Who is our Gouldian expert now? Concerned about young hen

[lovezebs]

Not sure who our Gouldian expert is now, so I will throw this out to anyone who feels they have enough experience to tackle this question.
My little girl Sharra is not looking right. She is still quite young and has not gone through first molt. In the last little while, she has started to colour up a bit, but no molt as yet. As of yesterday, I noticed her looking a little patchy in the feather department. Was not sure if it was normal or not. Today, she is looking fluffy, sleeping more and wings a bit down. Has me worried. I put a heating light over her perch. Any thoughts, advice, suggestions?

[Ginene]

lovezebs...So sorry that your little girl is not feeling well. Why don't you try sending Debbie a PM??? I know this initial molt is stressful on these little ones. I would think heat, egg food and some electrolytes in the water would be a good idea. I know there are others who breed gouldians who can help you...Lori, Dolly, Brian, etc...Hopefully they will see your thread and chime in.

[finchmix22]

She looks fluffed up. How old is she? Are the other fledges fluffed too or just her? Of course, the heat lamp is key and then look at her droppings. Gouldians do go through a rough molt and the first time, they definitely need extra eggfood for the protein for new feathers and the calcium. Have you observed her eating or is she being pushed away? Not sure what is really happening without some more information, but we'll keep brainstorming.

[delray]

Hope your sharra feels better. I hope Debbie comes back .... She seems nice. But hopefully other Gouldian experts will help

[dutch]

lovezebs.....can you post a video of her on youtube...is she eating like she normally would?

[lovezebs]

Thanks for response folks.
I don't know how old Sharra is. I know she hasn't gone through first molt, so I'm assuming under six months or there about . She originally came from my favorite pet store, bought by a lady who decided after second thoughts that she really didn't fit in with her Society finches so was looking to re-home her. This was a while ago, so she didn't come to me like this.
All the rest of the feathered crew are fine.
Sharra is eating well and drinking. Seeds, eggs, veg, fruit, cuttle, grit, vit block, iodine block, vita- sole drops, apple cider vinegar.
She just seems a bit out of sorts. Although, with the heat on her now, she seems to be happier and more alert.
Let's keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best. Maybe she was feeling a bit cold. I'm starting to wonder if Spring is ever going to come to this God forsaken land this year.

[delray]

Yes hopefully she will feel better. Hope Gouldian experts will come on

[dutch]

lovezebs....if she's eating and her vents dry I wouldn't worry...im sure she's fine

[Crystal]

How long have you had her?

I will say that I think your concerns are valid, and I'm glad she's already a little better with the extra heat. From your photos & description it sounds like your hen is remaining puffed up, maintaining drooped wings, and is sleeping more; these are all signs that--when not just momentary--usually indicate a bird is not feeling well. I agree that it is worth checking her vent for staining as well as looking at her droppings and keeping a close eye on her appetite. If it won't stress her too much, you may also want to feel her breast area to see if there is enough muscle around the sternum/keel or if the breast feels too bony. (If you're not sure what "normal" feels like, try feeling the breast area of one of your other (acting very healthy) birds...hopefully they have good muscle mass for comparison!)

I think you made a very smart move by providing her with extra heat and making sure to provide good nutrition. Another step you can take if you haven't already is minimizing any stress to her where possible (keep her in a quiet room where she won't be disturbed by, say, the family cat for example). If she is in a large enclosure and would tolerate it, you may want to consider moving her to a smaller one ("hospital cage") while she's feeling under the weather so she doesn't have to travel far to get to food/water/heat source/etc. I don't know if veterinary care is an option for you, but it may also be worth considering especially if she gets any worse or if she does have a soiled vent, any trouble breathing, a bony sternum, etc.

Unfortunately, it is probably impossible to say exactly what is causing the problem without knowing a lot more (puffing up, drooping wings, and lethargy are pretty nonspecific signs of being under the weather--so many things can cause them!)--and possibly more than you could find out at home, but for whatever it's worth I do not recall any of my gouldian juveniles "acting sick" during their first molt. (I would be interested to hear if others have had a different experience.) That being said, the molt is a very stressful time on their bodies; if she was trying to fight something off and entered a molt, it may have lowered her defenses.

Hope she continues to get better! She is a really cute little girl!

[lovezebs]

delray dutch Crystal
Thankyou folks.
Sharra appeared to be in better spirits before bedtime. We will have to see what morning brings. I didn't want to grab her to take a really close look at her unmentionables, but from what I could see when she bent over to eat, things appeared to be dry in that department.
Jaxom, was trying to do his best to cheer her up by singing his best lispy little song. So she does have moral support from the Gouldian contingent.
I hope that things will look better tomorow.
Thanks for the support.

[jniner]

Hi there, I have found that most of my juvie Goulds do go through a bit of a rough patch during the first moult, where I always spend some time wondering if they are sick or not. Sometimes they even tuck their head for a couple days, but they always turn around in a day or two. Mine are always provided with a heat lamp, so they can go over and sunbathe a bit when they feel like it. If her bum looks clean and poo is normal looking, plus she is eating & drinking normally, it's probably just the stress of the first moult. Crossing my fingers for you!

[lovezebs]

jniner
Thanks for responding.
Sharra appears to be a little better today, even caught her swinging this morning. Eating, drinking, just not looking happy.
Problem is, that Jaxom, Sharra and Mirrim are my first Gouldi babies, so I don't know what's normal or not for them. I have seen some Gouldians in the pet shop, looking like porcupines while undergoing their moult, so I sort of expected that, but this is different.
I'll try and snap a couple of pictures of her today, and see what you all think.
Thanks.

[delray]

Glad she feels a bit better

[Colt]

Some of mine act off when they are heavily molting as well. I just keep them warm and well-fed and before I know it they are acting themselves again. Even if it takes them a while to become beautamous. ;)

[lovezebs]

Colt
Hi Guy.
Not so concerned about ' beautamous' (is that even a word?) right now. Just worried about my wee Sharra deciding to drop dead of a sudden and silly me not even knowing what the problem is or how I should have helped her.