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Finch Troubles

T

tom e

New member
I think we may be fine, but I'm not sure. Here's what's happened.

A month or so back I picked up a pair of Star Finches. I read lots about them and one day discovered that my male seemed to be struggling with air sac mites.. He was tiring really easily and would start panting.. when I'd hold him to my ear I could hear clicking as he breathed. I bought some bug killer drops that you put in the water for this, and I used it twice ten days apart as the directions indicated.
I had read where sometimes there can be a problem with bad infections where they will have so many dead parasites in the air sacs after treatment that they will cause problems as well. That seems to be affecting him, he's coughing now quite a bit and his voice seems to be gone. When he tries to sing it's really like a whisper. I have started keeping the window closed now and started using a second lamp (for warmth instead of just the sun-type lamp) which he seems to stay near.
I'm wondering if this is something I should treat with antibiotics, or should I take him to a vet? I don't know if anybody has any experience with these guys. From what I've read, vets don't always do much for finches, but if I'm wrong I'd certainly be ready to take him in.
He's looking a little better today (well he's trying to mate, lol, that's why I say that) but he normally doesn't cough much in the morning anyway.

Any advice is appreciated!
 
I guess I'd take him to the vet for a diagnosis. However, I've spent many hundreds on a pigeon, so of course I'd be in favor of saving the bird. The vet ought to be able to do basic diagnotics whether it's a tiny finch or not- take in a dropping, and the vet can swab his throat and do a Grams stain or whatever. How'd you know he had air sac mites in the first place, or was that just a guess? Do you have a good herp vet? Often vets specialize in reptiles _and_ birds.
 
Nanci I've had terrible luck with vets.. All the vets out here that will even SEE a reptile say they won't see a snake (two of them) which is odd to me. I once drove quite a distance for my girl Ruby when she was egg bound and the 'herp specialist' told me she looked very healthy after having done zero tests, xrays, etc. By the way she looked like hell and she died that week. Maybe I will have have better luck with the birds though, I'm certainly willing to try.

Yeah that was just a guess, but the meds I used are supposedly pretty mild and air sac mites being more or less ubiquitous in large colonies, people even use the stuff preventatively like every six months or so.. So I didn't figure there was much of a worry.

I'll start looking around for a bird vet, thanks!
 
I've had the usual troubles- One place being referred to me by all the other vets (we don't see birds but they do!) Then when I call them they say we are only seeing existing customers. But they can refer me to someone who's like 50 miles away, lol.:headbang:

So I have a call in to a couple different bird keepers that I know to find out who they see..
 
Lisa checked out....

this thread. She is the bird person in the family with 20+ years under her belt. She advises a vet pronto. I would think ther may be a list of good bird vets on the internet.


BTW, did you try any Eddings books?
 
I actually found a vet! I'll be taking him in tomorrow and I'll let you guys know what happens..

Wish me luck, I've had TERRIBLE luck finding a good one. I'm sure actually they were good at what they do well, but not with reptiles. This is my first search for a bird vet. I have a really good feeling about this office though.. Hopefully when I talk to him, I'll discover I've found a good snake vet as well.

And since I'm playing hooky tomorrow, I'll look into the Eddings books too. I completely forgot about that, and I'm reading NOTHING at the moment..
 
Well, I just got back from the vet. I had missed my last appointment cause it took me so much more time to catch the little guy in his cage than I would have thought.
The vet said it's definitely the tracheal or airsack mites, but he didn't think much of the over the counter treatment I had given him. He said that putting the stuff in the water is something you do with large colonies that you can't treat individually, but with only a couple of birds we should use drops of ivermectin once a week for six weeks. He kind of laughed at my worry that it was a secondary infection from too many dead parasites, but then agreed that's possible but with only two treatments of the stuff I used over ten days, I most likely hadn't eradicated the bugs..

So I've got the good stuff now, and I'll be getting lots of practice chasing them around the cage and catching then to put drops into their mouths..

Also, he does see snakes! So I've got a vet now!
 
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