FINCHforum

Our Gouldian finch, Fabio has seemed to become a little lethargic and he's keeping his feathers ruffled up. In particular, his head seems tucked in and the blue feathers around his head are kind of sticking out.

Check these pics:

http://www.finchforum.com/gallery/displ ... um=4&pos=7

http://www.finchforum.com/gallery/displ ... um=4&pos=8

Note the feathers around his head. He has molted once last year when we got him otherwise no molting.

Thoughts?

I don't know from those pictures He almost seems wet.If you got him around the same time last year and he was molting chances are he is molting again.If he is your only gouldian just check for his feathers.

I cannot tell from the picture that he is molting. But I would make sure he has some extra heat and is very warm.

Like the others, I can't tell from the photos if he is molting or not. I would do as Donna said, keep him warm, and I would provide some extra protein in case he is molting.

I'm crying as I write that Fabio died last night. He was loved very much. Our little light is gone. I've listened for his call 1000 times today. I'm heartbroken. My little buddy is gone.

Those are the last pics I took of him.

I had noticed that he was getting a little lethargic the day before, and that he was puffing his feathers up. It's been 100+ degrees here and so inside has been probably no lower than 78 or the 80s.

Now I think of all the things I should have done...

Please don't beat yourself up over his passing. Even experienced breeders can be caught unawares. Please accept our heartfelt condolences.

Rory and Sherry

So sorry for your loss May he rest in peace.

I am sorry you lost your beautiful little bird.

I'm sorry you lost your precious Fabio!

I just want to say that in the future please know that when they are going to molt or are already molting you should not see them fluff up or act puffy during the day.

It should be that you know they are molting because there are feathers everywhere and that is all.

I would suspect that Fabio had a bacterial, fungal, or parasite problem. And, if he was starting to molt then he would have been compromised from it.

My condolences.

I am so sorry for your loss.

I'm so sorry for your loss--it is the down side of keeping finches. You can only do so much, and when finches are ill, they are so good at hiding it that when we realize something is wrong, they are often too far gone to do anything for them.

Please accept my belated sincere appreciation for everyones thoughts and helpful comments. It's been painful to come back.

Of course, it can only slightly ease the pain but I appreciate that others thought about him. He was a wonderful little bird. They are so sweet and steal your heart. I'm trying to learn lessons from my experience.