FINCHforum

First of all, I love this forum. We have been able to come back here every time with an issue and everyone has been awesome.

Our newest concern is with our male gouldian. He seems to have been "stuck" in his molt for a while and not improving. He wasn't exhibiting any behavioral changes so we didn't act on it but recently he appears to be panting and has been tucked in, like he's sleeping, a lot more.

He seems to shake every few seconds, as if he's shaking off something. The molt has lasted mainly on his face. The feathers haven't grown back and it's been that way for a few months.

Any advice on what we can do,before we go to the vet, would be greatly appreciated.

Here is a link to some photos taken of him today:
http://imgur.com/a/0u13E


Thank You

MCiccosanti

If he is shaking his head, it is likely air sac mites. Hold him up to your ear and listen for clicking, as it is indicative of them. SCATT and Ivermectin are good treatments.

If he fluffs all his feathers and shakes them out often, check for external mites on the shafts of the underside of the feathers. Also look for red mites, which hide in wood and crevices in the cage. Occasional feather ruffling and shaking is normal, but irritation leads to an excess of this behavior.

Check for scaly face and leg mites, present as unevenness on the bill, face, and legs. His bill seems fine, but I can't tell for sure.

A heat lamp placed on one side of the cage can help him conserve energy. Make sure he can get away from the heat if he desires.

MCiccosanti

He has some bald spots. If he's panting and you suspect mites may be the reason his molt is off, I'd personally Scatt him right away.

Hope you can get to a vet soon.

MCiccosanti

Your boy is not looking happy.
I think there are two issues here.

One, an unfinished molt.
Two, he's sick with something, possibly mites of some sort, an infection, an intestinal issue... it could be a number of things.

If you have an avian vet, I would drop in.

If this is not an option, then SCATT (in case of airsac mites) and heat via a warm lamp.

How is his appetite? Have you weighed him on a gram scale? It's a quick thing to do that lets you rule out some things before going to medication.

Thank you, everyone for your input. Unfortunately, he did not make it through the night. The vet said he had a swollen abdomen and prescribed some antibiotics but we never had a chance to give it to him