UPDATE !! Zebra finch/ twisting of head

B CAMP · Post by **B CAMP** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 10:31 am

I would keep giving him millet and hold off on the corn ,did you try the hardboiled eggs that would have a lot of protein.Do you feed him any regular finch seeds in his normal diet,along with some greens,kale,romaine,dandelion,broccoli.I don't think I would feed just pellets to finch's maybe some along with a good seed. Very happy he is doing better good luck with him

bobojenday · Post by **bobojenday** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 10:44 am

B CAMP wrote:I would keep giving him millet and hold off on the corn ,did you try the hardboiled eggs that would have a lot of protein.Do you feed him any regular finch seeds in his normal diet,along with some greens,kale,romaine,dandelion,broccoli.I don't think I would feed just pellets to finch's maybe some along with a good seed. Very happy he is doing better good luck with him

I will try the boiled eggs this morning, my conure eats them but not sure if my zebra will. He mostly eats pellets as his main diet. I always put a cooked seed/veggie mix I buy for them in most days and if I don't put the cooked seed/veggie mix in I"ll give them soaked seed instead. I'm not sure if he even touches it much. My spice girl was a piggie on that stuff but little zebra guy isn't all that thrilled especially since she's not in the bowl with him eating anymore as she's passed on.

I'm thankful for all the responses I've gotten and info.
Let's all hope he continues to recover. Today should tell a lot.

dfcauley · Post by **dfcauley** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 12:35 pm

If it were me I would give him some good seeds and stop the pellets.

L in Ontario · Post by **L in Ontario** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 2:16 pm

I was thinking the same as Donna - just give him seeds - natural food. I'm not much of a fan of pellets for finches.

I love ZF · Post by **I love ZF** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 3:19 pm

I agree w/ giving yr finch natural food, not processed food as a main diet. When my finches got sick, they ate mostly millet & egg food. I leave millet spray all the time in the cage. There was a time I gave my finches pellets (because the vet recommended - I don't go back to this vet any more) but my finches never liked it. There are many opinions about pellets as main diet but I want my finches to get natural food, not so much man made food.

B Camp already introduced you to this website but it helps you to find more about good diet for finches:
http://www.finchniche.com/f-finchfood.mgi
She also talks about pellets and I totally agree w/ her.

I'm glad to hear that yr little guy is doing better. I hope he gets well soon and you may get a companion for him

dfcauley · Post by **dfcauley** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 3:21 pm

dfcauley wrote:If it were me I would give him some good seeds and stop the pellets.

Hope that comment wasn't too blunt. I just do not like pellet foods.
I would not want to eat bran cereal all the time ......

bobojenday · Post by **bobojenday** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 3:45 pm

dfcauley wrote:
dfcauley wrote:If it were me I would give him some good seeds and stop the pellets.

Hope that comment wasn't too blunt. I just do not like pellet foods.
I would not want to eat bran cereal all the time ......

Oh no, no feelings hurt. I know you guys just want the best for your guys as well as mine. So do I. Far as pellets go, I think he's on a very good one but whether pellets are the way to go, I'm not really sure. I know variety in diet is the key. If I give him dry seeds as his main food (he was on a seed diet few years ago) he will no longer eat the pellets at all. I need to find a better seed mix to soak and offer. Right now I soak Parrots on the Porch Small Beaks Sprout mix and also cook them their cooking mixes. They get offered one or the other every day.

These are the ingredients in the sprout mix I have.
Do they seem like seeds most finches like?

Wheatberries, Spelt, Triticale, Barley, Millet, Quinoa, Sesame Seed, Fenugreek, Kamut, Canary Seed, Hulled Pumpkin Seed

Anyone recommend specific seed mixes I could soak that'd my zebra would like better?

He really seems back to normal today, it's so strange, normally when I see them that sick like last night, it's almost the end. He recovered so fast.

Basically yesterday I noticed his crop was huge and sticking out of his feathers. Couple hours later I caught him and massaged it and noticed the crop was soggy like and a little goo came out of his beak. Then during the night he started eating more millet sprays and by morning the swelling of his crop was down and now he is chattering away again. I had someone tell me it could possibly be canker and it could come back. Has anyone experienced this in their finches or have any clues on what happened yesterday with him? Or maybe something he ate yestereday got stuck in his crop possibly. I have no clue, but do not want this to happen again.

cartel · Post by **cartel** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 5:12 pm

I'm glad to hear that you did what you felt you had to do,to try and help your finch.Nice to hear that he's doing better.I don't think you answered my Q about the corn.Is it whole kernel?Just my thought but I think
he's better off without it in his diet.

B CAMP · Post by **B CAMP** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 5:20 pm

As far as the corn goes I steam corn on the cob for a few minutes and give them a piece they love it . I take A ear and cut it into four or five like rings and then cut each in half they really like it very sweet twice a week only.Love birds conure,cockateil,finch's

bobojenday · Post by **bobojenday** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 5:23 pm

cartel wrote:I'm glad to hear that you did what you felt you had to do,to try and help your finch.Nice to hear that he's doing better.I don't think you answered my Q about the corn.Is it whole kernel?Just my thought but I think
he's better off without it in his diet.

Yes, it's whole kernel. Is there something wrong with whole kernel? Both my conure and zebra love corn that's why i give them a few kernels every morning but if that's to much or the wrong kind I'll be changing that. I didnt' think I was doing any harm.

bobojenday · Post by **bobojenday** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 5:26 pm

B CAMP wrote:I would keep giving him millet and hold off on the corn ,did you try the hardboiled eggs that would have a lot of protein.Do you feed him any regular finch seeds in his normal diet,along with some greens,kale,romaine,dandelion,broccoli.I don't think I would feed just pellets to finch's maybe some along with a good seed. Very happy he is doing better good luck with him

Oh yes, he ate some egg. He actually seemed to love it!!

B CAMP · Post by **B CAMP** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 5:33 pm

I like the pellets for my conure,love birds and cockatiel but they are all lager birds and can handle the pellets I only give them about 25% pellets and then seed and fresh food

cartel · Post by **cartel** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 5:50 pm

bobojenday wrote:
cartel wrote:I'm glad to hear that you did what you felt you had to do,to try and help your finch.Nice to hear that he's doing better.I don't think you answered my Q about the corn.Is it whole kernel?Just my thought but I think
he's better off without it in his diet.
Yes, it's whole kernel. Is there something wrong with whole kernel? Both my conure and zebra love corn that's why i give them a few kernels every morning but if that's to much or the wrong kind I'll be changing that. I didnt' think I was doing any harm.

I was just thinking may some corn got stuck in their.Anyone who has eaten corn know its skin lasts a lifetime

Was it one side or both that was swollen?

bobojenday · Post by **bobojenday** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 6:07 pm

[/quote]

I was just thinking may some corn got stuck in their.Anyone who has eaten corn know its skin lasts a lifetime

Was it one side or both that was swollen?[/quote]

It was just on his right side that I noticed it bulging out. The one side I took a picture of him was the only spot like that.

dfcauley · Post by **dfcauley** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 7:30 pm

I feed my finches corn all the time. I put the cob in a dish and they love it.

Finches love seeds. It is natural for them to e at seeds and not pellets. I think if you have a good seed mix that is just as good as pellets.

They love canary, thistle, white millet , proso and japanese millet to just name a few.