FINCHforum

Every post I have read has been so helpful... i have learned so much about their health...

I am worried about my little shaftail boy I have had for around 3 weeks. He is looking a little puffed up and has some feathers looking desheveled. He is eating fine and energetic, just puffy and weird looking. I put a light on by one upper corner of the cage and he is hanging out right by it. the female is giving him some space when he is up there. i put some orange with their seed, hoping he would take a little vitamin c. I guess I have to just wait, but I am worried....

should i run out and get him some broccolli? I heard that was good for vitamin c, but maybe bad to give him a new food right now....

diana

He likes to sit by the light bulb because when our birds are sick, they want that warmth. If you provide them with a heat lamp (or in your case, just a simple light bulb), it lets them spend their energy trying to get better instead of keeping warm. A heat lamp is one of the best things you can do for a bird that is not feeling well. As long as they have room to move away from the heat if they want to, they will usually sit right next to that bulb for hours.

I wouldn't run out tonight to get broccoli, but a varied diet is always best for our fids. This means giving them veggies in addition to their basic seed mix, or fruit if they are a species that will eat fruit. Eggfood is always a good thing to offer, as it is high in protein. And you can offer new foods any time. See how your boy is doing in the morning, I hope he is feeling better.

Get some Zupreem fruit blend pellets or Roudybush Nibbles to add to the food...all mine love them. You can try some romaine, boiled grated egg. See if this helps him...none of mine touch citrus.

he is still puffed up and weird looking, but he is energetic and eating fine when he isnt by the light bulb.... thank you for the suggestions on nutritional support for his tiny immune system... I will make him some egg food and offer some veggies instead of fruits...

thank you for your help

I am feeling hopeful, my little shafttail boy is looking better. I gave him the egg food, and he is eating it, as well as his seeds. he is drinking and his poop looks normal. he is by the light, and i have a space heater going to keep the room a little warmer for them... i hope he is on the mend... as a newbie, i would feel like a jerk if i killed one of the finches after only a few weeks. especially because I am trying so hard to do this right: to keep the cage spotless, to keep the bowls clean and the food fresh, to keep the paper fresh, to get the right nutrition.... My husband and kids werent to keen on the finch thing at first, but now are smitten by them... I got to make this work!

Can you post a photo? Sometimes it helps to see the bird, though if he is eating and drinking, and pooping normally, he is probably OK. Sometimes, when we have new birds, it takes them a while to adjust to new living conditions, diet, etc.

Just a comment....the shaft tails when startled or nervous can puff up their feathers, it looks odd, not sleek as usual. They sort of puff their back feather up. Id this what he is doing? I also think a picture will help.

Thank you all for your kind posts.... Birdbrain and good egg, I think you are right. I think i might have totally over-re-acted to my little boy being puffy. I think it might have been from me moving the cage so i could clean behind it, and cutting his toenails... (which went well, for a newbie) I also put in a dish of water for them to bathe in, but didnt watch them. But I assume they bathed because there was water and wet seed everywhere, therefore i had to clean the wall behind the cage... ummm, so i sheepishly admit I put that little boy though a lot. The little girl had no problem, but he is such a protective guy and "the man of the house" I bet i freaked him out... I am so glad you talked some sense into me. I was a bit of a nervous nelly... but now i see why he was a puffed up nervous mess. I will not do that again. The good news is he got egg food and more millet spray and a space heater.... I will post a picture of him when one of my kids can help me download from my camera