Aussie Finch Forum

I have a Crimson Male who has looked crook for the last 5-6 weeks. He sits huddles on the perch or ground, asleep or with his back feathers raised (looks like a hunch back), or sitting in the sun. I pulled him in two weeks ago into a hospital cage and wormed him. Seemed fine and so he went back into the aviary. He moves around OK but nowhere near as lively as he was. His vent is clean.

Not sure what to do. I assume he would have passed on if really crook but he keeps on hanging in.

Any thoughts?

Regards

Clawd

I am in Sydney. Nights have been cool but days fine recently.

Put him back into Hospital Cage and take poop sample to bird vet....thats what I would do..

Could be yeast (megabacteria), they can fill the digestive system so food can't be broken down. The bird eventually starves to death.... Use some apple cider vinegar in drinking water occasionally, 5ml per litre. Once every few weeks (leave in flight for 24 hours) is usually enough, once the yeast is gone they pick up in condition pretty quickly.

I would second Vettepilot's suggestion and get a fresh faecal sample to a vet, preferably one with avian experience.
If you collect the sample on plastic cling wrap or foil placed under a perch, then wrap it up whilst it is still fresh/moist and place it in a plastic snaplock bag, that should keep it in a good enough condition for the vet to assess.

Your description is typical of a "chronically sick" finch (ie been sick for a while). They often perk up in a hospital cage because you are providing the heat they need for their body to work properly ie they don't have to generate the heat themselves-this takes energy and when you're sick you don't have much energy.

It could well be a yeast infection OR Megabacteria/Macrorhabdus as Natamambo has suggested ( not necessarily the same thing) or another fungal infection OR Cryptosporidiosis OR Gizzardworm OR avian TB or... ie it could be many things.

You could try the Apple Cider Vinegar but in my experience if the bird is already sick and has been for some time then it probably won't help much.

You really need to find the specific cause and treat it if you can with the right drug. Some diseases are easier to treat than others.

Good luck and let us know how you go.

Myzo, Colin Walker says its correct name is Avian Gastric Yeast, hence my naming of it. Yes, I know, some are still arguing over it .

Natamambo, Avian Gastric yeast is the second most recent name!! and is a descriptive term

Macrorhabdus is definitely the correct name as the organism is Macrorhabdus ornithogaster.

The problem I have with the term Avian Gastric Yeast is that it conjures up the idea that it is just another yeast infection, and responds to the same medications as used to treat other yeasts.

This couldn't be further from the truth and in fact very few treatments are effective- namely amphotericin (Fungilin) and possibly another antifungal drug.

But everyone still remembers it as "megabacteria", even though it is not a bacteria at all.

Semantics aside, it is an insidious organism, often difficult to detect in the live bird (it is not always shed in the droppings of affected birds).

Thanks all. The month delay was too long and he has gone.

Regards

Clawds

Clawd
Just curious how old was the bird.

Sorry to hear about you Crimson , they are beautiful birds