My Gouldian Finch is presumably dying...

Is your finch sick or not well? Find out why.
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Pulse
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I came back from school to find that one of my 5 Gouldians is on the bottom of the aviary looking as if it is going to die soon. She is twitching her head constantly.
Some backstory: I live in an area where vets aren't that helpful when it comes to birds, they overcharge and the diagnosis they perform is quite pathetic and weak. I decided to take matters into my own hands and try to help her recover. I noticed that she had a respiratory problem, for I noticed that she has shown signs of difficulty breathing, open-mouth, clicking sound and absolutely no vocalizing. I decided to order SCATT and I made the terrible mistake by choosing the cheapest shipping option. Months had passed and her condition got worse, it finally arrived. I quickly administered the medicine and hoped for the best. Sadly, It didn't do anything to make her better. It didn't even help with the scaly face! Recently, I have noticed that she falls a lot from her perch (especially during night times). Yesterday, I had noticed that she was falling more than usual but she managed to get a grip on the perch after a while.
SO back to the current moment, she is suffering. She is breathing extremely heavily and shaking her head over and over. I am in tears right now in grief and sorrow, I cannot cope with the thought of her dying, especially in such a painful way! She is also shaking her right leg over and over and in closer inspection, it looks as if she is missing a nail (I am not sure).
I have no idea what to do...I am considering euthanizing her but I still feel like there is hope for her survival. I still don't want to let her die like this. I feel ashamed that I couldn't help her for so many months. The other Finches are much healthier and energetic. They don't seem to care about her condition. Please, I really want to help her but I don't know what to do!!!
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vettepilot_6
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Surprised she has lasted that long.."heat first and foremost"...and without knowing what ails her you really are guessing. ..need to take poop sample...but sadly I think you will lose her before finding the remedy.. :(
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finchbreeder
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Welcome to the forum. Sorry it is for a sad reason that you have joined. Like VP said, put her in a small warm cage, no perches, easy to reach water and food. But the odds of her survival are not good. How many other Gouldians do you have?
LML
LML
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GouldianGuy
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I would also recommend you quarantine her ASAP and treat all other birds in case this is communicable.
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matcho
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Given the history Pulse has given us over the past couple of months why cant someone give the real deal here, so I will say it!.

Pulse, euthanase ASAP for her sake, she has suffered enough. How you do it it up to yourself, but for me hold the bird body in the left hand, head between 1st and second fingers. Right hand thumb and forefinger around head, quick pull, will feel slight click. Done, dusted,over. I know it is hard but you have to remember these birds are not like budgies, cockatoos or macaws who live for many years.

I feel for you, but if they were in the wild in that condition she would not have lasted 5 minutes let alone months.

Ken.
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finchbreeder
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Forgot to say if she has scaly face you need to replace or clean with bleach all the perches in your avairy to prevent the spread of this. And probably a good idea to treat your other Gouldians with the Scat for scaly face mites.
LML
LML
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Pulse
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I appreciate all the kind replies but I am sad to say that she has passed away this morning...
Before I went to bed, I noticed that she was somewhat getting better. The head shaking and the leg twitching was significantly reduced and I was hoping to see her better in the morning but at the same time, I kinda wanted her misery and suffering to end. I found her close to the aviary door, lying on her back, completely stiff. Sobbed for a while and buried her. But regardless of the outcome, I am very thankful for all the suggestions. I tried to bring myself to euthanize her but I just couldn't. I was too optimistic and it cost me but regardless, I really hope she is in a better place now. I do not have any bleach or something to clean the perches. I worry that it will be dangerous to use products like Dettol but I could be wrong. I would also like to point out that even after she died, I could still hear the clicking sound. I shuddered at the thought of the mites still living in her. Is it even possible or was I just hearing things?!
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finchbreeder
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Detol is perfectly safe to use to clean and disinfect the perches. You may well have still heard the clicking sound, as it is possible the other birds have caught the mites that cause this infection. That is why you need to clean or replace the perches and give the other birds a dose of Scat to protect them.
Good luck with the health of your other birds.
LML
LML
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Pulse
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finchbreeder wrote:Detol is perfectly safe to use to clean and disinfect the perches. You may well have still heard the clicking sound, as it is possible the other birds have caught the mites that cause this infection. That is why you need to clean or replace the perches and give the other birds a dose of Scat to protect them.
Good luck with the health of your other birds.
LML
I already gave them the SCATT about 10 days ago and my schedule is with 3 week gaps. Is it safe to give them SCATT so soon? I worry that it will result in an overdose.
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finchbreeder
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If you treated all of them, stick to the schedule. You are right, do not want to overdose. Did not realise you had treated all of the birds.
LML
LML
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