new Female Zebra

[zebsoc]

Bought a new female zebra finch yesterday.

Small local store said they had no zebra finches but when I went by I was surprised to find they had a large cage packed full of zebra finches.

It was a display cage but the air holes on the side were covered with padding and even the top where there were air holes had boxes covering part of it.

They used dirt for floor covering and the feathers floated around as they flew since they stayed inside the cage.
But the cage was a nice size with lots of perches unlike the name brand store and they weren't fighting and plucking each other. They had nice flying space.

When they caught her it was with a net against the dirt floor. She got covered in dirt.

They only had an old cricket container covered in cricket poop to put her in. So I ended up buying a tiny cage to bring her home in.

As she flew around in the car, the dirt spread into the air and I started coughing. I couldn't breathe thru my mouth for the rest of the drive.

I think I was foolish to buy her. She had been breathing a lot with an open beak at the store, tho havent seen her do that at home.
What kind of respiratory problems could that cause for a small bird?
They had her for 1-2 weeks in that dusty enclosed environment.

She makes very soft chirps and not much.
Unlike Squeaky my female finch that has always squawk up a storm since the day I got her.

The new female is very active flying back and forth.

What signs to look for if any respiratory problems during quarantine?

[Sally]

I'd watch her breathing and also look for any discharge from the nasal passages. Keep her in quarantine perhaps for longer than you normally would. She should gradually become more vocal. And she should keep eating normally.