FINCHforum

My little guy is kinda puffy, eyes closed occasionally, but still has quite a bit of energy and is eating well and flyying around, there's a bit of dried stuff around his beak. All I can find around here in my town is Sergeant's® Mardel® Ornacycline® Tetracycline for Birds ? Is this acceptable?

I agree with Rancel, no antibiotics yet. You do not know exactly hy this is happening and if it is a bacteria giving the wrong antibiotic will not help, it will also deplete the good gut flora which could make the bird worse.

As Rancel said, heat first. A little NV powder and monitor the droppings. What you may be seeing on the beak is a little food the bird brought up and wiped it's beak, smearing it onto the beak where it dried.

If the head is moving up in down sort of in a feeding motion it may be alright. But if the bird is bringing food up moving the head back and forth quickly from side to side and vomiting then it would be a time for concern.

Watch the bird for a bit, it you can take a picture of the dropping and post it as well as what the bird looks like puffed.

Great thanks! I'll get a poop pic! Lol he doesn't seem to be in any obvious distress, but the puffiness alarmed me. I'll be back with pics!

Excuse my lack oh knowledge, but what is Vitalize? I have Vita-sol? And what is NV?

Here's some pics.

One more

FancyFinch wrote:Excuse my lack oh knowledge, but what is Vitalize? I have Vita-sol? And what is NV?

so sorry about that, NV powder, Vitalize...it is like an electrolyte for birds.

I think Wita-sol is a vitamin. He does not look to bad, try this use a heat lamp and boil up an egg for him, grate it and see if the heat a a bit of egg perks him up. Is he tucking his head and sleeping?

Where would I find it? Petsmart or Petco?

He was tucking his head and sleeping a bit yesterday, hasn't done it today. I mixed up the homemade electrolyte and put in the water dish. Is that good enough? Or should he be in a cage alone?

How many birds are in with him?

Morning Bird Products makes a variety of medications and Ladygouldian.com carried some of those and others as well.

Is it possible he may have injured himself. Is he eating and drinking alright, not to little or way to much?

Could you also put a white paper towel in the cage tray...it would be better to see the droppings.

There are 3 others in with him, he's eating and drinking totally normal. Not sure of the injury, didn't see or hear anything odd. I just put the paper towel down. I also put a heat lamp on the top of the cage over a perch.

See how he does for a bit, the warmth might do him good.

Is he being chased by another bird, often that alone stresses a bird out to the point they fluff up, retreat and sleep.

Hum... very good question. I have noticed that Ricky is kinda ornery lately, opposite of how it was in the beginning. Fred has the family in the nest, so I am not sure if Ricky is jealous or what! Lol Men!

Could be we are onto something...I had two pairs to a flight and had to final separate them due to the one in the nest chasing the other male away. While breeding them you may want to let the pair in the nest have the place to themselves, see if that helps!