What do I do if my Gouldian Finch is fluffed up and not moving very much in her cage? She laid one egg yesterday.

It sounds like she may be eggbound, and in that case needs to be seen by an avian veterinarian.

Prior to getting her to the doctor, apply heating to the cage – can be a heating pad leaned up against the outside of the cage, draped with a towel to warm her.

(For additional tricks to help a hen through egg binding, read this post.)

Answered by Cathy Johnson-Delaney, DVM, Dipl. ABVP-Avian Practice, Dipl. ABVP-Exotic Companion Mammals. 

Do you know why my bird would drop dead after no signs of being sick?

Birds hide their symptoms so in actuality there may have been some underlying illness.

Birds also have heart attacks and stroke – they have a lot of heart disease, and that may be what happened.

Without a necropsy (autopsy) there is no way to know what caused the death. Continue reading →

I cut my bird’s nails too short and they bled quite a bit but it’s stopped now. Should I take them to the Emergency Vet?

If the bird is sitting fluffed from the blood loss, and is painful (toes), first thing to do is get some heat to the caging. This can be done using a heating pad up against the outside of the cage near where the bird is sitting. Drape the cage with a towel to help keep the bird warm.

Any Emergency Veterinarian service needs to be one that has experience with birds. Most do not. You would have to call. If during office hours, your regular avian veterinarian should be consulted. Continue reading →

Should I quarantine and provide preventative medicines and cures for communicable diseases to my new birds before introducing them to the rest of my flock?

Yes you should quarantine new birds rather than just introducing them to your flock. Do not however treat with pet store antibiotics or other over the counter medications.

The new birds may or may not have anything that the resident flock may have. Just giving medication when there is no reason to do so creates problems. The new birds should be taken to an avian veterinarian who will take a sample for culturing and antibiotic sensitivity testing. The veterinary will also give a physical examination to the bird including weighing, listening to heart and respiratory system and other parameters. In some cases blood testing may be done. Continue reading →