Aussie Finch Forum

Hi all,
Just a update from my last posts, Gabriel is still great and after 3 trips to the vets they tell me just wait and see how he goes and that they dont really deal with small birds and mind you after taking my money.He had a injuired eye from being attacked and two weeks ago i noticed alittle wetness on the bench he was on and gave him tricin eye cream for a week and it worked now he uses that eye all the time. but when you see his tail bobbing due to his breathing ...i cant just wait as i dont want to put any pressure on his heart.So i guess i'm just going to have to research and fix the problem without the vets..so i was thinking of starting with worming as he is very thin (but i dont see how that will help with his breathing but i will start at one end i guess.The good thing is he is happy and eats,flys, and sings all day long.He is a very happy boy.any ideas to what could cause the tail bobbing....

Hi farsouth,

It’s good to hear that your Gabe is still on the perch.
Finches are difficult to diagnose even for experienced specialist avian vets so perhaps you have exhausted that option. If he is a new acquisition with an unknown history an accurate diagnosis is even more difficult. If you want to worm him, take the advice of a Gouldian breeder as to what brand/type of wormer you use and how to use it effectively….some can do more harm than good. If he is kept in a dry enclosure and isolated from non-quarantined birds, no other routine medication should be necessary. Other non-routine medications for air sac mite or antibiotics for specific infections should be given only when deemed necessary, and not given “on suspicion” or as a “cure all”.
It seems that you are quite emotionally invested in him and are doing all that you can for him. Perhaps wait to see what some of the experienced Gouldian people have to say.

Good luck with him.

Hi starman,
Thankyou for your advice and i will do that,The reason for worming is i dont think hes been wormed..at least the last six months as he was one of forty that a man brought into a pet shop as to him moving and gabriel was the last one and had been hurt from zebra finches ..I keep him in the study in a dry cage around 120cms long by 60cms h/45cms deep.he is the only bird and i want to get him a mate but not till i can soft out his health issues.I love him so much as he has started letting me rub hid chest each morning and he crys out to me when i leave the room sometimes when i sleep in.he is amazing..

farsouth wrote: ↑21 Sep 2017, 12:29 I keep him in the study in a dry cage around 120cms long by 60cms h/45cms deep.

That is a reasonable cage size for one or two finches. As he resides in your study, be aware of his need for sunlight to keep his vitamin D levels up to par. If you put the cage outside in the sun, make sure that he has some available shade to retire to, and be sure to put some form of extra screening around the cage to deny the probing beaks of predators, particularly Butcher Birds, who are particularly skilled at removing the heads of finches through cage bars.

Most avian vets are not used to treating finches as they usually deal with bigger birds like parrots. Glad to hear that your Gabe is feeling better.

Sounds like time to observe and build up. Building up is done by supplying extras, like a little fresh greens each day.
Enjoy your little friend.
LML

Three trips to the Vet? you must be loaded, Vets charge like wounded Bulls gone bloody mad,
love your persistence.