Aussie Finch Forum

Good to hear things are settling: I hope your mammal (other half) comes good as quickly as your bird.

Thanks Matty ..no Im afraid its a bush pill for the other half

Hi Deb,

Danny is spot-on regarding the likelihood of chlamydial infection (psittacosis). Sometimes the only signs we see in some parrot species is one or both eyes being weepy. This is exactly why quarantine is important when buying new birds as the stress of moving and new environment can bring out undetected diseases- so well done on that score Quarrions are one of the most highly susceptible species. Of course it could also be Mycoplasma but the tripleC may help with that also. As both MM and Danny have said, doxycycline is a prescription-only medication.

And you may just be unlucky and the bird has knocked its eye as Gomer suggested, but this is a much less likely cause IMO.

The likelihood of influenza or any other viral cause is almost nil given that avian influenza is an exotic disease- and you'd have the relevant govt authorities swarming all over your place!!

And diagnosis is unfortunately not as simple as has been made out. It can be complicated, false negatives are common and requires professional interpretation.

As well as the other excellent suggestions, be careful when cleaning the droppings from infected birds (don't breathe in the dust- eg wear a mask when cleaning the cage) and make sure the bird doesn't cough in your face!!- the organism is spread in droppings and respiratory secretions. And remember to wash your hands.

This is a common disease so don't panic- at least you are treating just one bird & not the entire collection!! Good luck.

I do feel that they eye healed rather quickly and that it is an injury however to be on the safe side I have decided to treat the bird for the full 45 days as recommended .

This is a bird that was bought on behalf of a friend and Im holding it until she can get in from Cobar to pick it up ...well my conscience tells me to keep it in quarantine and treat it before moving it on .

The triple c will have to do until I can get to Mudgee to get Doxy from the avian vet there . Unless someone on here can tell me that the triple c will work , it says it will treat Psittacosis on the bottle.

Thank you Myzo for the advice .

Afterthought ..if I seem to have reacted to this post abruptly I apologise , anyone who knows me and and my love of my birds will understand my panic .

I appreciate the advice and have taken it all in and hope I am taking the right course of action for the situation . Thank you for taking the time to respond .

Hi Deb,

Your concern is totally understandable. Don't worry,I don't think anyone took offence !!

If the bird's eye is totally recovered then you may be able to get away with a lesser course-2-3 weeks. If the bird was obviously ill as well then I would definitely run the 6 week course of antibiotics, no matter how well it looked after a few weeks.
If the eye is not 100% better after 7-10 days then run the full 6 week course.
If it has responded to the triple C then no need to panic & get the doxy yet!!

Sounds like things are on the improve. Whatever happens If this bird is not going into your collection then just keep it separate from your birds until
the owner picks it up -just to be on the safe side.

Cheers

Myzo.

Thanks Myzo , it is 100% better so Ill do as suggested and run the triple c for a few more weeks then do the probiotics ...