Ill/Dying Male Zebra Finch

[Becky]

Thanks for adding me! I have a pair of bonded male zebra finches, just a little over 3 years old. About 2 months ago I had to separate them as one was pecking at the other, and caused a bald spot on his head. Their cages are stacked so they can hear and interact with each other still. Just as his bald spot was re-sprouting new feathers he had what I thought was a blood feather just above his right leg last Thursday. The bleeding stopped independently and he appeared to be in perfect health otherwise since then. Today I found him lethargic, puffed up, and squinting his eyes tightly shut. He is mostly staying on the floor of his cage, or two corners, and gets winded easily. His beak also looked brittle at its peak this afternoon and shortly after a crack was present. Bleeding has also begun sporadically and the bald spot on his chest from the blood feather is growing larger. He is eating and drinking a little. I sincerely thought he would pass quickly once I saw this, so I did not take him to the vet to be PTS, as I thought it would stress him horribly. Now I feel awful and wish I had because I don't want him to suffer. I did wrap his cage with a blanket and put a heat lamp on it in order to keep him more comfortable and have spent most of the night talking and singing to him. Has anyone had any similar experiences, or any advice? I am just heartbroken and would appreciate any and all pearls of wisdom.

[Sally]

Becky So sorry you and your little Zebra are having to go through this. I really have no explanation for why he has gone downhill so quickly. Losing a blood feather shouldn't have been this damaging to him, so perhaps something else is going on. Giving him a heat lamp is one of the best things you can do for an ill bird, but make sure that he can get away from the heat if needed. I usually point the heat lamp at one end of one perch, leaving other areas of the cage open so that a bird can get away from the heat.

Welcome to the forum, though it is not under the best of circumstances. There's lots of good reading at www.finchinfo.com, where you will find many articles on finch care. If you put your general location in your profile, it makes it easier for others to answer locale-specific questions later on.

[Becky]

Thank you so much, Sally. I appreciate the kind words, because of course I am beating myself up going through all the woulda, coulda, shouldas. Yes, we set up the lamp to be concentrated in one corner/side of the cage, and then if he got too warm he would scooch over to the other half of his cage. It truly seemed to help him feel better, and after a bit he went and had a drink and ate some. This morning he seems to be improving, flying in the cage even! Although after my crash course of researching zebra finch illnesses yesterday I am now well aware that this can also be deceiving so I am only cautiously optimistic.

Thanks for the tip, I will update my profile. I was so tired last night I didn't even think to do it. We live in Upstate New York, sadly not in a nice sunny and warm locale like you! Thanks again for your kindness, and I will keep this thread updated on Scout's progress.

[Ryan722]

Im hoping Scout is okay. I can't imagine why losing a blood feather would get him ill.

[Becky]

I am thinking it wasn't a blood feather after all. It is so hard to tell because it is on his underside, so it is difficult to see. He is a skittish little guy and does not let me hold him, despite my best efforts. I wish he would because then I would be able to check it out better. There is definitely a bald patch in that area.

But today his belly looked better. He is moving around more, and even singing a bit. The crack in his beak is also gone, he is not puffed up and there is no sign of bleeding. His eyes are open and he is not sitting at the bottom of his cage. But he is still pretty low energy and quiet.

I noticed a turnaround last night once we put the heat lamp on him. He did start to eat and drink then and I am suspecting that the nutrition is what is perking him up.

Today his brother (whose cage is directly below Scout's hospital cage) would call out for him, and kept looking for him. I am now concerned about him, as I don't want him to get depressed. Since Scout is feeling somewhat better he did answer back occasionally. I am hoping and praying that he is going to pull through, for both their sakes.

[ac12]

Zebras will do fine on their own. Leave the brother separated.

You have run into one of the problems with zebras. In a bonded MM or FF pair, one bird could turn on the other, and KILL it. Happened to me. At the first sign of trouble you need to separate the picked on bird, or he could go downhill FAST. I personally would not put him with his former cage-mate, as you now know that you have an incompatible pairing. Putting him back could result in the same problem again, or worse, him getting killed.

Heat is always a good idea for a sick bird. Then they can divert more energy to healing than keeping warm. That is usually the first thing that I do.

Feed him some chopped up hardboiled egg along with his normal food. The protein may help him, and would help his feathers regrow.

gud luk

[Becky]

Hi Gary, thank you so much for your response! I apologize as I am just now seeing it! Here is an update on Scout's progress, to date.

I am pleased to report that he has pulled through! He is still in his hospital cage for proper healing from the blood feather but with the heat lamp, vitamins, and some extra treats of fresh millet sprays, along with time and rest, each day he became stronger and has continued to heal. I was able to discourage him from pecking at his wound in response to it likely being itchy, which I discovered was the cause of the bleeding, therefore making things a hundred times worse. Once he would peck and bleed, he would become sore, and therefore not eat. Thank heavens he is a smart one, so with patience he has learned the word "no". I spent a great deal of time aside his cage singing and talking to him to distract and soothe him, with several "No!" reminders. Well worth the sleepless nights! He is now 110% back to normal, bright eyed, singing, and flying. His brother became depressed while he was ill, because he could no longer hear him singing. (The hospital cage sits atop his usual one, so they can hear each other, and he keeps the same view/surroundings.) So I also spent time holding the hospital cage up for Jem to see, and he perked right up. That, and some spoils of extra millet for him as well. I will absolutely add some hard boiled egg, I think I was so stressed I forgot to do that. Stupid me!

With that being said, today the bald patch where his blood feather was is a bit redder than it has been and it seems a bit swollen. My fear is potential infection. Does anyone have a recommendation for a good, broad spectrum antibiotic I can give him to err on the side of caution?

[Becky]

Sadly Scout passed away overnight, after suffering a setback last week. I am heartbroken, and will tend to his companion, Jem, as he took it very hard when they were separated to begin with. He developed a coping mechanism where he would call out to Scout and Scout would sing back. Scout's hospital cage sat atop Jem's, and the singing and sounds of Scout's movements, coupled with extra attention from me, seemed to do the trick. I will give him some grieving time and then we will try a new companion for him as he is a young finch; only about 3 years old. Does anyone have any advice for a sufficient waiting period? A week? Immediately? Any suggestions would be most welcome.

[Sally]

So sorry you lost Scout, it is never easy. The best thing to do if getting a new bird is to do a quarantine anyway, so you could go ahead and get a new bird now and then keep it away from Jem until after quarantine. I usually quarantine a minimum of two weeks.

[Becky]

Thank you Sally. Excellent point, I will do that right after we thoroughly clean the cage to be safe, although I think Scout's passing was blood feather related and therefore not communicable.. I think I will set it up so that the new companion's cage is sitting atop his, just as we had Scout set up. That way they will be able to hear each other and begin acquainting themselves. And thank you for the condolences. I had to re-home my ferrets one week ago today, and now we lost Scout. My heart is just broken.

[Sally]

Becky It is actually best to do quarantine in another room away from Jem, just in case the new bird might have something that could pass to Jem. Ideally, new birds are quarantined in another building (some breeders with very expensive/rare collections will do this), but this is not practical for most of us. I quarantine in a different room in my house. It is important to wash your hands when moving from one cage to the other, so that you don't carry anything on your hands either.

[Becky]

Excellent advice, thank you very much, Sally. Will do!