update on sick gouldian

[star]

I was able to put him in a divided section of another cage. I put towels between the divider for him to have as much privacy as possible. I have 2 lights for him. One is on top and the other against side near top where he is perching. Nothing is any better. He has guardian angel to drink but have not seen him try to drink. Is nibbling on millet and seed. He is still having that gentle jerking . His face and head stay facing forward when it is happening. Also his neck and chest are involved in the movement. The movement is up and a little forward like tiny gentle jerks , several in a row. It happens every few minutes it seems. Sometimes he goes a little while between times. He was very easy to catch being so weak. Is there anything else I can do for him?

[dfcauley]

Do you have any Thrive or NV powder? If not, I have heard that gatorade will help in their water to replace electrolytes. I have never tried this though.

[star]

Guardian angel is supposed to replace electrolytes and give energy, but he won't drink. He is now on the floor. I don't think he will last the day. I am diffusing thieves essential oil next to his cage. I will post later.

[franny]

I wonder if he doesn't have something in his crop? The head bobbing/jerking you talk about almost sounds like he's trying to regurgitate something. Maybe he's got an impacted crop? I think maybe you should catch him, and see if his crop feels hard. If so, then mineral oil seems to be the treatment. Give it just a drop of mineral oil right into it's beak, then massage the crop. Check this out:

http://www.avianweb.com/slowcrop.html

I also agree that taking a finch to the vet, is a waste of money. Most vets know little about finches other than textbook. No actual experience, so they'd be guessing, too.

I personally don't think essential oils diffusing next to his cage is going to help him. They have pretty sensitive breathing/lungs and in fact it could be bothering him more than helping, in my opinion.

[oneillbeck]

First, I am very sorry to hear you finch is sick and I hope he is doing better!

I wanted to echo franny's opinion about the essential oils. Anything with chemicals or harsh smells (smoking, air fresheners, and cleaning products) can be risky to use around birds.
Air stays in their respiratory system much longer than ours. This means they can absorb more oxygen in a single breath than we could ever hope to. This is great for flying and supporting their high metabolic rates but it also means they absorb more bad things in the air too. For this reason they are very sensitive to things in the air and are extremely difficult to anesthetize for surgery.

One thing I have found, for mysteriously sick and dehydrated birds, is making the air around them as humid as possible seems to help out a little. I live in a cold/dry climate and I've had some good luck putting birds in a hospital cage, cranking up the hot water/heat in the shower until the bathroom is all hot and steamy, and leaving them in the bathroom with the door closed.

I really hope you have some luck getting him to perk up!

[star]

I researched and used oils some others have used with success. There are only some that can be used safely, and they need to be absolutely pure which these are.

Little King my yellow sick gouldian died early this afternoon. I will really miss him. He used to go on the swing so much. I will really miss that.

All my other birds were around the oils all day and they are energetic and acting just fine.

I only trust young living essentials oils. I do believe impure oils can hurt the birds. I have used oils around the birds before and never any problems but I do watch them.

[L in Ontario]

Very sorry for you loss. Fly free little one!

[Sally]

So sorry your little King did not make it. Many times with finches, we never do figure out exactly what was wrong with them.

[cindy]

I am sorry for your loss. King will take your love with him.

[HoangQuan]

Im so sorry hearing that . rip little bird.

[lovemyfinch]

So so sorry that little King has passed on.fly free little one