My Zebra doesn't look well.

[Kamoodle]

My eldest bird, Junior, hasn't been looking well since yesterday. While I was looking at him this morning, he was definitely showing signs something was wrong. He isn't responding to my usual beeps. When he sits still, he wobbles a bit like he's going to fall over at any time. When he jumps from one perch to another, he seems to have trouble keeping his balance. His feathers are showing his old age more than they used to. For now, I have the morning sun shining on him for a bit of warmth. I can show pics of his condition.




If it is recommended, I can try to feel my bathtub with hot water and make it humid and warm inside the bathroom, although I won't be able to do much today like keep an eye on him because I have to help my mom out with moving. I can shut off the A/C vent to make sure the A/C doesn't interfere.

[Lisa]

This is pretty much how my eldest bird, Luther, started acting a few months before he passed. I think it is just old age gradually taking hold. The last month or two of his life, he pretty much stayed still on a favorite swing, resting most of the day but still couldn't pass up any opportunity for some millet when in the cage!

As time progressed further, I would notice that he would spend a period of time each day puffed up (like maybe an hour here, an hour there) but was not puffed all day long till the actual day that he passed away. He was 9 years old when he died. I still remember his song like it was yesterday.

[Kamoodle]

I was hoping I can make Junior live a long time than just eight years. That's how old he is now. On a very long run, I was hoping to maybe see if he can break a record because I've felt I've taken so good care of him throughout his life.

My biggest fear is to experience another West Nile virus incident on one of my birds like what happened to my first bird that died. I did see a mosquito in their room one evening a week ago when I was watching my show, and hoped it didn't bite any of my birds before I swatted it. I did scare the birds with my loud swatting but I picked them to live instead.

[Kamoodle]

Just checked on him again. I've been entering the bathroom every now and then just to see if he's doing okay. Throughout much of the day today, he's been resting on the bottom. I decided to take one of my turtle's lamps and have it hanging over Junior's cage to see if that would help. The lamp is really a basking lamp but I think it's helping him just as much. Fortunately, the bathroom has been staying humid and warm for him.

When he finally jumped up on a perch to eat his favorite millet, I've noticed he is having trouble keeping his balance. I am starting to think the reason Junior doesn't look well isn't his age, although that could be a partial reason. He must've picked up something but I have no clue what.

Poor thing still doesn't want to talk to me like he always does. It sure feels different without his perkiness.

I did decide to look through the web on where is the nearest bird vet in Houston and unfortunately it is across the city from where I live. Plus, I wouldn't have the money for anything major if that is the only solution for him.

[dan78]

Hi kamoodle its around that age when you can classify a zeb as being a geriatric and if he has an illness well it's not going to be easy to fix with his age, average life expectancy is 8-9 in captivity so you have done a fine job to get him there. Giving him heat was a great idea and the humidity can also help. What's wrong with him well I can not say as going by being fluffed and wobbly is signs of old age and can be a number of issues. I don't know anything about the Nile virus so I can't say anything about it. Keep him warm and give him alot of treats to make him comfortable and maybe someone maybe able to give you the cure to help him get better.

[Kamoodle]

Here's a funny thing: I've heard of finches that puff up when they show signs of illness or when they get somewhat fluffy as a normal behavior. Junior, on the other hand, never puffs up, only to cool off at times. It always made him look smaller and skinny. So, today, he was definitely sick but he wasn't fluffy, or too fluffed for that matter.

The Nile virus is a very nasty one. Since we've been getting good rains this year in at least Houston, this has undoubtedly been the high point for mosquitoes. When we were on our drought last year, there weren't so many.

I can describe what happened to my first bird. I remember around the spring of 1999, that was when the virus was very bad. I was old enough to pay attention to the news. Anyway, I remembered the day before Amy died, she was acting very strange. She didn't open her wings at all if she wanted to fly, thus she tried to make huge jumps in the cage and getting hurt. On a high note, she was quite active. Then the next morning, she was on the bottom of the cage dying. She made a small weeping before she passed on. It was really tragic. Pesto (Amy's mate at the time and my most treasured bird) got a bit of it, too, but he survived only as a crippled bird.

[Kamoodle]

Well, just like the horrible morning when BeeBee passed away, I have a second tragic moment.

Junior passed away just a few minutes this morning. When I uncovered the birds this morning, he didn't come out right away but I let that pass when I slept a little while longer. When I came back in their bedroom to check, while I was talking to Junior, he crawled out of the bed and fell on his back in pain. I instantly grabbed him and held him comfortably in my hand while I tried to give him some water since I KNOW he didn't drink at all yesterday. After a few minutes of me trying to get him to drink, he calmly looked at me before he was able to let loose out of my hand and fell on the table his cage is on. He didn't fall far but it was enough for him to die once I got him on my hand again. Until I needed both hands to type here, the only thing that has been keeping his body warm was my hand.

At least, this time, I felt I put some effort into trying to get him better or at least make him feel comfortable yesterday by having the lamp on him throughout the day. I was going to let the morning sun warm him up before putting the lamp over him again. So, this time, I finally felt for the first time a bird's death wasn't my fault, although the slight part when he jumped out of hand does twist that truth a bit.

So, judging from this experience, I think he caught something and his age didn't help him with that. If was he dying of old age, it would've happened over time, not in a couple days. With photos I have of him plus my video clips, I will be posting another video in memory of him plus he will be buried along with his sister and BeeBee in the backyard.

I am now remembering the night I saw them as newborn chicks inside their mom and dad's next. The only thing I didn't get a chance to see because I was visiting my sister in Austin was the two learning how to fly and leaving the next. Snow White didn't start turning white until after a few days she was born; I instantly thought she was going to be a girl when I saw that even though it was too early to tell. Then I can barely remember Junior trying to sing his new song after he and Snow White had to be put in another cage. Both he and his dad sounded the same, except Junior always sounded louder. I used to have a bit of fun when those two were in that cage. After I would cover my birds up so that will tell them to go to bed, I would put my finger through the cage and have it resting on the perch. Quite often, those birds would get to that side of the cage where my finger was, and not knowing my finger was there in the dim light, I would have a bird sitting right on my finger for until they want to move again. It was so cute, like they were tamed and wanted to perch on my finger. I think it was around that time I was doing this that I found Junior had his stubby toe. Yeah, I am honoring their memories now but good memories.

I am kind of crying right now but for some reason I am not mourning as hard as I did for BeeBee. Still, Junior was a good bird to me. Him and his stubby toe. So, I am still mourning for him. Man, two and half months and I lost two birds. This is way too sudden.

Now Ducki and Lucky remain.

R.I.P. Junior
February 27, 2004 - June 22, 2012.

[Lisa]

I'm sorry for your loss It sounds like you loved him very much