FINCHforum

After taking my new normal male zebra finch home I noticed that he has a outward twitch on the left of his chest. I figure I should be concerned, but I don't know what I should treat him with or for. He's breathing fine, I feed all my birds Kaytee Forti-Diet Pro Health bird food. He's kept in a small cage that a pied female was housed in. The cage is next to the big flight that currently houses three male Zebra Finches. The twitch just seems to be the whole left breast area twitching outward.

Okay, he's not twitching anymore, but he's a little fluffed up. He still flies around the cage and chirps, he still has yet to sing. Right now I'm attributing everything to stress since today was only the first full day he spent here. I got him at about 4:00 yesterday.

With new birds, I like to give them a little boost to help them get through the stress of relocating. I personally use NV powder, it has sugar, vitamins, and electrolytes (and there are other products out there too). It is water-soluble, and I've never had a problem with a bird refusing to drink it. Even the new wild-caughts that I got would drink this solution. And it never hurts to put a small heat lamp near one end of the cage. That little bit of extra heat can help them through stress as well.

Okay, next time I get a new bird I'll do that. Where could I get NV powder?

And the new zebra is acting normal now. He sings chirps and flies around his quarantine cage. Even after being banded today, it took him five minutes to start acting normal. Would it be safe to put him in with the female I want to pair him with now?

Hi Lithium,

I always quarantine a new bird for at least 10 days to 2 weeks (after seeing the vet) as I usually don't know the background of the bird. I would keep your male Zebbie away from the others in the aviary, maybe in another room. Finches do take a little while to settle, esp. if you've just got them.


Good luck with your male.


Zebrafincher
Proud owner of:
“Kevin the King”, groutchy canary – 12 years
Beaky the Zebbie – 6 months
Merlin “Merl” the Starfinch – 2 years

NV powder is one of Dr. Rob Marshall's products, and Laraine at ladygouldian.com sells it. She is in Atlanta.