FINCHforum

I went away for the weekend. I left instructions with my husband on how to care for the birds. But then after I was gone I called him and reminded him to feed the birds "the stuff" on the counter. My fault for being nonspecific.

Also on the counter is a packet of soda crackers. Guess which one got fed to the birds for three days while I was gone.

Now I have a room full of fluffed up birds and I don't know what I can do about it, and the internet is doing a good job at scaring me at what sodium bicarbonate can do to birds, not really how to treat it if it is ingested.

Any help would be immensely appreciate.

is that all he fed them? The sodium bicarbonate wouldn't be a problem because it gets used up when the crackers bake. I would worry about the salt more. Perhaps they are all starving or have an upset tummy from the change in "diet". How are their droppings?

Is that the only thing the birds were fed for three days? If that is the case, then returning to their normal diet should help, plus you might give them some electrolytes or a supplement like Thrive or NV Powder. A heat lamp at one end of the cage would help too, as extra warmth can do wonders to make them feel better.

Husband says he fed them the grated boiled egg, chopped broccoli and their usual seed mix per my instructions. Just with a heavy helping of soda crackers! Their droppings look normal as far as I can tell. Yesterday was their once a week multivitamin so everything was a bit more yellow than usual.

I turned up the heat in the house since I don't have 7 heat lamps for 7 cages (just the one for the hospital cage) and that seemed to help with the numerous fluffed up birds I was seeing.

As a male I find this funny as I don't take instructions from the other half serious as well as I don't read her messages left either. So back to the problem, bi carb shouldn't kill them as the amount ingested in a cracker shouldn't be extremely high. Fresh water and as everyone stated back to real food should bring them back in a week or two. Upping the temp will be appreciated and try some apple either slice or grated as this helps soothes a sore stomach.

ApricotMuffins

I hope your birdlings all come out of this unscathed.

As to husband, I would feed him soda crackers three times a day, for the foreseeable future. It really makes you wonder if guys exist in the same reality as we do. I mean I'm faily sure, that he has observed you caring for your birds, and never seen you offering crackers, right?

~Elana~

A good few days of Probiotics in their water would do not harm.

Maybe they were just stressed with not having their mom around and her familiarity.