What is this Sound???

[MiaCarter]

Okay, so this has been bugging me for a while.

Can anyone tell me what this sound is all about?
http://www.petfinchfacts.com/wp-content ... sSound.mp3

That audio was enhanced, as you can tell by the background hiss.
It's a very soft sound. It actually took me quite a while to figure out who it was.

Squeepers does this ALL. The. Time.
He can control it.
He can stop, so it's not constant. And only when he's awake.
You can see his throat clicking as he does it.
He always does it when he's active and alert. He *acts* like he's chattering and vocalizing intentionally.
It never happens when he's at rest. If you call his name, he'll stop and look at you and other times when you've got his attention, he'll stop.

But it's very frequent which is what concerns me.
And I've never, ever heard it before in another bird.
None of the others do this. (Though I've heard others make the sound, but only 3 or 5 little honks. Not for a long period as he does.)

My fear is that it's some sort of respiratory illness?
Though he shows no obvious symptoms of illness, respiratory or otherwise. No clicking. No open mouth breathing. Normal respiratory rate. No sneezing.
I did the light-up-the-throat trick and didn't see anything.

Has anyone ever heard a sound like that in connection with a respiratory ailment?
Specifically, air sac mites. I know there is a "squeaking" associated with ASM, but I've never heard it. (And I can't imagine how he'd get ASM, but whatever. Stranger things have happened.)

Is this him vocalizing or is it a symptom of something?

[Corkysgirl]

Wow Mia, I don't know. It's enhanced so it's hard to tell. Because it's so constant...continual and kinda fast concerns me. I never heard anything like that before. The fact that he stops when you call him and looks at you is good, but then if he never did it before...that's a curious thing also. But maybe it's like a baby trying out his voice, or a puppy when they just hear themselves for the first time. Has he been very vocal up until this point? Can it possibly be that?

[MiaCarter]

Corkysgirl -- I know it!
It's very odd.
As I said, he can definitely control it, which I imagine wouldn't be the case if it was involuntary.
But it's so odd and I've never heard it before!

[Corkysgirl]

I just edited the post and added more since you posted. I think it must be voluntary!

[MiaCarter]

Re Corkysgirl : The fact that he stops when you call him and looks at you is good, but then if he never did it before...that's a curious thing also. But maybe it's like a baby trying out his voice, or a puppy when they just hear themselves for the first time. Has he been very vocal up until this point? Can it possibly be that?

Ah, see that's the thing.
He's always done this - ever since he found his voice, so it's not a new thing.

He's super vocal. He's always chattering and honking and singing, which is why part of me thinks it's just his "thing". Sort of like a tic.

But it's so unique; I've never heard it before. (I've heard the sound before, but never for the length of time or in the frequency that he does it.)
I think that's what's so concerning. I've had dozens of finches over the years. You'd think at least one would have done this if it was a normal thing.

I wish I could show you a video of him as he does it, but it seems the audio doesn't capture quite as well when I have my phone in video mode.

The best thing I can think to compare it to is this: You know how little kids often hum, make sounds and sort of mumble softly and under their breath when they're happy and playing? There's an unconsciousness to it, it's voluntary but it's like they're not really aware they're doing it. And if you call the child's name, they snap out of it and stop?
Same thing here.

[Corkysgirl]

That's so weird Mia. I think you could take comfort in the fact that he can stop it at will. I think he must like the sound of his voice. Birds are funny! You describe how Priscilla is with Elvis. Their relationship is totally unique. Out of way more than 100 finches I've had over the years, I've never met a finch with a personality like Little Fawn. It was like she was in tune with your moods, came over to me for attention, etc.. He is just..."him" I think. I would think seizures...because seizures can be really different in variety but he can willfully stop so it can't be that. I have a friend's son whose seizures were speaking weird words...gibberish. That's why I thought that...but it can't be. It must be just him being vocal. I'd just watch him for anything else that pops up illness wise.

[debbie276]

Sounds perfectly normal to me. Definitely sounds vocal and not labored breathing. He may just like to hear himself talk which isn't hard to understand being a zebra. ASM usually stops them from vocalizing, I would not guess ASM at all.

[MiaCarter]

debbie276 -- Thanks for your thoughts, Debbie!

Indeed, that's what I was thinking too -- that birds with ASM are labored and don't really have the extra breath to vocalize.
But I'd read about a "squeaking" sound in connection with ASM -- something I'd never observed in the couple cases I've seen. So I was fearing that perhaps that's what it was!