Wheezing

[Icearstorm]

I have a rather strange issue here. The two Javas I have in quarantine occasionally wheeze with their mouth slightly open, but show no other signs of illness (tight feathers, clear eyes, normal poops, active, etc). When I held them up to my ear, there was no clicking noise nor did they seem to be straining. I treated them with Ivermectin a few days ago, but the symptom developed more recently, so a buildup of air sac mites seems unlikely. They don't have any plaques in their mouth or throat as far as I can see, so Candida does not seem likely. Now here's the odd part: their voices have not changed, which would be expected with most respiratory problems. They have been in quarantine for about a week now, and the quarantine cage is small to the point where they can't fly for more than about a foot, so perhaps they are just extremely out of shape? Either way, it's concerning.

The juvenile society finch was also making weird noises today; no wheezing, just soft, odd noises. Nothing else seems wrong with it, so maybe it's a male that is absolutely failing at singing.

[Icearstorm]

Please answer to the thread in the link since I accidentally posted it twice:
Wheezing

[lovezebs]

Icearstorm

I wouldn't worry about the thread posting twice.
Sometimes if it doesn't go through, people click on it again at which point it goes through more than once.
Just keep posting on this one, and the other one will just stay there until Sally comes back and can give it the old death botton .


Now regarding the Javas...

If they were treated pro actively for air sac mites a while ago, and if there are no symptoms whatsoever, my guess would be that they are either too warm, or a bit anxious when you're around.

My tiny Waxbills tend to open mouth breath when they get nervous, and some birds when they get too warm will open mouth breath to cool off.

Now as I said, this is 'my guess' and if your still concerned, maybe a call to an avian Vet might be in order.

Good luck.

[Icearstorm]

lovezebs
It's about the same temperature as before (80°F), so I doubt it is too warm. I can understand why they would be nervous, since the last few times I have gone over to the cage have ended with me holding the birds, whether to treat them or take photos. It's the slight noise that is worrying me the most, as the slightly open beaks may just communicate fear or mild aggression.
I don't know of any specialty avian vets around here; the few around are either general vets or avian rehabilitators that only work with wild birds. Maybe I should get a degree in avian medicine so I can deal with everything myself.

[lovezebs]

Icearstorm

YES!

Please do, and stay on the Forum as our on site consulting Vet

I know that at times it can be frustrating beyond words, when things go wrong, or seem to go wrong, and we simply don't know what to do.

For years I've struggled with this.
Looking at my little friends who appear to be in some sort of distress and being completely helpless and unable to help them.

Weighing whether I can justify a several hundred dollar trip to the Vet, knowing full well that the odds that my birds will survive the trip or the treatment, are very slim indeed, sigh....

Anyway, can you try adding a bit of humidity to the air, by maybe placing them in the bathroom with a bit of steam (?)

[Icearstorm]

lovezebs

I may even be able to make a living as a veterinarian; I've already saved several lizards and a snake, so I must have something going for me. Maybe it is a good consideration, after all...

It's usually pretty humid here, at around 70%.

[lovezebs]

Icearstorm

How are they doing today?

[Icearstorm]

lovezebs

They still seem completely fine in every other way, but I have heard them make the noise once today.