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I am stumped and hope y'all can help. We have a parrot finch that's been with us for about a year and has always seemed quite healthy. Over the past couple of weeks, he has developed some very strange symptoms that I've never seen. He seems to have no balance; has trouble perching and when he tries to fly, his wings are really uncoordinated, going ever which way. His legs also seem to fail him--one in particularly splays when he's moving around on the ground. At first we thought he'd broken a wing, then a leg, but both seem structurally okay. He *can* perch if he's still, but when he starts moving it's as if he's lost all coordination.

He was spending most of his time on the aviary floor so after observing for a few days and a good visual exam, we've removed him to a small hospital cage. He seems comfortable on a low perch and is eating & drinking just fine.

Having done some reading the closest thing I can find to this set of symptoms is West Nile virus. Although we have seen a couple of mosquitoes already, we've not yet opened up the aviary (enclosed in plastic for the winter), so that seems like a long shot.

Any ideas?

TIA,
Pat

Sorry to hear about your little guy. I agree that West Nile is a long shot. It seems as though most people and animals get sick in the summer and early fall?

I lost my Triton Cockatoo a while back. I got Nika when she was 6 years old, and she lived with me for almost 5 years. Nika was healthy, or at least she seemed to be, when I got her. Then after about 4 years, she started falling occasionally. I thought it was "night frights" because it only seemed to happen at night and started after we moved. Now looking back, I'm sure it also happened during the day when I was at work. The falling started happening more often so I took Nika to the vet for bloodwork and other tests. Nothing unusual was found. I took her to my room at night and used her carrier as a sleep cage. Nika hurt herself a couple times during her falls. I took her to a vet in another city. During the appointment, Nika had a seizure. The vet also commented that Nika didn't seem steady when perching. I was given medication and told there wasn't really anything else they could do. Trying to give Nika the meds only upset her. I called a vet in a large city in another state. That vet thought she might be able to help and said there were other options for birds with seizures, such as a cream that could be rubbed into the feet. The vet x-rayed for lead, but nothing was found. She was concerned about Nika's quality of life. She said that would be willing to keep Nika and try a few things, but she doubted that Nika would do well if I left her, especially since I lived out of state and couldn't visit regularly. (It was 7 hours one way.) She was also concerned Nika could have PDD because of her symptoms. I ended up euthanizing Nika and had to leave her for necropsy because the vet knew I had other birds and was concerned for their health. The necropsy revealed that Nika did not have PDD. The brain cells at the back of Nika's brain were dying. The vet said this sometimes happens to birds (and also occasionally to dogs), and there was nothing that could have been done.

Sorry for the long, drawn out story. Your little finch's condition reminded me of Nika's. To me, it does sound neurological, but then again, I'm not a vet.

I'm also sorry to hear your little guy is having such a hard time.

It's difficult to say what the problem is since it could be either genetics, a tumor, poison, a nutritional deficiency, or a bacterial/fungal infection.
A calcium deficiency can cause the symptoms you're seeing but too much calcium can do the same thing. If you have hard water and were also giving calcium, he could be showing the effects of an overdose.

If he has a good balanced diet, with vitamin supplements, you may want to have a vet start him on antibiotics and fungal meds to see if that helps.

Please keep us posted...........

1. as already mentioned, some birds age faster than others.

2. It could be the cumulative effect of moldy feed which we are not aware of, or a moldy or dusty environment.

I don't really know any common finch diseases or illnesses other than stargazing aka twirling.... however, I suggest an avian vet visit.

As I read over the symptoms of your little finch, I'm reminded of one of my finches that survived a massive aspergillosis infection, while I was away on a vacation (the person supposed to be maintaining the cages chose the most humid, hottest week in the summer to NOT clean the cage). His four siblings died from it, but he didn't. He had symptoms for a while that were very obvious, but over time some of them reduced significantly. The most obvious ones were clearly respiratory and neurological. Perching and balance were extremely difficult for him and his legs would splay out on flat ground a bit. He ate and drank without problems. Now, he perches perfectly fine and only has a tiny bit of spasticity when hopping about on the ground. I read extensively on aspergillosis infections and remember that the mold infection may eventually spread to the bloodstream and the nervous system, causing all kind of difficulties neurologically. Is it possible that, before you got your little finch, he could have been exposed to a heavy dose of mold spores whose colonies are slowly spreading to other parts of his body? It's been almost a year since my little guy was infected, and he's doing really well now. Just a thought. Good luck!

Ragnarok

If it was asper, it needs to be treated still. There is a very touching article in Bird Talk this month about a young blue and gold that died from an undetected asper infection. The infection, as many of us know, will eventually kill the bird if not treated, especially when there is a stress in their lives. One of our own members here lost their tiel to an asper infection that was treated but not sucessfully.

I did read that very article in Bird Talk. I felt so badly for that person; they so clearly adored their Blue and Gold. I have a Congo African Grey whose death would be devastating--I could totally relate to the article. Luckily, my CAG gets to travel with me on trips, so her care is almost always in my hands. Also, the person responsible for taking care of my finches while I was away definitely learned their lesson about birds and mold. Specifically, he overlooked the nestboxes. NOT a good thing to overlook at any time, let alone in extreme humidity. And yes, apergillosis MUST be treated as early as possible. I hope that's not what's going on with Pat's parrot finch, 'cause the outcome of meds with mold is often uncertain.

Thanks, all, for your input. The vet didn't seem to think it was neurological, at least not CNS, because the bird's head & neck function are fine -- just the lower limbs are affected, one side more than the other. Makes me wonder if we've had a birdie stroke, if there is such a thing. Anyhow, he suggested that it may be a kidney tumor. Apparently that is not uncommon, and the tumor pressing on a nerve would certainly explain the symptoms. Anyhow, the bird is back in a hospital cage and we've just begun a round of steroids to see if that will help. Aside from REALLY HATING the vet visit (and the meds), the bird seems relatively comfortable, continues to eat & drink, etc. So we shall see...

Again, thanks for your help!
Pat

Gouldian finches tend to have this problem - look on the Internet under Stargazing. My Gouldian is being treated with a sulphur drug and nystatin and he is getting better, but the vet does not hold much hope. He can perch again, at least.

Linda,
Sorry to hear about your sick gouldian. I hope he pulls through!

It has been since September since we've heard about the sick finch in this thread, so we can only guess what is going on there.

christie wrote:... It has been since September since we've heard about the sick finch in this thread, so we can only guess what is going on there.

Pat last updated us in late April, still awhile, but not THAT long

So, not as long as I thought. I hate trying to find the dates on the posts in this new format. I guess I need to start wearing my glasses when reading here!!

I do wish we knew, one way or another.