FINCHforum

I received my finches yesterday from the Finch farm. They all were good except the twin spots. They were not doing too good and the male was fluffed up and didn't hardly move the whole day. The female wasn't as bad. I put millet next to them and they both did eat and the female did go and drink some electrolyte water. I was really contemplating giving the birds Amoxitex, but I thought better to wait until the next day. Today they both seem better and more active and the male is not so fluffed up. Should I give them a few more days to settle in to see if they completely pull out of it or should I medicate right away? I would have to medicate everyone as I don't have another cage. They were in the shipping box for 2 days. The owls and cordon blue's are doing great.

I personally don't believe in medicating unless I know what I am treating. Since I rarely know that, I rarely medicate. Green-backed Twin Spots are less hardy than the Owls and CBs, so he probably is just suffering from the stress of shipping. I'd keep on with the electrolytes for at least a few days, and I'd put a heat lamp on one corner of the cage, so he can seek it out if needed. Make sure that all birds are drinking. I always put a small dish of water on the bottom of the cage, besides my drinking tubes, in case they don't know that there is water in the drinking tubes.

Congrats on the new birds! We'll look forward to photos once they have settled in.

Hi there ,

I'm glad that you've received your birds now,

As regards to the twinspots I'm a little concerned for you because in an ideal word these are not what I'd call beginners birds,

I've had these birds on and off over the years along with other species of twinspots and have currently got a pair of greens now

Twinspots are rather delicate and require more special needs compaired to other finches, they are very sensitive to temperature change and normally require some kind of heat when it gets cold,

They can stress very easily and don't travel particularly well and often don't like change especially when it comes to diet,

If they've been kept on a certain diet any sudden change wheather it's seeds, egg foods, green foods etc they can be reluctant to touch it,

Your twinspots maybe just a bit stressed at the moment from the travel,

I at times use a stimulant called spark which is from the bird care company uk, it is a powder that is added to the birds water and boosts the birds up and gives em energy, like a pick me up sought of remedy,

If you can get hold of anything like this it could be worth using,

I don't use it all of the time because I personally don't really believe in using to many drugs for me birds but some times when I exhibit my birds the journey can at times be a bit long and when I get me birds back home I give them some of the spark formula and the birds are bouncing about in no time