Male Gouldian died, should I treat cagemate?

[thegatorgal]

I lost Sunny, my beautiful Orange head, white breasted, yellow back (single factor) male Gouldian the other day. I got him in November and he has been in quarantine since the birds in my flight cage are rearing babies. I did recently get him a mate of the same color. She was living with him. The breeder told me he was 10 months when I got him, so he should have been around a year old, though he wasn't banded with a dated band.

He had been very healthy, normal droppings, eating well, he would sing all day long. The other night when I came home from work I noticed he was asleep with his head under his wing. I immediately knew something wasn't right because he always greeted me with a 'twirt' when I came in the room. He woke up and began ravenously eating, but was puffy and wings drooping the whole time. It was a very frantic thing, the way he was eating. He kept eating way past his normal bed time and finally settled to sleep in a spot different from where he normally sleeps. He had passed away by morning

When I looked him over in the morning I could easily feel his keel bone, he seemed very skinny. I had treated him once for air sac mites since I got him in Nov. But he has received no other meds. I had clipped his nails back about a month ago and don't remember him feeling skinny. Does this sound like anything in particular?

I am worried about his hen. Should I treat her for something to be safe? She seems fine, she is just finishing up a particularly heavy molt, she is about 6 months old.

I have Baytril, S76 and Ronex.

[thegatorgal]

This was Sunny

[delray]

thegatorgal Sorry about sunny. His colors were so vibrant.

It's tough because we are not sure what the cause was, I just hope his mate doesn't get anything. It's kind of like giving someone antibiotics, but you aren't sure if there is something not right. Keep a close eye on her.

[delray]

I hope someone more knowledgeable answers your question. I want the best for his mate.

[thegatorgal]

I agree, I hate to needlessly treat when I don't know what caused his death. I am thinking it might have been a parasite/protozoa because of the extreme weight loss despite a healthy appetite. That is something I could treat his mate, Buttercup, for.

[delray]

thegatorgal in that case, maybe you should go for it. It really can't hurt her.

Yeah, It does seem to be some sort of parasite.

[lovezebs]

thegatorgal

I am so so sorry about Sunny. What an incredibly beautiful bird.
I'm afraid I don't have any answers for you, just wanted to express my sympathy.

~Elana~

[thegatorgal]

Thanks for your replies, I really miss Sunny, as his cage was in my bedroom and he would sing to me any time I was in there.

I cleaned and disinfected all of the cages today. I caught his hen, Buttercup and she definitely feels thin to me She is eating well, but still going through a rough molt. About a week ago she molted all her flight feathers out at one time, so she was unable to fly! All she has are pins feathers where her flights should be. I adjusted her perches and feed cups to help her out and she is able to reach everything easily. Thankfully the feathers are slowly starting to fill out.

I started her on the Ronex just in case it is protozoal. I also want to deworm her. Does S76 cover any internal parasites besides air sac mites? I will need to get something else if not.

[Ginene]

"Going Light" can be caused by a number of things. I suggest
you do a bit of research on the subject and possibly consult an avian vet if your hen feels thin too. I am so sorry that you lost your beautiful male. Hopefully your hen will improve with treatment. Best of luck to you.
http://www.ladygouldianfinch.com/featur ... glight.php