tucking head under back feathers?

[LauraBird]

Oooooooooooooook!

Brought new Gouldians home yesterday. All four are doing great. I think the two males are figuring out dominance but no actually fighting or attacking.

While I watched them this morning, my yellow female sat on a perch and tucked her head under her wing (under the top of it). She'd tuck, then peek out, then tuck, peek out, for about 10-ish minutes - enough for this bird mama to frantically start looking up symptoms and avian vets.

Now she seems ok...I have seen her eat and drink.

Could she just be cold? I bought an avian lamp - Does that radiate heat or do I need another lamp for that?

Could it just be stress from the new birds? I would rather not have to take her to a vet and stress her out more.

Oh, pooh, she's tucking under her wing (under the top of it) again.

Help! Thanks!

[LauraBird]

Ok again,

Called avian vet who recommended heat and a cover at night. Off to go shopping! I would appreciate any more advice - I really don't want to stress her out by going to the vet.

[LauraBird]

She may be grooming more than the others?

[Sally]

It's not necessarily a bad sign, birds also sleep in this position. It's always a good idea to keep an eye on new purchases, though, because they are stressed by the change. If she is eating and drinking, that is a good sign. It never hurts to give a little extra heat during this period, the avian lamp probably doesn't give off enough. If it is an incandescent bulb and at least 60w, you can place it closer to the cage to provide some warmth--place your hand in front of the bulb to check. If not, you can place any lamp with a 60w bulb close to one end of the cage, so she can sit in the warmth if wanted, but move away from it if needed. If you have something like Guardian Angel, Vitalize, or NV Powder, it is always good to give a supplement like this when first setting up new birds. If not, you can make your own from this recipe:

http://www.finchforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=18044

[debbie276]

I agree with Sally, may just be stress of the move though you'll want to watch her closely.
best of luck

[LauraBird]

Thank you thank you!

I found one of those lamps with 5 different bendable lights upstairs so I have that on one end of the cage. It doesn't bother them to have the lights blaring in their eyes? maybe I'll get some heat lamps that are a little more gentle to the eyes...can I use those bulbs in a regular light fixture?

[Sally]

The light is not going to hurt them on a temporary basis. I have found the best item in my emergency kit is a heat lamp--warmth seems to do wonders for them, especially when it is something like stress-related illness. Please keep us posted on how she is doing.

[LauraBird]

Oooook! Peaches is still not feeling well. I bought a heat lamp (blue 100 watt incandescent) and she sits on the highest/closest perch. She tucks her head under her wing, and she is poofed and a bit ruffled. However, she is still flying down to the food dish to eat.

I cleaned the cage and she escaped into the room (small with a door). I tried not to stress her out to catch her (with a net and my hand), but there was only so much I could do (I handled her gently and didn't rush) to reduce the stress.

The other 3 finches look great, and will sit next to her on the perch (they have a lot to choose from).

So. She's probably sick. I don't know if it's worth stressing her out by taking her to a vet (catching her will be stressful, etc.) or whether she's recovering from stress and taking her somewhere would make things worse. Or whether she is sick but will get better on her own. Thoughts? Thanks!

[Dayna]

It's really hard to say. Every bird deals with stress differently and some take longer than others to adjust. Sleeping and puffiness are usually a sign of sickness but without knowing any other symptoms it's hard to know for sure. I had a hen that sat really puffed up on a perch for nearly 4 months. I thought for sure she was going to drop at any moment but I couldn't find anything wrong with her. As time went on she gradually puffed up less and less. Now she looks like a normal healthy bird. She took an extremely long time to adjust and it probably won't be the same for you I'm just using an example but without knowing much else it's really hard to say if she's sick or it's just stress. How long hve you had the birds now?

[LauraBird]

I brought Louis and Peaches (the sick one) home on August 5th. They said Louis was a little less than a year old, Peaches a little older than a year. They both looked healthy at that point.

On August 27 Mitchell and Kiwi came home. They appear healthy, too. All purchased at a bird specialty store.

[Sally]

Is she in a cage by herself now? Where you can monitor her poop? Here is a site that tells you some of things to look for in poop to see what is wrong with a bird. I agree with Dayna, with no other symptoms to go on, there is no way to tell if she is really sick or just still dealing with stress. Have you given her electrolytes?

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

[LauraBird]

I do not have her in a cage by herself...I only have one cage at this time.

She has vitamins in her water, and a food mixture that includes a "stress diet," bugs, seeds, etc.

Are there things at the petstore I can add for electrolytes?

[Sally]

A sick bird really should be in a hospital cage by itself, so you can monitor droppings and administer meds if needed. Any small cage will do, as long as the bird can move around and perhaps fly a bit, though it doesn't have to be that large. In this type cage, a 100w bulb would be too much, 60w is adequate, and the bird must have room to be able to move away from the heat if it is too much. Most pet stores don't carry bird electrolytes, so you have to order them online. Or you can make your own from this recipe:

http://www.finchforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=18044

Sick and/or stressed birds often become dehydrated, and they need the electrolytes.

[Diana]

She was just trying to sleep:). Don't worry.

[30 Seconds to Bob]

I agree with Sally (and probably mostly everyone else), that this bird, if still acting like this, should be isolated. It could be harboring something that can be passed on to the other birds. You can buy a small budgie cage for less than $20.00 - sometimes even around $10. Depending on where you live, you may still be able to get Ornacyn Plus (erythromycin) at a pet shop without a prescription or order it online. This stuff does work. It is not a "cure all" but will cure many respiratory and gastrointestinal infections. I like to mix it up a tiny bit stronger than directed and add some honey to make it taste better. Keep it in the fridge and only keep the mixture for five days before mixing it up fresh again. Withold fruits and veggies and use this as the only water source for two whole weeks. JMO. Bob