A Case Of Neglect! :-( Anything Else I Can Do?

[moonrise]

Awww. He's sitting in his food cup, wing outstretched, soaking up the heat. I was going to get another perch for him, but he seems pretty content in the cup. He's using the cup's sides for support.

(His cup of water is right behind him, if anyone is wondering. ;) )

I wonder if he can have Pedialite or something similar?

[nelloyello11]

Although I have not used pedialyte, I have read that other forum members have used it. Unfortunately, I don't know the correct dilution, if there needs to be one. If you do a topic search for pedialyte you should get several threads.

[avicella]

Personally, I don't think birds are a good pet to have in a household with younger or less mature children. They can't take roughhousing.

Of course, even larger animals are at risk from some children ("Look, I’m riding your dog!"): http://www.kansascity.com/2011/03/07/27 ... r-son.html

In the OP's described case, it wasn't just the kids though: the parents don't seem like they should own pets.

I've been in a couple of bird stores that I don't think should be allowed to own birds!

[moonrise]

My thoughts exactly.

We may have just made a little more progress. This is gross, so don't read any further if you're eating! ;)

I just noticed the bird ... well ... straining, for lack of a better word ... and when I looked under him, a great big long poop was appearing. After several minutes of straining, the poop finally fell to the cage floor, followed by a normal-sized poop. The large poop didn't have the usual liquid/urine with it, but the smaller one did. Also, the large poop looks hard (it made quite a PLUNK! when it fell).

He's not back to normal, but he's perkier than he was, and he's chirping more. He's also moved away from the lamp and is sitting on the opposite side of the cage, preening at the moment. He's still droopy-winged.

I'm beginning to wonder if he was so dehydrated that he got constipated!

[6finchfriends]

So happy to hear he is relaxing and feeling better. In your video he looked exhausted and undernourished. Could be that is some of the reason he is unsteady. Starvation! Now that he's eating and drinking a lot he will hopefully get stronger. You guys are wonderful people to rescue all the little finches! They probably think they are in heaven!

[moonrise]

He just purposely flew to the food cup, landed fairly well (considering), and is eating again!

[bugaboo5]

He just purposely flew to the food cup, landed fairly well (considering), and is eating again!

Awww, the poor thing must have been starved. Kudos to you and your lovely man for saving the birds. If you can, Gatorade or water with electrolytes (Smart Water for example) are helpful for sick and weak birds. I hope the lad makes it through for you -- you are his guardian angel. Prayers for his recovery.

[moonrise]

I'll see if Hubby will pick up some Pedialyte on the way home from work in a little while. We just have one vehicle, so I'm "stuck".

Here's a new video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7hG5QuG9KE

He's moving around a little more, but is still clumsy and droopy-winged. He's eating again as I'm typing this, and he drank more water a few minutes ago. He's definitely fighting to get better.

Yesterday after I gave everyone clean food and water, and got the zebra situated in the hospital cage, I put the 3 societies in a clean cage (pics below - they're pretty skittish). I'll trim their toenails in a day or two, after they've settled in and had a chance to rest and get nourished. Then I threw out the crap (literally) that was in their original cage. The nests were so gross, with broken eggs stuck to all kinds of trash (literally) that they were given for nesting materials, and dried-up poop. And they were wondering why the eggs never hatched. There was a poop-covered cuttlebone in the cage ... laying face-down in the floor (as if that does any good). In addition to the 2 nests, there were 2 cage-length perches, 2 nasty water cups, and 2 food cups in the cage, which is a small breeder-type cage (24x16x16). And to think they had 5 birds in there at one time ... The cage itself is nice, but it'll have to have a major disinfection/decontamination before using it again.

How someone can neglect or mistreat another living thing is beyond me.

[bugaboo5]

The tenacious fellow looks much better today -- definitely more active, alert, and aware of his surroundings. I hope he gets better.

As for the societies -- they all appear to be fawn. Healthy looking birds given their conditions. Cage size, the 24 x 16 x 16 is actually not that bad -- I've heard of far worse cage sizes. The previous owners should have been able to fit four birds in that size of a cage fine, given that they were not intending to breed. Six birds (you said they informed you one had died) would have been a little too much for the cage.

I think the conditions they allowed these birds to live in was despicable. But I don't want to place tremendous amounts of blame on the previous owners. I'm guessing that they probably got the birds for their kids -- kids lost interest, nobody wanted to take care/take responsibility for the care-taking of the birds, and voila - this kind of failing situation. This kind of thing is very common for all pet animals -- whether it be as small as a goldfish in a bowl (which is bad housing) to larger species like dogs, and even horses. Animal neglect is a sad reality throughout the world and it's a true pity, as they are voiceless creatures who are at times, subjected to the cruelty of human beings and really are at the mercy of their care-takers. I think it is a true blessing the birds found a home with you and your hubby. Bless both your hearts.

[debbie276]

You can use pedialyte and gatorade or make your own electrolyte formula from everyday kitchen ingredients.

To 8oz of warm water (103F to 105F) and 1/2 tablespoon sugar, 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon baking soda. Mix well. This solution can be kept under refrigeration for a few days.

[moonrise]

Thanks again, y'all.

Hubby remembered seeing some sort of vitamin supplement when he was at Walmart last time, so he's gone to see if they still have it, and what it's for, exactly. Thanks for the recipe for Pedialyte. I'll print it out. I think Hubby's just going to grab a bottle while he's at Walmart, but I'll have the recipe if I should need it again.

The birdie strained and strained and strained, and finally pooped again. This one wasn't as large as the previous one, but was still big. It was normal otherwise, so maybe that's a good sign ... except that he's a little puffed up now. Oh, it looks like he's about to poop again. He wiggles his tail and abdomen around, then strains. Maybe he'll eventually get it all passed. Poor little guy!

We'll have to go to bed shortly (we're on a night shift schedule), but I'll keep his lamp on. Hopefully he'll still be hanging in there when we get up this evening. I can't thank y'all enough for the help!

[L in Ontario]

Aww he does look much better. Best wishes and we'll be waiting anxiously for a good update later on today!

[debbie276]

Thanks for the recipe for Pedialyte.

Your welcome just so we're clear, it's not a pedialyte recipe it's an electrolyte recipe like pedialyte and gatorade.

If you think he's constipated you could try putting a little epsom salt in the water to help (just a pinch). I put epsom salts in my mineral grit mix so they can get it any time they need to.

[Ursula]

Poor things! I'm glad you rescued them! I'm sure these birds will be happy with you!

I only hope you didn't pay them much money for them, because they might turn around and buy some more birds at the next pet store. The scams going on with people "rehoming" pets on Craigslist are despicable! Lots of people buying cheap animals and then "rehoming" them with a sob story, and of course they want money to "make sure Fluffy goes to a good home"...

(Sorry for venting!)

[annague]

Moonrise, this story is so touching. Thank you for sharing it with us. I'm so happy that the birds have someone decent to look after them and can live in a clean environment with acceptable water and food.

Keep us updated on the little guys.