Very poorly Zebra finch - no voice, feather loss/balance

[fluffydust]

Good afternoon all

Apologies for my first message on this forum being one of woe, I was hoping it wouldn't be.

I have a large indoor cage with 4 zebra finches, 2 Bengalese finches and one diamond dove

My eldest Zebra finch (age unknown but I bought him a year and a half ago as an adult) is really not doing very well.

He has lost a lot of feathers.
He has completely lost his voice (this was gradual, started as sounding like he had a new song)
He has lost a lot of grip and balance

He is eating and drinking and pooping
He was strong enough to give me a fight when I have applied ivermectin drops
He managed a chirping angry noise when I held him too, so cant be fully mute

He used to, on occasion do a weird flight around the cage that seemed like he was having a 'fit' whilst flying. Chupping and flapping like something was driving him crazy, but after he would seem perfectly normal. He has been doing this about 6 months, I genuinely didn't realise there was anything wrong. I have only been keeping birds a year and a half. I have read plenty of books and belonged to a now defunct zebra finch forum to make sure I was doing everything right but it seems something is wrong.

I feed them
- foreign finch mix
- beaphar xtra vital
- wheatgerm oil
- seaweed
- grit
- coral and charcoal mix
- spinach
- occasional waxworms

I clean the cage every 3 days and give clean water daily.


I have tried to treat 'Mr Zeb' using ivermectin drops (thinking originally it was airsac mites) and he has the red lamp in front of his nest. The nests are brand new and sprayed for mites



I would appreciate some advice, I cant afford to take him to the vets unless its the only chance he has to stay alive (for instance if he needs antibiotics or something)

He looks bad, im really worried.

Thank you, Fluffs

[debbie276]

Couldn't possibly know enough to diagnose over the internet but the few symptoms you have stated does not sound like ASM.
May be your best option to seek a vets advise.
good luck

[fluffydust]

Thanks, I don't trust the vets much, they tried to tell me I couldn't buy coccidiosis treatment for my husbands pigeons anywhere in the UK once and they would have to treat it for £50 per pigeon.. Coxxaid is available on ebay for a fiver...

Poor Mr Zeb, I hope I can help him. He's a sweet boy and seems to keep trying to sing but makes no sound.

[debbie276]

You might have luck contacting Laraine via email at ladygouldian.com. her business partner Kristen is also very helpful. Be sure to include every detail and symptom, even the color of droppings.
Best of luck, please keep us posted

[Sally]

As debbie276 has said, it is almost impossible to diagnose over the internet, unless it is something very obvious. I also agree that the symptoms you list don't make me think of air sac mites. I wish I could help you more, but I really have no idea what could be wrong. One of the first things I do recommend is separating a sick bird from the rest and offering a heat lamp for extra warmth. This way, you can monitor the bird's eating/drinking/poops to see if there is a clue there.

Welcome to the forum, though it is not under the best of circumstances. There's lots of good reading at www.finchinfo.com, where you will find many articles on finch care.

[fluffydust]

Thank you, yes he is in the hospital cage now with the infrared lamp.

It was heartening at least to feel he had some strength when I held him, and he isn't panting like he was (just intermittent now) but his feather loss is much worse.

The other birds are very attached to him and he to them, they seem pretty upset about being separated. He has a 'special friend' who is another male zebra, he in particular seems very sad. The diamond dove keeps grooming him like she feels bad for him!

[lovezebs]

fluffydust

Hi and welcome to the Forum.

Feather loss, could be due to molting or being plucked by another bird.

As to the rest....
I would take Debbie's advice and e mail Laraine. She might be able to give you some ideas as to what might be going on with your little boy.

It is very difficult to watch one of your feather babies being sick and not knowing how to help them. I hope you can get some answers soon and hopefully be able to help him.

Good luck.

[fluffydust]

Right.

Excellent advice thank you all. I will email as suggested.

I was downstairs with them just now, and when 'Baby' my hand reared female was flying around the room, Mr Zeb (poorly bird) joined in the beep fest of the other guys calling her back. It was quiet but its more sound than he has made for days.

They are indeed my feather babies! I love them and care for them as much as for my dog, and that's saying something for a childless middle aged couple - Boogles the dog is very loved!

[lovezebs]

fluffydust

Would love to see pictures of your birds, and Boogles as well

[wildbird]

I hope that he is still in the company of the other birds, as it is not good for him to be isolated. Could it be anything that you sprayed the nests with? It doesn't sound like airsac mites. Be careful about treating unless you are quite sure what the cause is. All drugs have some undesirable side effects. Sometimes they release feathers when caught. It's good he is breathing better and somewhat vocal. I hope that Laraine can help.

[fluffydust]

Hi sorry took so long to reply I haven't been very well.

Its hard to say how Mr Zeb is doing, he is in the same room as the others, but in a different cage. I wasn't sure if he was contagious.

People seem to have different ideas on whether to separate or not, he isn't happy being in a different cage, I worry that being sad will make it harder for him to get better.

I have ordered some special additive stuff for helping poorly birds recover etc.

The spray on the nests was johnsons mite spray, said it was safe. And the drops is ivermectin 0.1% . Unfortunately none of these had any side effects written down so I didn't know what to expect.

He is eating ok, drinking and poop looks fairly normal if a touch small. He's not sitting fluffed up and sleepy or anything, he hops around with the others. Im at such a loss really.

I will see about putting some photos on the gallery, I did try but they were too big so guess I need to do some smaller copies.

Boogles is digging a nest of his own in the Tunisian crochet blanket I only just finished making.. the highest compliment of my work!

[fluffydust]

I put photos in the adult birds, baby birds, cages and misc sections. Boogles is in the misc section with my diamond dove!

[fluffydust]

I lost Mr Zeb, found him dead this morning.

I am at a total loss as to what killed him.

Laraine from ladygouldian was very helpful, and she seemed to agree that it sounded respiratory, at least to begin with. But by the end he could barely stand, couldn't fly, his beak had started to lengthen and the feathers his over enthused friend had plucked out wouldn't grow back.

And I still cant stop crying 13 hours after finding him because I did everything I could think of and still lost him

[lovezebs]

fluffydust

I am so sorry honey.
It's so terribly hard, especially when we try so hard to help them, but nothing seems to work.

PS. Is it possible that Mr Zebs, was much older than you believed him to be when you first got him?

[Babs _Owner]

fluffydust

Awww, Fluffydust these little creatures can sometimes die when its simply their time. You did everything, your bird was loved. Dont be hard on yourself ( Im taking advice, Ive been given by others here).

Focus on the finches you have now and enjoy them. Even a vet many times cannot save them.

Enjoy your finches tomorrow.