Fluffed up birds - Drastically changed diet, very sick birds

[Domenic]

My house has recently got much cooler and I assumed that was the reason for this, but all the birds in one of my cages are/were fluffed up. I put a heater next to the cage and it seems to be helping but I just don't know why they are fluffing them selves up. The birds in my other cages are doing fine, and they are about 6 feet away from the fluffy birds, so it isn't because they are in a warmer part of the house. I ran out of seed two days ago and have been feeding egg food mixed with carrot, lentils, spinach, oats, apples, romaine lettuce, all blended together. As of now every bird but my orange cheek seems to be looking for warmth, sleeping next to the light on the cage, putting their beak under their wings, fluffing up, etc. They have all had VIGOROUS appetites these past few days, running out of food much quicker than usual, and a couple of the birds are molting. I'm not sure if that has anything to do with it. I don't know what to do... could it possibly be because they haven't had seed these past few days? I don't see how that could effect it. Perhaps they all just caught something. Pray for them guys, all of my favorite birds are in that cage.

[CandoAviary]

Birds will puff to trap air to insulate their bodies when cold. But as you pointed out the others are not doing it 6 foot away. Could the one cage be in a draft? If birds are not in peak condition then little things as a chill can have dire effects on them. Also changing the diet completely can also trigger problems. Any time a change in diet is done it should be done gradully. Omitting the foundation of the diet (seed) could have caused a gastric problem. The encrease of egg/protein is great for moulting birds but the lentils, spinach can sometimes cause stomach problems.... espectially if they do not have carbohydrates in the diet(millet) I would keep the heat on. Buy some seed immediately...buy an extra bag and keep in the freezer so you do not run out. Also always keep millet spray on hand as this is great to have on hand when birds are under the weather. If it is stomach upset due to drastic diet change (which I would suspect) I would also put them on some probiotics.
The other thing to consider is the addition of that new gouldian that you purchased...is he in that cage. Possibly he brought something in and if you did not quarentine him seperately he could of spread something???
I would correct diet first, add heat, then if they do not perk up then possibly antibiotics may be in order. Put paper towel/white paper on the bottom of the cage so you can monitor the poop.
My prayers are with you and your birds

[BB]

could it possibly be because they haven't had seed these past few days?

It DEFINITELY could. The lack of seed is the cause, no doubt about it.

[Domenic]

Will putting seed back in the cage end this issue or do they need to be put on probiotics? And where can I find probiotics locally? I have a walmart, and petsmart a short distance from me. Would Wal-mart have it?

[BB]

Awaiting the advices of the pros, I would suggest you give them gradually their seed back, those still strong will recover quickly, the weaker ones will take time.... I doubt that Petsmart carries probiotics, much less Wal-Mart...

[Domenic]

Yea I didn't think so either. Checked Wal-Mart and they only had these weird supplements

It's too late though, I already put the seed back in the cage a few hours ago. I hope they just snap back.

[cindy]

Speaking of Walmart...in a pinch if you run out of seed and can't get to the feed store or your order is delayed you can buy seed at WalMart.

It could hold you over until you can get your regular food.

Our grocery store also carries it. You can mix a parakeet. finch/canary mix together. Kind of like emergency rations!

In a pinch and having run out of handfeeding formula or needing it and the pet stores are closed I made up my own. Years ago I never had hand feeding formula and made my own.

I have used gerber baby rice cereal mixed with a little unsweeten apple sauce, wheat germ, petamine and enough heated H2O to the thickness you need for feeding. You can add supplements to it such as vitamins and minerals. For lovebirds we added honey and as they were about to wean we added millet seed.

For finches you may need grind the ingredients to a powder before adding the water and a touch of honey. You can even add some dried egg food to it.

[Sally]

Having personally forgotten one time to put the seed cup back on one cage, I can tell you that it most probably is the lack of seed. Even though they had other things to eat, the seed was missing, so they are now not feeling well. With some of them molting at the same time, they got a double whammy.

As the others have said, a small package of finch seed from Walmart or any local store will get you thru till you can get your regular seed. It is a good idea to keep an emergency kit on hand, with probiotics, some kind of electrolyte, a basic antibiotic as a minimum. With seed available and plenty of heat, you just wait to see if they pull thru. Good luck with it.

[CandoAviary]

Domenic,
Most of the supplies that we use like the probiotics are either ordered and shipped or bought at birdmarts. Most pet stores do not carry anything but maybe a vitamin supplement. If you don't want to shop on the internet and expose a credit card or if you don't have one most places allow you to send a check or money order. The Lady Gouldian Finch company now serves out of California and will take checks. They offer detailed instructions on the products. Also many of the members on this forum sell these probiotic type products and maybe if you contact them they can work out sending you the products and you can send a money order or check.
Always have extra seed on hand, Buy new before you run out. A shame to let such a simple thing stress a bird and possibly make them sick. Hope they feel better soon, I am sure they will.

[Domenic]

Thanks for all the well wishes guys. I'm glad to let you all know that all but two birds have completely turned around already! I'm SHOCKED, but in an a very very good way. The only two birds who remain a bit fluffed up are my two zebras, but zebras are such resilient little characters I am sure they will come right back to health also. I was most worried about my owls but they seem to be the most active of all the bunch. Fantastic. I can't believe something as small as the absence of seed for a few days can actually make a bird completely sick. I hope someone else can learn from this lesson.

[L in Ontario]

The basic staple of most finches diets is seed and they cannot do without this for very long at all.

I'm so glad to hear they are coming around again. Very fortunate for you! I hope they all survive and bounce back to being happy fids.

[CandoAviary]

Domenic,
Finches have extremely fast motabilisms. They can starve to death in 2 days Just because other types of foods are present does not mean that they will eat it, especially if it is something newly presented.
Glad they are perking up.... Now for you..go to bed with no dinner just kidding

[lovemyfinch]

Glad to hear that everyone is getting back on track.

[Domenic]

Domenic,
Finches have extremely fast motabilisms. They can starve to death in 2 days Just because other types of foods are present does not mean that they will eat it, especially if it is something newly presented.
Glad they are perking up.... Now for you..go to bed with no dinner just kidding

LOL well actually like I said, they were eating like CRAZY. I would put the bowl in the cage and they would literally start eating out of it before I let it go. My birds never do that. I was refilling the bowl 2-3 times a day! I don't understand why they were eating humongous amounts of food. I was thinking that perhaps it was because seed takes longer to digest than the mixture I was giving them and therefore they needed more of the mixture to keep them full than the amount of seed they would have needed. I don't know. But I do know that I am definitely blessed with open-minded birds. They will eat ANYTHING I put in the cage with them. Apples, lentils, lettuce, oats, carrots, spinach. Anything.

[cindy]

Glad they are doing better.