy]

Also ask if she feel the birds may have had internal parasites due to the fact the male was over eating. If a bird has internal parasites (not ASM) the parasites rob the bird of their nutrition so the bird is constantly in the food bowl.

In advanced cases the parasites get into the blood stream and starve the bird of oxygen...they gasp for air and cough.

You do need to get the advice of an avain vet. You can also call ladygouldian.com. There is a lady gouldian in California to, it is Lorraine's sister JoAnn she is also helpful. If they send meds out to you see if they can rush the order to you.

Where are you locate?

http://ladygouldian.com/category/catalo ... an-finches

http://www.ladygouldianfinch.com/

[debbie276]

Larger then normal I would think was because he was fluffed and trying to keep warm. ASM can not be treated by any spray.
When birds get air sac mites the mites CAN get so bad that their airway are clogged with the mites but that takes a VERY long time. Most birds affected with mites cough, sneeze and wheeze because they are having a difficult time breathing. The only treatments that I am aware of for ASM are Scatt, S76 and Iverlux which are either added to their water or dropped directly on their skin.
There are many different things that they could have had when you bought them it's hard to know. Do their poops look normal? Are there any symptoms in the remaining birds?
Not saying this is what he had but putting gouldians with society's can be deadly. Society's can carry Campylobacter and Cochlosoma which does not affect them but will kill gouldians. I would rule that out before I add any more gouldians to that cage.

Hope you can figure it out asap, good luck

[finchandlovebird]

What are Scatt, S76 and Iverlux & where do you get them? Is this something one should have on hand?

[flyinverted]

This is a good reminder post that we should quarantine and treat all new birds with an ASM treatment before adding to the aviary.

I treat all of my Finches with Scatt. One drop applied directly to the leg every few months does the trick. I had a male Gouldian that stopped singing and became lethargic. One drop of Scatt and he was singing away again 2 days later.

Good luck!
Steve

[cindy]

You also have to make sure you are not overtreating either, that can weaken a bird.

I would also not treat directly on the leg, you want to get it on the back of the neck, it is harder for them to preen there...

[debbie276]

What are Scatt, S76 and Iverlux & where do you get them? Is this something one should have on hand?

Scatt, S76 and Iverlux are air sac mite medicines.

Scatt is made by Vetafarm and needs to be applied directly to the skin and stays in the birds system for 21 days which is the life of the mite. Active ingredient: Moxidectin

S76 by Dr Rob Marshall, the initial in-water treatment for air-sac mites is 2 consecutive days each week for 3 weeks in a row.

Iverlux by morning bird, apply one drop to the skin of the neck each day for five days or add ½ teaspoon of IVERLUX to one quart of clean drinking water for small bird flocks (finches, canaries) for two consecutive days. Repeat for three weeks in a row.

S76 and Iverlux both have Ivermectin as their active ingredient.

All of these medicines can be bought online from multiple sources, just do a web search for one near you.
I personally use scatt because it's a one drop treatment and I apply it to any new birds when I put them in quarantine.

[zootor]

I ordered the Scatt, the S76, and a pyrethrum based cleaner for the cage and branches. Should I do the Scatt or the S76, or can I do both? I don't want to over treat, but want to do what is necessary.

The delivery comes tomorrow morning.

thanks so much everyone!
Krystle