FINCHforum

Hi everyone. Im new here and my name is Kris. I wanted to share this story about my little boy in hopes someone might be able to shed some light on the situation for me and help me out. We got our little guy about 2 years ago now. We ended up getting him from a pet shop and when we initally saw him, he had a weird leg. His right leg didnt want to stay up underneath him at the time and his beak looked a little crooked, maybe we shouldnt have, but we decided to go ahead and bring him home anyway. Ive had a baby finch just like him before and the leg healed right up and that male finch didnt have any other issues, so we didnt think too much of it. We brought him home with a beautiful white female zebra. Unfortunately, a few days after bringing them both home, the female died of unknown reasons. She displayed no illness symotoms, no lethargy, nothing. She was fine, eating well, up and about and noisy, and literally within about 15 minutes, she was gone. She wasnt exposed to any chemicals or anything toxic. Back to the male, we call him fluff n stuff, or fluffy because his feathers are always messy looking. His beak started getting long and ended up crossing, his leg wasnt getting better, i noticed that he had a clicking noise when he breathed, and he always wanted to sleep, though got alot more lively when youd approach the cage and talked to him. I did some reading online and figured he must have air sac mites, so we ordered some scatt and gave him a treatment. After the first treatment, his leg and beak straightened right up and you could tell he felt alot better. But the clicking never went away, his feathers never straightened out and he still seemed to want to sleep alot. There have been many days since then that we thought he was on the verge of dying, we treat him with scatt, and he gets better for a few days. Though, now, it seems that him feeling better after a treatment lasts less and less longer. He is now, once again, not doing well at all. Sleeping all the time on his perch, sleeps with his beak tucked as best he can and stays fluffed up. His voice has always been weird, not sure how to explain it. Always sounds a bit...crackly? Or something not sure. When hes sleeping, his whole body will move when he breaths. I dont have a scale to weigh him but hes always seemed to be underweight. I have got the liquid vitamins and put that in his water, ive fed him pellets for better nutrition, and even got the calcium powder because hes never messed with cuttle bones. Im not sure what is going on if maybe he was inbred or just has liver problems. Unfortunately I cannot take him to a vet. The local avian vet will not take birds anymore and the closest avian vet is an hour away. I apologize for this being so long, but if someone could offer some insight into this situation and maybe give me some suggestions as to what is wrong with my poor little boy. I feel so bad for him, he sure has grown on us. Its weird how he is, hell sleep all day but as soon as i walk up to the cage and talk to him, he gets so excited chirping and flying around and showing off for me. Ok, im done, thanks in advance for help!

this is a tough one but here goes

1. Please dont continually treat with scatt-it is toxic, as are all meds overdone. Repeated constant treatments will only make your bird sick-the toxic reaction you mention could be caused by this
2. The usual treatment for ASM is 1 drop on the back of the neck and repeat 3 days later. That is it.
3. Add heat for 5 days... 60wt globe in lamp 12-18 inchs from the cage
4. Permanent damage can be caused by ASM but this is not usual although some birds continue to breath heavily
5. He could have a secondary respiratory infection caused initially by the mites which may be helped by antibiotics
6. check for wet butt and let me know if he has one.
7. active mites show up if you shine a torch in profile against his throat-little black crawlies moving about.
8. Definitey NO MORE scatt-clean drinking water only with sparkle/electrolytes added-heat and check his butt.
let me know how it goes asap

oh and of course normal seed and veg etc

Is he your only finch?

Scatt (Moxydectin) stays in the blood stream for 21 days and shouldn't be repeated sooner. I would not treat anymore with scatt and allow the bird to recover.

Thanks for the replies. Kenny, the directions on the bottle of scatt wants you to treat 3-4 times a year. Ive only treated him once this year and have laid off the scatt. I actually only just got the scatt last year. He doesnt have a wet butt. He isnt my only finch ewestholm. I have another younger male that hatched sometime last year. I keep them in seperate cages but side by side. Cannot keep any finch with mr fluffy because they all pick on him, poor little guy. Whatever he has does not seem contagious as i have been able to keep him alongside the other finches for quite a while now. Also, he doesnt sleep on the bottom of the cage. Kenny, electrolytes in the water? Excuse me for being dumb on the matter, but how do i go about dng that? Lol

Re the scatt-product here moxidectin i use as stated 1 drop first day and repeat 3 days later, however Scatt may have different indications. Use as recommended on bottle. Electrolytes here are provided in a product called "sparkle" which is simply a water based electrolyte replacement. there must be a similar product available where you are.some on this forum may be able to advise this name. also probiotics for birds and apple cider vinegar given at the rate of 5ml/ltre (or 2 or 3 drops to his water) will be beneficial to his gut.

Krisdawng, here is a homemade electrolyte recipe that Sally stickied under the health section, hope this helps:

http://www.finchforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=18044

Lisa, thank you very much for that link and i will definately give that a try. Question is, how long should I use something like that? Im sure I cant give it to him all the time. I want so bad to get this little guy in better health and be able to put him back in with the other zebra I have. Thats my goals, at least. whether it will happen or not, I do not know. I found this too, and wanted to get yalls opinons on it. Not sure if it would really help and it seems kinda on the expensive side, but what do yall think? Its called Thrive.

Thrive is a full spectrum blend of high potency vitamins, minerals, amino acids, electrolytes and protein for sick or injured birds. These ingredients provide a highly nutritious energy supplement improving the bird’s immune system and ability to fight disease. THRIVE is also an excellent supplement for use in hand rearing chicks.

I wish I knew the answer to your electrolyte question. Hopefully someone who knows will see this post and answer.

As far as Thrive, never used it myself but isn't that by Morning Bird? I have heard their products are excellent. Surely can't hurt.

Thrive, Guardian Angel, NV Powder, Vitalize - all are about equal for vits and electrolytes. So whichever you can get easiest / quickest to keep in your finch inventory of first aid items would be fine.