puffed up cordon

[robin311]

hello all - i am wondering if anyone has any suggestions for me. i have 5 finches - one mannikin, 2 cordons and 2 red eared waxbills. today the female cordon has her feathers ruffled. she seems otherwise healthy, is eating, driking, flying and even playing, but seems to be sleeping with her head around and is ruffed. she never slept that way before. it is slightly chilly here, but warm in the house. the only other symptom she is showing is that she seems to be wiping her beak more often than usual, but i am not 100% sure. i have 'marvel aid', which is sulfadimethoxine/15 mg per fluid ounce, but it says to use full strenth as driking water yet with 5 birds in the cage the water bowl is too large for that. i was thinking of giving her a drop of it w a eye dropper and wondered what anyone thought of that idea?

[Nagdabit]

Don't have any experience with CB's but my first guess would be egg issues. Most important thing would be to get her a source of heat. Even if she isn't egg bound, it'll help her maintain her strength to fight off whatever is ailing her. I'd set up a heat light before trying any medication. Hopefully someone with CB experience can give you better direction.

[cindy]

My RCCB puff up (they look like big blue cotton balls) and sit and nap, they do not tuck their heads. I would do as Nagabit suggested: getting her a heat lamp to warm her.

I noticed when my shaftail female was ready to lay her eggs she sat puffed and did not look right. I knew they were mating and she was eating more shaved cuttlebone/mineral block and oyster shell mix. I put a heat lamp on her, within an hour or so she went into the box...egg!

Good luck with her. Keep us posted, if the heat does not do it update us and we can try to help you.

[robin311]

thanks - i am doing as you both suggested and keeping her as warm as possible. i have her isolated in a small 'hospital cage', LOL, with the heat lamp i usually use for all 5 birds (in a large king's cage) on this small cage. she has fresh with paper towels on the floor so i can watch her droppings and i'm giving her diluted 'marvel aid'. the sulfa worries me a bit, just in case it's something that will react negatively to sulfa, hence the dilution.
i had a cordon die after looking like this once, so it scares me. he was new to my little flock and looked puffed from the day i got him. after 7 days i took him to an avian vet, who gave him an injection of a broad spectrum antibiotic and he was shaking/shivering/seizing that evening then didn't make it through the night. because of this it scares me to see sadie look this way. he was her first mate and only lived with us for 8 days. otherwise i have had perfectly healthy birds for years!
i will keep you posted.
btw cindy - i saw your red cheeks on the site today and noticed them right away. they are so beautiful!

[robin311]

her droppings are watery and yellowish, but i don't know if that is indicative of anything in particular.

[B CAMP]

robin311
You might want to check out this linkhttp://www.finchniche.com/f-poopology.mgi

[cindy]

thanks - i am doing as you both suggested and keeping her as warm as possible. i have her isolated in a small 'hospital cage', LOL, with the heat lamp i usually use for all 5 birds (in a large king's cage) on this small cage. she has fresh with paper towels on the floor so i can watch her droppings and i'm giving her diluted 'marvel aid'. the sulfa worries me a bit, just in case it's something that will react negatively to sulfa, hence the dilution.
i had a cordon die after looking like this once, so it scares me. he was new to my little flock and looked puffed from the day i got him. after 7 days i took him to an avian vet, who gave him an injection of a broad spectrum antibiotic and he was shaking/shivering/seizing that evening then didn't make it through the night. because of this it scares me to see sadie look this way. he was her first mate and only lived with us for 8 days. otherwise i have had perfectly healthy birds for years!
i will keep you posted.
btw cindy - i saw your red cheeks on the site today and noticed them right away. they are so beautiful!

Hi Robin, the site that Bill posted is very good. Keep her as warm as you can, make sure she has her food and water nearby, I will continue to look for another article I read that was very good

I give mine Herb Salad, all the finches love it. It has medicinal properties that are very good for them.

[monotwine]

Does your CB have a nest in her normal cage? have the pair been using it? Mine don't ever lay eggs unless they in broody nesting mood. That could just be my 3 pair though...
Runny poop is fairly normal near and around laying time, but that may not be it.

If you hen is struggling to lay moving her to a different cage may hamper her more?

I agree though with all the others on a heat source. Keep her warm/as stress free as possible.

[robin311]

she has a nest but i have never seen her or her mate us it, although i have seen her mate exhibit 'nesting activity', per se, like pulling on nest strings, etc. the nest is only used by the mannikin, who did have a mate that slept in there with her until march of this year when he died. do you suggest i put a nest in the isolation cage just in case?
as of the the runny droppings, this seems to have stopped overnight. there is definitely fecal matter in the droppings now, and it appears to be healthy, although it's hard to be positive. i was pleased to see it there in the droppings though.

[cindy]

Robin, where you feeding her anything different, greens? If you do give them greens, rinse them and dry the leaves on/with paper towels. Even a little extra water can loosen their stools. Keep her warm, it sounds like she is doing better. Keep us posted.

[robin311]

no, pellet and seeds mostly - some veggies sometimes but no more than usual. the stools are/were not my biggest concern though, it was how puffed up she is. i noticed the stools after i moved her to her own cage.

[cindy]

Hope she gets better for you soon. Let us know later today how she is doing. Is she eating and drinking well?

[robin311]

yes, she is eating and drinking. i am using 'marvel aid' in her water but am afraid that if it's yeast or something like that then the sulfa drug will make it worse. am going to try an over the counter broad spectrum antiboitic that is not a sulfa drug (would try a vet but no one near me will see a bird until monday or tuesday-petsmart claims 'full service verterinary care but does not see birds?) and see how that works.

[cindy]

If it is yeast a probiotic might work better, let me see if I can email someone and see if they can help you.

[robin311]

i have no real reason to think it is yeast though, just worried that the sulfa drug may hurt her just in case.