Orange Cheek boy needs help..

[lovezebs]

Anyone who breeds and raises Orange Cheek wax bills.
My little Elf seems to have perching/balancing problems. I've noticed for a while now that when he perches, he seems to sort of lean backwards. Then he flutters his wings to get back to normal position. Then it starts all over again.
I placed Fairy and him in a seperate cage all to themselves (other kids were picking on him in community flight) and put a warm light on them for comfort. They eat, they drink, they bath, they cuddle and preen, but then he goes over backwards....

Any ideas folks? This has been going on for several weeks now, without getting better or worse.
???? Any ideas or advice would be appreciated. ???
Elf, is the one on the right.

[Ginene]

Poor little guy . How's his vent? Poop? I would add NV Powder to their water for a few days. Might help perk him up a bit.

[Jen]

Oh poor baby...you can tell he's sort of leaning on her a little. I just got a pair of orange cheeks last weekend so I can't help you with any answers. I'm sure someone will chime in soon. But I'll be watching this thread to see the replies. Best of luck!!!

[wildbird]

Such pretty birds! Love their names. Hope Elf will be ok.

[lovezebs]

Thanks folks for moral support .

I hope someone will come up with some answers for my little fella.

IS THERE ANYONE OUT THERE WHO HAS WAX BILL KNOWLEDGE???

[MiaCarter]

I'm sorry to hear your boy is unwell.
I had a similar thing happen a few weeks ago with my zebra, Priscilla. And while obviously, she's a different species, I think your bird may have the same problem. I don't think it's a species-specific issue.

The story is here:
http://www.finchforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=29294

And a bit more on my site:
http://www.petfinchfacts.com/all-posts/ ... n-finches/
http://www.petfinchfacts.com/all-posts/ ... targazing/

She had similar symptoms --- tough time landing/perching, listing to one side. She was leaning to one side while standing and her tail and a wing were held oddly to compensate.
At its worst, her equilibrium was totally shot.

She was pretty stable for about a week, then she crashed and it got worse and worse and worse.
It started subtly over the course of a week, perhaps a bit longer, and then got really bad within the span of a couple days.
She was mentally okay, and eating and drinking. But she got to a point where she couldn't fly (or she'd try and crash land) and perching was out of the question. She'd put her wings out to balance while trying to perch or stand. She'd wobble back and forth (from head to tail) when trying to land and balance and she'd flutter her wings or put them out tot he sides, just as you describe.

It was awful to see. She was existing. Not living. Once she could no longer perch, she spent her days in one of the sleeping nests.

I'd tried Amoxitex for a week, but no luck. She actually got worse near the end of the treatment course.
Then, I tried Trimethoprim Sulfate and Nystatin and it worked beautifully.

It appears it was a form of twirling, which can occur due to ear infections, bacterial and fungal infections, all sorts of things. But I'd try the Trimethoprim Sulfate and Nystatin combo. Worked beautifully for me.

If it doesn't fix it, then it could be a blown ear drum. I'm not sure that gets better. If so, it takes a long time.

[Corkysgirl]

lovezebs I immediately thought of what MiaCarter's bird had. It could be a middle ear infection or a virus, a form a twirling. I would treat with Trimethoprim Sulfate and Nystatin.

[lovezebs]

Hi all.
This morning noticed that my boy had a blob (white) hangin under his fluffy little butt.
I grabbed him and discovered that it wa a blob of dry poop hanging off some feathers. I removed it with some tissue which needless to say, my little fella didn't enjoy. His bum still looks a little untidy. What is a good solution for bum cleaning when it comes to birds? Just warm water? Or is there something better?

[wildbird]

Maybe just put a bath in for him & he will take care of it himself.

[lovezebs]

wildbird
They have a bath available daily. He has not shown much interest even though my other OCW washes everyday. He seems to enjoy sitting on the sidelines and getting splashed by his buddy. I hope that now that the 'big' problem is gone, maybe he'll manage to clean things up on his own.

[Teagarden]

lovezebs - Sorry to hear Elf is having balance problems. I have had many different waxbills [including OCW] for many years. The only bird I have had with balance issues was a waxbill with only 1 leg given to me by a friend & he adjusted to 1 leg over a couple of weeks. It's great he is eating, drinking, preening etc. I agree putting him in a smaller cage with heat is great. It helps him settle & usually it is easier for us to observe their behavior & droppings. If possible I would put white paper or paper towels on the bottom of cage to better observe his droppings.
I have a few questions - Have you had him long & where did you get him [breeder or store]? What type of diet does he eat - seed only or seed plus veggies, eggs &/or fruit? If a bird is not accustomed to flying around a large flight or aviary it can take some time to do so & balance can be an issue although briefly [3 to 5 days]. What size & type of perch is in the cage?
It sounds like you have been very attentive & observant of him. Sometimes finches & waxbills can be stressed or have an illness that is hard to identify by listing symptoms. You can search this site [top of page] for droppings & get a lot of info. Also - I strongly recommend anyone with a pet bird find an avian vet in their area. They can be lifesavers!

[MiaCarter]

Yeah, the warm bath should do the trick. That's typical when they're not feeling good. They tend to poop in place (usually in a nest).

My girl Priscilla had balance issues, followed by an itchy bum, which resulted in bleeding because she was picking at it.

She wouldn't bathe either (never has - never been a fan of the bath). So I had to shut her inside the bath box for a few minutes. I filled it with warm water. Popped her in. Let her do her thing, while I held a piece of cardboard over the open side of the bath box.

Of course, she was wet and miserable by the time we were done. So I toweled her off and put her under the heat lamp. I got the "whisper quiet" (but still terrifying to some of the others) blow dryer to dry her off the rest of the way.

[Ginene]

lovezebs...a soiled vent is usually a sign of sickness. Especially since he has already been having balance issues, I would view this symptom as he is getting worse. Please forgive me for butting in ...its just that Waxbills are sooo very good at hiding their sickness and I would hate to see you lose your little one. I have heard many say that by the time you realize they are sick, its too late . Do you happen to have 4 in 1 powder? It is a very good broad spectrum antibiotic. It might do your little guy some good. Of coarse, a heat lamp and some alone time in a hospital cage is important too...this will prevent other birds from contracting what he might already have.

[MiaCarter]

Agreed, Ginene.
I'd definitely treat him with antibiotics, working under the assumption that he's unwell.

[Ginene]

MiaCarter...If it was just the balance, i would say wait and watch...but the slightly soiled vent makes me nervous. Sounds like what happened to my BCCB Ernie. He was "off"...puffy, not super active and quiet...then his vent started with a slight soil. I treated with Ornacycline (high dose as recommended) because its what I had, but an awesome breeder friend of mine recommended the 4 in 1. She said it really is a must have. Anyway...he improved for a while, but when I returned him to the large flight he began to decline again within days. I promptly removed him and started the 4 in 1, but he was dead the next morning. I was so upset...but I did the best I could. His mate (Bert) is still alone (well, he's actually with a male society) and awaiting the arrival of a lovely BCCB hen (Mary) from his Texas breeder very soon.