FINCHforum

We came home tonight after being gone for a couple days, to find our male owl acting a little weird. He is fluffed up and ruffled looking, and not as vocal as usual. We got a few little beeps out of him, but he's not responding to our whistles like he normally does. He's still flying around, and eating, grooming his mate.
I put a heat lamp and a fresh bath in for them, but he's not making use of either.

He finally responded a couple times with his normal call, as I was writing this...

I don't know if he is just in a funk or if he is actually sick. Having not been home since Monday morning, I don't know how long he has been like this. I did have a friend stop in to check on them on Tuesday, but I'm pretty sure she wouldn't have recognized these things.

You might want to give them some anti-biotics(Ornacyn-Plus) invade they are getting sick.

Nelissa, see if he will accept some grated boiled egg. Is he going into a molt?

cindy wrote: Nelissa, see if he will accept some grated boiled egg. Is he going into a molt?

That's what I am thinking. I took their nest away after two failed clutches, so I am wondering if heis starting to molt.
I haven't been offering egg food for the last few weeks, trying to get them out of breeding/nesting mode. I will try giving them some tomorrow, though, since I know the protein can help with the molting process. I also have feather fast, so I may try some of this too.

Some birds do not react well to molting. Rummy for example get crabby, does not want to be touched, sleeps more. I image it hurts and takes a lot out of them.

Yeah that's why I wanted to ask about owls specifically. With my zebs, it's pretty uneventful, since it's so gradual, like humans shedding hair, a few strands a day.
But I've barely had my owls a year, so I figured they are due for a molt... I really hope that's what it is with Fawkes.