very sick zebra finch...please any help.thankyou.

[mikeonthebike]

Help?..
i have an 11 month old cock bird zebby finch.been fine till 3 days ago.He was in an
enclosed flight with another male outdoors for 4 months.It has been very warm here
in the u.k.They get on fine.I got a male for him coz his nest mate (hen) was taken by a cat.He too was attacked but survived 3 months ago.He is very strong little bird.
Q,can the males get sexualy transmitted diseases off each other?..i notice they were
mounting 3 weeks ago.
Now,..for 3 days AFTER he poops,he thrust his body up and down quite violently
as if he is in pain,his feathers are fluffed up too.He eats very little and is quite lethargic now.His poop is quite runny and pale green.A vet gave me a laxative.
which seems to have helped.Now,his beake is open as he breaths and i noticed fluid in his mouth so he can not swallow well.He has normal seeds.The vet gave me
anti biotics today to administer by hand and put in his water x 2 per day.I have in
a hospital cage with a heat lamp.He has been through a lot in his short life and he
seems to be fighting this all the way so..i want to help him live....please help if you have any advice.many thanks from fatso (his name).

[finchmix22]

mikeonthebike
So sorry your little guy was attacked and is sick. Sounds like you've done a great job so far. If he is taking antibiotics, has heat, and is inside now, he has a chance to get better. After the antibiotics, give him some Probiotic to help restore the gut flora. As far as food, millet spray and eggfood or other easy to eat foods help. Keep us posted. Prayers for a complete recovery!
BTW-Welcome to the forum!

[MiaCarter]

Aw, I'm sorry to hear about your little guy. How wonderful he survived such an awful experience.
Did he suffer any bite wounds? I ask because that can lead to the formation of an abscess -- a pocket of infection, which can get worse and spread with time.

He's quite lovely!
Though in that photo, he looks a bit fluffed. They both do, actually Was it cold when you took that photo?

Agreed with finchmix22; the antibiotics and the heat lamp and the indoor accommodations are really all you can do at the moment.

I'm sure they could transmit illnesses by mounting each other. In particular, perhaps intestinal parasites.
That's something I wondered about when you mentioned the problems going to the bathroom.

Some intestinal parasites can cause irritation and inflammation to the intestinal tract. That results in diarrhea and a feeling like you've still got to "go".

Though now, the look of his his poop will be skewed by the antibiotics and laxatives, so it's difficult to determine anything from the droppings.

But I might see about getting a fecal smear performed. They're not usually that pricey. It's just an analysis under the microscope where they look for organisms and signs of parasites.

[debbie276]

Green droppings are usually a sign of a bacterial infection. I'm sure your vet has the best advise for you seeing how he's there and able to see your bird.
As for transmitting diseases from 2 males mounting each other I'm not sure it could happen. I'm pretty sure the male's anatomy would allow him to draw up the sperm like the hen's does.

best of luck for a speedy recovery

[Sally]

So sorry to hear your little boy is having trouble, he certainly sounds like he is a tough little guy. You've been given good advice already, your vet is the best one to prescribe for him. The heat lamp is one of the best treatments you can do, as they find it difficult to keep up their body temperature when they are sick. Hope he has a good recovery.

Btw, welcome to the forum, though it is under difficult circumstances. There's lots of good reading at the Finch Information Center, linked at left. If you put your general location in your profile, it helps when answering locale-specific questions.

[wildbird]

Is the other male healthy? The cage wire looks like it might be galvanized wire. I think it is toxic to birds but finches don't usually chew on things. Just a thought.

[Sally]

I don't think the galvanized wire should be a problem, many of my cages are made out of galvanized wire. Since finches don't tend to chew, I don't believe we have to worry about that. Twelve of my galvanized wire cages came from an estate sale from a breeder who raised cockatiels in them.

[cindy]

I agree with Debbie....highly unlikely your one male transmitted anything to your ill male. Most parasites are ingested by coming in contact with them via droppings in food, pecking seed from the bottom of the cage where droppings are that may be infected. This is an article on parasites.
http://www.mfgouldianfinches.com/Issues ... sites.html

Male mounting male is a dominance act where the alpha male mounts another male.

Continue to give the medication, keep him warm and give him good nourishing foods. Best of luck

[mikeonthebike]

thankyou all very much for your feed back...
fatso passed away between 8-9am today...i went out to buy some egg food to
help him eat and get more nourishment when i left he was alive...his partner in
the other cage stayed close by him all night too...such great hearty little birds.
i wrapped him in a note paper with my message of thanks for the joy he brought to
me and put a flower in with him too...i buried him in a feild where no one or nothing
can disturb him.I am gutted because he wanted to live and fought hard.never forget
you fatso...hope your little soul is at rest and now with snow drop who was taken from you go to god my dear little freind...

[finchmix22]

mikeonthebike
I'm so sorry to her you lost fatso. May he fly high in Heaven and meet up with his mate. You did everything you could for the little guy, so he was well loved and cared for while with you.

[Sally]

So sorry to hear you lost Fatso, you certainly tried to help him. Unfortunately, finches hide illness so well that by the time they are showing signs, they are often past the point of saving.

[Ginene]

So sorry for your loss Mike...fly free little one...

[Corkysgirl]

mikeonthebike, I'm sorry to hear your lost your much loved little bird fatso! It's hard losing a little bird your grow so attached to. You did so much to try to help him. I hope you take comfort in that.

[wildbird]

The hardest part of keeping birds is losing them. There is only so much that you can do for them & you did the best you could. His partner will miss him too. Our thoughts & prayers are with you.