Gouldian on floor of cage :(

[maz]

A while back I bought a pair of gouldians on a whim (yes silly me), the male died within a week (was looking sick within days of being bought home) and today I found the female on the floor of the cage, I think it is largely due to the sudden change in weather (from mid- high twenties to pouring with rain and cold) and possibly because the poor thing is basically on her own without a mate to cuddle up to. I've bought her inside and she's in a hospital cage and I've got my fingers crossed she pulls through. My question is how long should I keep her inside for or is she basically doomed being on her own in the aviary during winter? Would getting her a mate help (if she recovers), I'm worried that putting her back out in the aviary will just result in a cycle of cold stress, back into hospital cage and round and round we go

[vettepilot_6]

Are you saying she has come good since been put in hospital cage? Is the aviary draft free? It is not cold that kills Goulds it is drafts n wet conditions as well as all the other bird illnesses....gouldians do not have down feathers hence more suspetable to drafts....if the aviary is draft free and gould is healthy all should be good....

[maz]

The aviary is around 3 metres long and 1.5 wide it has a completely covered end 1/3 of the length with 3 sides fully covered with the exposed side facing away from drafts, a middle 1/3 with an open front and an last third more open to the elements (this end is facing towards the house/verandah so very protected but great for the birds to sun themselves. So the cage definitely has nice warm draft free areas where she could go to stay warm (although I notice she spends most of her time in the open area). She is back on the perch in the hospital cage and I will definitely keep her inside for a few days to make sure she is fully recovered before thinking about releasing her again.