Expert: Chrys Meatyard - 11/6/2006

Question
ok new update...and i really wished i had your direct email address, because of this 3 day wait for an answer.

I have noticed she is getting better, at first she wouldn't eat and I couldn't tell if she was drinking or not, And then I continued to read the net and read, she may have just been weaned so I read to put another older bird around her to show her how to eat... well first she wouldn't eat out of the dish, (and still wont) she eats off the bottom of her cage. I brought my lutino to show her, which he did and she started to eat, she is very thin and frail for that matter.... I don't know the present condition she was in. But I do know it was terrible. My husband wants to return her this Friday, I have grown attached to her, but he wont take her to the vet because he doesn't want to spend money when we will just return her. She is now more active. But still doesn't really chirp  (at all) she is a Cinnamon Pearl ( I think) not a peid she has stripes all over her body (then I read it could be stress bars in babies?)  now about her wing, her left ( our right ) droops all the time, I did what you said and opened it up, but she didn’t bite or cry or make a sound. She can fly, but glide more or less because I clipped her wings. I also noticed discharge coming from her right nostril one morning, I dried it with a Q tip and I never saw anything more. I read about that problem and found babies can get CANDIDA and the symptoms are: not active, no sounds, discharge from the nostrils, and pulling feathers out, also whitish cream on the tongue or beak ( this I haven’t seen) so I wanted to treat her with Nystatin, but cant seem to find it at the moment, so I read an alternative is to put drops of apple cider vinegar in her water to help the bacteria. I am doing all that I can do, I have been giving her a better diet like, fresh peas, chickpeas, egg, corn, rice, hay, pellets, millet spray and a seed mix- she will eat the rice, seeds and a little egg but doesn’t really eat much more. I tried to give her water through a syringe just to make sure she is drinking because it is in a dish. Not sure if she knows how to.

Ok I got all the pics you need, but how can I send them…..need an address.

Please reply soon
Thanks for responding and helping me.


Answer
Hi again, Sumaya.  

We have UP TO 3 days to respond.  I think I answer most of my questions almost as soon as they post except on weekends when I'm overwhelmed with caring for all my birds, my home, going to school, spending time with family, etc.  I do not give out my home E-Mail address.

Some birds/tiels prefer to eat off a dish on the cage bottom and some like their dishes on the side of their cage...it just depends on the individual bird.

I really think this baby needs to be seem by a bird vet.  I'd recommend you get her to a bird vet quickly or return her to where you bought her from today...don't wait for Friday...Friday could be too late.  The bird may not want to chirp if she feels badly.  

If she didn't cry, etc., when you opened her wing up, then I'd say any wing injury is minimal.  Must be something else.  Again, another reason to visit the bird vet.

Any discharge from nostrils is a bad sign.  However, it's possible liquid could come from the nostril if she just drank some water.  Other than this, fluid from the nostrils is usually a sign of illness.  Nystatin is a prescription drug in the USA, so you won't find it...an avian vet has to prescribe it.  Also, don't medicate your bird for things you don't know your bird even has...this is not good.  Apple cider vinegar is good.  I highly doubt your tiel will eat chickpeas or hay.  Anything you can get down her is great at this point in time!  

You can send your pics to me at:  chrys.meatyard@wpafb.af.mil.

I really think you need to take this bird to a bird vet for a medical evaluation ASAP.

Chrys