HELP, PLEASE, my lavender is not acting right

[MiaCarter]

Aw no! I love your lavendars! So lovely.

I'd hit him with Rescue Remedy, Thrive and Amoxitex.

The balance issue has just a small number of potential causes.

An inner ear infection is one possibility. I'd say this is a good possibility. They act slightly off, but not profoundly unwell until the infection advances to the point of serious balance issues. Ultimately, it will spread to the respiratory system, as the ears are connected to the throat.

It could also be viral, which is one cause of twirling. I had a hen (Priscilla) who presented similarly to your guy and this was apparently the cause, because the standard remedy --- Trimethoprim Sulfa (antibiotic) and Nystatin (antifungal) was the solution that worked.
The Amoxitex and nursing measures did nothing.
She acted unwell, but it was clearly because she was off balance. By the time I started her on Trimethoprim Sulfa and Nystatin, she was living in her nest full-time, even getting her meals in there. That's how bad the balance problem was. Once the balance improved, she was up and living again.

You could also see balance issues due to extreme dehydration and/or extreme hypoglycemia. But in theory, those problems should never arise alone. So unless you were withholding food/water, those symptoms are virtually always a symptom of a greater problem.

The other cause of balance issues would be toxin accumulation due to failing liver and/or kidneys. There's nothing you could really do for this beyond comfort measures, as it would be the result of very advanced disease process. (In a dog or cat or even a larger bird, you would administer fluid therapy and other supportive measures to try to reverse the failure. But that's quite difficult in a finch. Though if you had Ringer's solution and a syringe, there wouldn't be any harm in a subcutaneous injection of some fluids.)

I would start him on Amoxitex. If it's an inner ear infection, he'll start improving fairly quickly - within 24-48 hours.
If there's no improvement, I'd try the Trimethoprim Sulfa (antibiotic) and Nystatin (antifungal) mix.

Honestly, I'd cut to the chase and administer antibiotics because that's the only really treatable condition that could cause this.
You could hold off and offer supportive measures to see if he improves.
If it's an infection, he'd get worse.
If it's viral, he'd get worse.
If it's toxicity due to organ failure, there's no telling what would happen. He'd probably get worse, but that wouldn't have any relation to whether or not you administered antibiotics.
So as I see it, there's no sense in holding off on antibiotics.

If you have babies in that cage, I think you need to pull him if you administer antibiotic. I did administer antibiotics once in a cage with unweaned babies and they were okay, but I also administered nystatin to prevent yeast infection formation.
Without nystatin, I wouldn't risk it. The chances of the babies forming a yeast infection is too high.

[KarenB]

He is weaker on the perch and when he clings to the millet to eat, and he just stumbles somewhat.

He has been camped out under the heat lamp for the past half hour. His hen came over and started to preen him. It was one of those aww, so cute moments.

Thanks, MiaCarter for your helpful insight, as always.

I do not have the Nystatin and the other Trime-thing you mentioned. Maybe I should add it to my pharmacopeia.

[KarenB]

I just snapped this one. The hen is above him. This is his all-the-time look.

[lovezebs]

KarenB
I hope your boy is feeling better soon. They are such lovely birds and definitely on my wish list.

~Elana~

[MiaCarter]

Goodness are they gorgeous.
He doesn't look too unwell. A slight bit puffy, but not awful.

How's he doing today?
Did you decide to give him anything?

[KarenB]

I put him in hospital with heat lamp, amox, thrive on the veggies and egg, regular seed mix, and miracle meal. Now we wait. Tonight I will see about photoshooting his poop. Fun times.

[lovezebs]

KarenB
Good luck.

~Elana~

[KarenB]

Okay, all you Poopologists, what have we got? All are on a puppy pad that I put in there so I could see the poop better. It does absorb any liquidy stuff.

This is underneath where he's camped out under the heat lamp


This is in the middle of the cage


This is over by the food trough


And that is pretty much all he's pooped since I put him in yesterday.

[Colt]

Good luck. Hoping we don't need to use Elana's cat for a sacrifice as I found no unwanted pests in the bird room.

And no idea on the poop...

[MiaCarter]

Hmm....poop doesn't look all that unusual to me.

Seems like there's a large percentage of feces, but I think it may be a function of being on the floor diaper. Remember that droppings are urates (the white stuff) urine and feces. I think it may be an optical illusion that there's a lot of feces, since the urates are blending in with the background.

And the feces are good since that shows us he's still eating.

[KarenB]

Oh, he definitely is still eating. He's one of my best eaters.

[MiaCarter]

KarenB -- Well that's great!
Eating is a good thing!

Is there anything that could have stressed him?

[lovezebs]

KarenB
I'm no poop expert, but this looks normal to me.
Karen, is he still acting off? Or have things improved?

If he was a guy, I would wonder if he'd been drinking. Which brings up something I'd heared on the news the other day. It had something to do with birds eating fermenting fruit somewhere and getting tipsy. Your guy hasn't been partaking of some fermenting berries, has he?

~Elana~

[KarenB]

KarenB
I'm no poop expert, but this looks normal to me.
Karen, is he still acting off? Or have things improved?

If he was a guy, I would wonder if he'd been drinking. Which brings up something I'd heared on the news the other day. It had something to do with birds eating fermenting fruit somewhere and getting tipsy. Your guy hasn't been partaking of some fermenting berries, has he?

~Elana~

If that boy has gotten into my brandy, imma be mad.

[KarenB]

Like I said, he acts perfectly normal in all respects but for the fact he does act like he's a bit tipsy. I guess that really is the best explanation for what I see. I haven't seen him since this morning. Just got off work and I'm on the bus home, so I will check him out when I get there.

The curious thing is that he is the only one in the flight acting like that. Thank you bird gods.