Aussie Finch Forum

That's not much fun Natamambo,

Hope you got rid of the bug and don't have relapses.

Most GPs dismiss psittacosis as causing your flu-like symptoms until you've been sick for a long time.
To be fair to them it is an uncommon cause for most people. I just wish they'd take notice when you say- "By the way, I keep birds and they've been dying lately- could I have psittacosis?"

Doctors can test for it and it is relatively straightforawrd to treat if caught reasonably early.

This is an interesting thread.

i bought a Rosa Burke late last year and she didn't have any tail feathers and as it was a reputable bird shop never thought any more of it. She does appear to have some tail feathers growing now, but it is a slow process, so I am waiting to see what develops. Her mate has beautiful tail feathers.

If there is no progress in the next few weeks I will take her to the vets for a diagnosis.

I recently visited a pet shop in another town which was selling budgies , bourkes and finches . Not one of the budgies or Bourkes had a tail feather ( 20 or so birds ) .

Quickly got out of there .....

Just thought I would post that I did take my Rosa Burkes to the vet for testing for beak and feather and the results have come back positive. It's very upsetting as I am quite attached to these lovely birds. Luckily they have had absolutely no contact with my budgies.

I have learnt a valuable lesson here.

I had one baby zebra finch fledge with one wing normal and the other had no flight feathers at all. The bird is almost a year old now and lives on the bottom of the avairy with the quail. It cannot fly at all. I don't know if the parents are related as I bought them at the same time from a pet shop. This is the only time I have ever come across a defect like this in my birds. Even from the same clutch the other 3 young fledged fine. Could this be a disease like the ones you are discussing?

My vet did say that Finches have their own form of beak and feather disease which is different to the parrot form.

jemappelle wrote:Just thought I would post that I did take my Rosa Burkes to the vet for testing for beak and feather and the results have come back positive. It's very upsetting as I am quite attached to these lovely birds. Luckily they have had absolutely no contact with my budgies.

I have learnt a valuable lesson here.

Sorry to hear the bad news. Other than the circovirus test were they tested for anything else?

You could buy from a private breeder and still end up with a bird carrying circo

far out!! is this common in parrots!!?? Ive only got my pair of masked and there fine but this is a bit distressing would be horrible to have something nail all of your birds. Do many aussie parrots get it? And finches cant?

interested.

thehammer wrote:
Sorry to hear the bad news. Other than the circovirus test were they tested for anything else?

You could buy from a private breeder and still end up with a bird carrying circo

Yes they tested for the polyama virus but the results have been delayed due to a problem with the testing.

Its getting worse Bensonsan . Here in Dubbo 1 in 6 wild Sulphurs had B + F . Thats not the bad news yet , the Corellas are buggers for stealing nesting sites thus they contract the disease .

Apart from that Galahs will often nest in hollows used by both the above as well as Rainbow Lorries and a number of other parrots that like hollows to nest in .

Parents pass it on to young , who pass it on to mates ..it goes on and on and on .

Then there's the breeders that will sell birds with it unwittingly . Its every where and getting worse .